I have 350 guests for my wedding and I would like to know what items/how many to get for my drink list?

Question

I am buying the drinks. It will be an open bar. Just wanting an idea of what drinks to get.

Answer 1

Beer in the bottle domestic and import.  Wine (a red and white, house is usually fine here).  

For some more coin you can get hard liquor (all house brands).  

Then there is complete open bar which includes "top shelf" liquors.  This will increase the price over the house brands.

2 pieces of advice:

Pay per hour per guest open bar NOT per drink.  I worked in banquets for years and we inflated the number of drinks ordered sometimes double based on the manager's "perceived consumption" because we surely forgot something.

If money is an issue, chosing a wine or limited drink list of the couple's "favorites" can be nice too.  She loves white zin and he can't live without screwdrivers (bad choices of course but you get the picture).  I went to a wedding where they only served Molson Canadian beer because that was what the dude drank to excess and was a source of amusement to all who knew him.

I was just quoted $22 per person for beer and wine at a country club in Philly yesterday for 4 hours.  

Congratulations and good luck!!!

Answer 2

It really depends on the venue and your budget - are you buying to bring the alcohol in? Or is the venue providing the alcohol and you just have to decide what to provide.

I guess without knowing this information, I would suggest you provide an open beer and wine bar with a dollar cap. Once your guests have reached a certain amount of money or bottles, it becomes a cash bar.

It's hard to say because it's different for everyone - our family and friends really like to party - we ended up having an open bar and putting a dollar cap on it but by the time that was up, we just opened it for the rest of the night. It was pretty $$ though - we ended up spending 10K on just booze for 250 guests

Answer 3

For weddings, or any large cocktail event, determining how much alcohol and nonalcoholic beverage to purchase can feel like a guessing game. As you estimate how much liquid refreshment you will need, keep in mind the following guidelines on average guest consumption:

For a liter bottle of alcohol, estimate 20 to 22 drinks.

For a one-hour cocktail reception before dinner, estimate two drinks per person.

For a two-hour cocktail party, estimate three drinks per person.

For a four-hour dinner party, estimate four drinks per person.

There are approximately five glasses in a bottle of wine.

A liter of soda has five to seven glasses depending on glass size and ice.

For a champagne toast, figure on 75 glasses per case.

For wine with dinner preceded by a cocktail party, you need two or two and a half glasses per person. The proportion of red to white will depend on the season, the wine served, and your guests.