The standard rule for calculating alcohol at a wedding is simple: plan for 1 drink per person per hour. A 100-person reception running 4 hours means roughly 400 drinks. Add a 15% buffer — because you never want to run out — and you're planning for around 460 total drinks.
From there, it's about splitting those drinks across your bar setup. A wine-only reception is completely different from a full open bar, and the mix of red, white, rosé, beer, and spirits will shift based on your crowd, the time of day, and the season. The calculator above handles all of that math automatically.
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Wedding Alcohol Calculator
How much wine, beer, and liquor do you actually need? Enter your guest count, reception length, and bar style — we'll do the rest.
The short answer: Plan for 1 drink per person per hour, plus a 15% buffer. For a 100-person, 4-hour reception, that's roughly 460 total drinks. Use the calculator below to break that down by wine, beer, and spirits — and see exactly how many boxes of Gratsi to order.
Your Pour Plan
15 boxes of Gratsi.
That's the equivalent of 60 bottles of Gratsi.
Gratsi Red Wine
6
3L boxes
Gratsi White Wine
5
3L boxes
Gratsi Rosé Wine
4
3L boxes
Gratsi Sparkling
4
750ML bottles
Estimating ~300 total drinks with a 15% buffer. Because running low is the one thing that shouldn't happen at your wedding.
Request a quote & save up to 32%- ZERO SUGAR
- ALL NATURAL INGREDIENTS
- 1 BOX (3L) = 4 BOTTLES
- 30 DAYS FRESH
- 85% LESS WASTE
1
drink/person/hour
+15%
safety buffer
5 oz
standard wine pour
A few things that affect consumption: outdoor summer weddings tend to run higher (heat = thirst), afternoon events run about 20% lower than evening receptions, and crowds skew toward beer and cocktails when it's hot. If you know your crowd leans hard one way — wine lovers, craft beer people, tequila crowd — adjust accordingly.
Why Gratsi for your wedding?
The smartest wine choice you can make for a big event.
Forget what you know about boxed wine. Gratsi is zero-sugar, all-natural wine made from hand-selected European vineyards — dry, fruit-forward table wines that drink more like a great $20 bottle than anything you'd expect from a box. They were voted America's #1 Boxed Wine by USA Today and have earned some of the highest ratings Wine Enthusiast has ever given to boxed wine.
For a wedding, the practical case is just as strong as the quality case: you get more wine per dollar, it stays fresh for the whole event and beyond, it ships free to your door, and it generates 85% less waste than individual bottles.
4 bottles’ worth
Each Box Holds
30 days after opening
Stays Fresh
Up to 32% off
Bundle Savings
How much 🍷 wine do you need for a wedding?
Wine is typically the most popular drink at weddings, accounting for 60–70% of consumption at receptions without a full bar. For a 100-person, 4-hour wine-only reception, you're looking at around 460 glasses of wine — or about 92 bottles, which works out to 23 three-liter boxes of Gratsi.
The standard breakdown is roughly: 40% red, 35% white, 25% rosé for a mixed crowd. Lean toward whites and rosé in summer; lean toward reds in fall and winter. If you know your crowd, adjust — the calculator above lets you do exactly that.
Why a box of Gratsi makes the math simple
One box of Gratsi holds 3 liters — the equivalent of 4 standard wine bottles, or 20 glasses at a 5-oz pour. Instead of counting individual bottles, you're counting boxes. For a 100-person wedding at 3 hours, you're looking at roughly 15–20 boxes depending on your bar setup. That's a manageable number to order, store, and serve.
Boxes also have a practical advantage at weddings: no corks, no openers needed, no half-empty bottles cluttering your catering tables. The bag-in-box format keeps wine fresh and pourable for the entire event — and, unlike a bottle, what's left over stays fresh for 30 days after opening.
How much 🍺 beer do you need for a wedding?
If you're serving beer alongside wine, plan for roughly 30–35% of your guests to drink beer. That share goes up at outdoor summer receptions and casual backyard weddings, and down at formal seated dinners where wine naturally dominates.
Use the same 1-drink-per-hour-per-person rule for beer drinkers. For a 100-person, 4-hour reception where 35% prefer beer, you're looking at about 35 guests × 4 hours × 1.15 buffer ≈ 161 beers, or roughly 7 cases (24 beers each). Buying by the case is almost always cheaper than 6-packs — check whether your store or wholesaler will let you return unopened cases, which many do.
Offer a mix: one light lager option for the crowd that just wants something cold and easy, and one craft or amber option for guests who want something with more character. Two choices is plenty. More than that and you're just managing inventory.
How much 🍸 liquor do you need for a wedding?
A full open bar adds complexity to the calculation. If you're serving spirits, the standard pour is 1.5 oz per cocktail, which means a standard 750ml bottle yields roughly 17 drinks. Plan for about 30% of your guests to drink spirits at a full open bar, at the same 1-drink-per-hour rate.
For a 100-person, 4-hour reception: 30 spirit drinkers × 4 hours × 1.15 buffer ≈ 138 cocktails ÷ 17 per bottle = about 9 bottles of spirits total. A practical split for a wedding bar is 3–4 bottles of vodka, 2–3 whiskey/bourbon, and 1–2 of whatever fits your crowd — gin, tequila, rum.
Don't forget mixers: soda water, tonic, cranberry juice, and simple syrup cover most cocktails. Budget roughly 1 liter of mixer per 2 spirit drinkers. Ice is the thing most people underestimate — plan for about 1 lb per person for drinks, plus more if you're chilling bottles.
If budget or logistics are a concern, a wine-and-beer-only bar is completely acceptable and more common than you might think. The right wine goes with everything — and with Gratsi on the table, no one is going to feel like they're missing out.
Want to taste before you commit?
The Wine Sampler Kit sends Gratsi Red, White, Rosé, and Sparkling White Wine in individual bottles straight to your door. No guessing, no regrets on the wedding day.
The Case for Boxed Wine at Your Wedding
The reputation of boxed wine has changed — and Gratsi is a big part of why. If you haven't tried it recently, here's what you need to know: the same wine that won USA Today's Best Boxed Wine and earned top marks from Wine Enthusiast comes in a 3-liter box that holds 4 bottles' worth, stays fresh for 30 days, ships free, and generates 85% less packaging waste than individual bottles.
For a wedding, the logistics win alone makes it worth considering. No corkscrews. No one hunting for a bottle opener. No half-empty bottles to manage at the end of the night. The box sits on the table, guests pour themselves, and the wine stays fresh whether that box is opened at cocktail hour or left for the morning-after brunch.
Gratsi comes in Red, White, Rosé, and a Sparkling White — zero sugar, all natural, vegan, and gluten free. Dry and fruit-forward, made from European-grown grapes selected by generational Mediterranean vintners. It's the kind of wine people ask about, not the kind they politely finish.
Order online with free shipping, mix and match varieties, and save up to 32% when you bundle. Use the calculator above to figure out exactly what you need — then check out.
Mix and match Red, White & Rosé. Bundle 4+ boxes and save up to 32%
Frequently Asked Questions
How much alcohol do I need for 100 guests?
For 100 guests at a 4-hour reception, plan for roughly 460 total drinks (1 drink per person per hour × 4 hours × 1.15 buffer). For a wine-only bar that's about 23 boxes of Gratsi. Add beer and you'll need around 15 boxes of wine plus 7 cases of beer. A full open bar works out to roughly 9 boxes of wine, 5 cases of beer, and 9 bottles of spirits.
How many bottles of wine do I need for a wedding?
A standard 750ml bottle of wine holds about 5 glasses. For a 100-person, 4-hour wine-only reception, you'll need roughly 92 bottles. Using Gratsi, that's 23 boxes — each box holds the equivalent of 4 bottles, or 20 glasses at a standard 5 oz pour.
How do I calculate alcohol for a wedding?
Start with 1 drink per guest per hour, then add a 15% safety buffer. Multiply your guest count × hours × 1.15 to get your total drink count. From there, split by bar type: wine-only, wine and beer, or full open bar. The calculator at the top of this page handles all of that math automatically.
How much beer do I need for a wedding?
If you're serving beer, plan for about 30–35% of your guests to drink it. Use the same 1-drink-per-hour formula for that group. For a 100-person, 4-hour reception with a wine-and-beer bar, that's roughly 7 cases (24 beers per case). Buy by the case — it's cheaper, and many retailers allow returns on unopened cases.
How much liquor do I need for a wedding?
At a full open bar, about 30% of guests typically drink spirits. Plan for 1.5 oz per cocktail — a 750ml bottle yields roughly 17 drinks. For 100 guests over 4 hours, you'll need around 9 bottles of spirits total. A practical split: 3–4 vodka, 2–3 whiskey or bourbon, and 1–2 of whatever else fits your crowd.
Is boxed wine a good choice for a wedding?
Yes — especially Gratsi. Each box holds 3 liters (the equivalent of 4 bottles), stays fresh for 30 days after opening, and generates 85% less packaging waste than individual bottles. There are no corks, no openers needed, and nothing goes to waste. Gratsi was voted America's #1 Boxed Wine by USA Today and has earned some of the highest ratings Wine Enthusiast has given to boxed wine.
How many boxes of Gratsi do I need for my wedding?
Use the calculator at the top of this page for an exact number. As a general rule: for a wine-only reception, plan for roughly 1 box of Gratsi per 5–6 guests per hour. A 100-person, 3-hour wine-only wedding needs around 15–18 boxes depending on your red/white/rosé preference. Each box covers 20 glasses at a 5 oz pour.