180 guests · evening wedding · 6 hours · seated dinner · mixed bar. Computed with the engine professional crews use, not a rule of thumb.
Wedding
What a 180-guest wedding bar needs
≈ 3500 bar serves for 180 guests over 6 hours on a mixed bar with a seated dinner. Water covers bar and table, still and sparkling.
Wine (all types)68 bottles
Sparkling (toast)30 bottles
Beer270 units
Non-alcoholic beer2 cases
Spirits (all bottles)90 bottles
Soft drinks & mixers56 cases
Water923 bottles
Team on shift15 people
Ice470 kg · 235 bags
Free numbers from the same engine the full planner runs. Pro turns them into the exact order per product, cocktail ingredients, glassware and one shopping list.
Those 3500 serves do not arrive evenly: the opening hour is the fastest, about 677 serves, because every guest wants a first drink at once; over hours 2–3 the bar settles into a steady 565 serves an hour; through hour 4 the pace eases to around 564 an hour as the crowd winds down; through hour 5 the pace eases to around 565 an hour as the crowd winds down; through hour 6 the pace eases to around 564 an hour as the crowd winds down. The totals above already carry this curve, so the bar is stocked for the surge, not for the average.
Field note: the drivers order first
Wherever beer is served, Green Jar adds a case of 24 non-alcoholic beers per 100 guests without being asked. Designated drivers and pregnant guests hit the bar early, and the event that has an answer for them is the one they remember.
Adjust it to your event
Same engine, live. Change the crowd, the bar or the hours and recalculate.
Guests
Seated dinner served?
Bar service
Duration
Wedding
Frequently asked questions
How much alcohol do I need for 180 guests at a wedding?
Plan for about 3500 bar serves over 6 hours. On a mixed bar that becomes roughly 68 bottles of wine, 270 units of beer, 90 bottles of spirits and 56 cases of soft drinks and mixers, plus 923 bottles of water.
How much wine do I need for a wedding dinner of 180 guests?
A 750 ml bottle pours 6 glasses of 125 ml. With a seated dinner, plan 1 glass of white and 1 of rosé per guest plus 1 bottle of red per 25 guests: 68 bottles for 180 guests.
How many bar staff do I need for 180 guests?
4 bartenders at the recommended level and 15 people in total, counting barbacks, runners and glass collectors plus 2 dinner runners for the seated service. The comfortable level for the same event is 16.
Plan your full bar: bottles, cocktails, shopping list.
The free calculator gives staff, ice and totals. Pro turns them into the exact order per product and one Excel your supplier can read.