How to Buy Alcohol in Bulk for Your Wedding

Though most full-service wedding venues and caterers will purchase alcohol for their couples, certain types of properties and vendors—think: raw spaces where you're required to bring in everything yourselves, private homes, some property buyouts—allow (or even require!) engaged pairs to bring in their own booze. There are a couple of reasons for this: In some cases, the property owner doesn't or doesn't want to hold a liquor liability license, so by having the couple provide the alcohol (and take out an insurance policy), the risk is passed on to them instead. In other cases, it's simply not a service they provide. And in other cases still, they're hoping to pass along a cost savings.

This is where purchasing bulk alcohol comes into play. The process is exactly what it sounds like: The engaged pair is responsible for visiting their favorite liquor retailer or club store (like BJs, Costco, or Sam's Club) and purchasing all of the essentials—from the booze to the mixers—necessary for the wedding. Though some venues might provide a shopping list as a jumping off point, it's generally up to the soon-to-be weds to decide what they'll purchase and serve on the big day. From there, they may choose to hire a professional bartending service to mix and serve drinks during the reception or they might create a DIY bar setup.

Though it sounds simple enough, our experts agree that buying alcohol in bulk for a wedding is a nuanced process. “There’s actually a lot of math involved,” says Fallon Carter of Fallon Carter Events. Luckily, there are digital drink calculators and helpful tips that can help take some of the guesswork out of this important shopping trip. 

If you're getting ready to buy bulk alcohol for your wedding, read on for everything you need to know.

How Much Bulk Alcohol Should You Buy for a Wedding?

Before making a trip to the store, you need to have a plan in place. Carter suggests that all couples start by assessing their guest lists. Make note of how many attendees are over 21 and consider everyone's imbibing habits. “The demographic of your guests will impact the type of alcohol you buy and how much of it,” Carter adds. If you know you're inviting mostly beer drinkers, you'll want to make sure the numbers are skewed in that direction. It's also important to take the date and time of your wedding into account—people may be inclined to drink less at a Sunday afternoon wedding than they would on a Saturday night. 

Total Wine & More offers a digital wedding alcohol calculator that you can use as a starting point. For a 100-person wedding reception that will last three to four hours, they suggest purchasing 50 bottles of wine, six bottles of spirits, and 150 bottles of beer. When the time increases to more than four hours, the liquor provider suggests 60 bottles of wine, eight bottles of spirits, and 180 bottles of beer. The numbers change, of course, depending on your guest count and the length of your wedding.

In general, Carter says to assume all guests will have at least two drinks in the first two hours and continue at about a drink an hour for the rest of the night; this means you should account for at least five drinks per person. Whatever you do, says Elyse Dawn, co-founder of The Wedding Planning Guide and Two Sisters Events, always buy at least a bit more alcohol than you think you need. You can typically return anything that hasn't been open or chilled.

What Kind of Bulk Alcohol Should You Buy for Your Wedding?

It's best to purchase an array of different alcoholic offerings for your wedding, as this is the simplest way to ensure there's something available to suit everyone's preferences. For that reason, it's a good idea to buy beer, wine, a variety of different liquors, and other alcoholic drinks of your choosing (canned seltzers, for example). With that being said, some couples simplify the bar menu if they're bringing in all of the alcohol themselves, especially if they don't plan to hire a bartender. If you're going this route, purchase a few different beer and wine options, at a minimum, so guests still have choices.

You'll also want to take the season into account. For a winter wedding, you'll likely need fewer bottles of white wine and rosé and more warming reds; in the summer, lighter, brighter signature cocktails will likely be preferred over full-bodied vinos.

When in doubt, Dawn suggests talking to a local liquor store owner and seeing if they can help you with your order (some local retailers will even provide bulk rates—just ask!). “They can give you guidance because they see the trends of what people drink and what gets returned,” says Dawn. “They might say, ‘This never gets drunk.’” Local liquor stores will also often offer delivery and pick-up service, which Dawn highly recommends taking advantage of. It’s one last thing to have to worry about on the day.  

Beer

When it comes to beer, it's a good idea to have a few light, drinkable options like Corona and Modelo on offer, but you can supplement these selections with others you and your guests love. Do you and your partner go crazy for a great IPA? Put a local brew on the menu. Do you know your dad will absolutely require his favorite import? Grab a couple of cases for him and anyone else with similar taste preferences.

Wine

According to Dawn, it’s common to go through white wine faster than red at a wedding, but it's a good idea to have both options stocked behind the bar. As for how many different types and bottles of each, consider your guests and the season: For a warm-weather affair, lean more heavily on whites and rosés. If you and your family members all love a good pinot noir, you may want to bring in more bottles of this varietal regardless of the season.

Cocktail Essentials

When purchasing bulk hard alcohol for your wedding, think about what types of cocktails guests might want. Are you planning to offer a full bar or do you want the selection to be limited to a few signature cocktails? If the latter, make sure you purchase enough to keep the drinks flowing all night. If the former, it's best to choose one type each of tequila, vodka, gin, and a whiskey or bourbon. You'll also need to purchase any cocktail essentials like club soda, tonic, cola, lemons, limes, and more.

If you're bringing in your own hard alcohol, Dawn and Carter both strongly recommend hiring a bartending service to craft drinks for guests. For Carter’s events, the cocktail experience is very important, and she sees value in splurging for a full bartending service complete with garnishes and the proper glasses. Ask if your bartender provides these items; if they don't, you'll want to add glassware and other must-haves to your rental order.

Other Drinks

Don't forget about other types of alcohol! Dawn says that White Claw, High Noon, or another type of hard seltzer should likely be offered as an option, as these types of drinks continue to be extremely popular. 

When Should You Purchase Bulk Alcohol for a Wedding?

It's best to wait until you have your final guest count to purchase your alcohol, so plan to cross this task off your to-do list once all RSVPs are in. In general, you'll want to have placed your order or picked up the booze at least three weeks before the big day.

What Do You Do With Excess Bulk Wedding Alcohol?

Though you can do a lot of prep work to determine how much alcohol is necessary for your wedding, you can never fully predict how much or what your guests will drink. Dawn has seen couples who purchased their own bulk wedding alcohol run out of wine early on in the wedding, so she always advises ordering a bit more than you think you need. Before you do that, though, be sure to ask your liquor retailer about their return rules: Often, cases of wine are returnable as long as they have not been cooled yet. Unopened juices and sodas can generally go back, too. It might not be a huge cost savings, but it will give you peace of mind should you choose to purchase more at the outset.

If you know your liquor retailer won't accept returns, be sure to purchase selections the two of you really enjoy; you can then open those bottles of wine and beer at home in the months following hte wedding.“I have had couples that start thinking, ‘This uncle likes this scotch.’ Don’t bog yourself down worrying about each person’s happiness,” Carter says. Ultimately, if you’ve stocked up fairly well, everyone will find something to enjoy drinking and you'll take home leftovers that won't go to waste.

Does Purchasing Bulk Wedding Alcohol Save You Money?

Assuming you can return unopened, unchilled bottles of wine, beer, and spirits, purchasing bulk wedding alcohol will generally save you some money, especially if you purchase from a club store or retailer that offers a discount for large orders. That said, if you're bringing in your own alcohol, you likely need to purchase event insurance with liquor liability, which is an expense to account for.