So you want to have an amazing reception where everyone indulges in the moment, drinks eats and is merry, without spending an arm and a leg. Weddings are famous for letting loose with family, new family and friends. The following is some rough guidelines to follow when you're setting up your own bar to relieve the stress of money off your guests and most of all to ensure that they have a great time.



The Basics

How much liquor for an average wedding of say, 100 guests? Maybe you should ask your local bartender, but here are some averages:

Beer: 5 to 6 cases

Whiskey: 1 liter

Bourbon: 1 liter

Gin: 2 to 3 liters

Scotch: 2 liters

Light rum: 1 liter

Vodka: 5 liters

Tequila: 1 liter

Champagne: 1 to 1 1/2 cases

Red wine: 2 cases

White wine: 3 1/2 cases

Dry vermouth: 1 bottle

Sweet vermouth: 1 bottle

You might want to ask your caterer if they will take back any of the alcohol that isn't used at the reception.

Open Bar

An open bar is often expensive. It is extremely generous and most of all, stress free for your guests. It is typically best however, to only have an open bar that includes beer and wine, as this will ensure that your guests don't get a little too into the mood! With any open bar it is always wise to inform the bartender before hand, if you know of someone that tends to always over-indulge.

Limited Bar

A limited bar can range between beer, wine, some standard rum or vodka for mixed drinks and perhaps a bottle of affordable tequila for shots. You can even entertain the idea of having some cocktail servers with some well drinks or already poured mixed drinks on a tray. You can save trips to the bar and keep people from going over the limit.

Cash Bar

You truly should not put this burden on your guests. People don't tend to bring a lot of cash with them and on top of that, they might have spent money just getting to your wedding so asking them to spend more so they can enjoy themselves, isn't the best idea. If you know without question that your guests don't drink very much at all, then you might consider a cash bar.

Dry Wedding

The only reason for this is if your family completely does not drink, and either do your friends who are attending. You can have cider for toasts. To each their own!