One advantage is that it creates a lively and festive atmosphere, allowing guests to relax and enjoy themselves without worrying about paying for drinks. Additionally, an open bar can be seen as a generous gesture by the couple, making guests feel appreciated and valued.
A good rule of thumb for estimating is 2-3 drinks per person for the cocktail hour, then 1 drink per person per hour for the rest of the reception. So for example - for a cocktail hour then 4 hour reception for 65 guests you'll need to be prepared to serve at least 350-400 drinks!
Our catering company's rule of thumb was 1 per every 75 guests. We had 2 with 150 heavy drinking guests and worked out great, no lines! I will say they pre-batched our signature drinks so that kept the lines from forming.
So as guide, if you have 100 guests, you will need around 50 bottles of wine (mix of red and white.) Plus around 300 pints/bottles of lager, beer and cider.
How much alcohol do you need for 150 guests? For a 4 hour party with 150 guests, you will need approximately 600 drinks: 240 beers, 216 glasses of wine (44 bottles) and enough for 144 individual cocktails (amounts will depend upon what type of cocktail you serve). If you aren't serving wine, plan on 360 cocktails.
(So for a six-hour wedding with 100 guests, you'll need roughly 600 drinks.) Alex Tornai, party planner for Binny's Beverage Depot, errs on the side of more drinks per person (and we're here for it): “Two drinks in the first hour and one drink per hour for the duration of the evening,” he says.
So as guide, if you have 100 guests, you will need around 50 bottles of wine (mix of red and white.) Plus around 300 pints/bottles of lager, beer and cider.
At 100 guests, that equates to 400 cups. If you are only planning to provide bar cups for your cocktail hour, you only need to provide enough for one hour! Whether you provide 1 or 2 cups per guest per hour is up to you.
Full bar – Beer, wine and liquor: 100 (guests) x 5 (hours) = 500 drinks. 500 x 0.33 = 170 beers or 7 cases of beer or one ½ barrel sized keg. 500 x 0.33 = 150 glasses of wine, /5 glasses per bottle= 37 bottles of wine. 500 x 0.33 = 150 mixed drinks, /39 servings per 1.75 bottle = four 1.75ml bottles liquor.