How many drinks do I need for a wedding with 100 guests?
Three transparent 100-guest scenarios show why duration, non-drinkers, weather, and the menu matter.
Short answer
For a 100-guest wedding lasting eight hours, a realistic purchasing estimate may be roughly 800 to 1,050 total servings across alcoholic and non-alcoholic categories. In a normal mild-weather example with ten children and fifteen adult non-drinkers, Brorano estimates 902 purchase servings, including category reserves: 106 beer, 178 wine, 95 sparkling wine, 84 long drinks, 64 cocktails, and 375 non-alcoholic servings. This is one stated scenario, not a universal list. Changing weather, drinking behavior, service, non-drinkers, or the menu can shift both the total and the category split substantially.
Define what the 100 guests represent
Start with the complete guest count, then identify children and adults who will not drink alcohol. Do not remove them from the event total: they need water, soft drinks, juices, or alcohol-free adult choices. Instead, remove them from the drinking-adult group. For a list of 100 with ten children and fifteen adult non-drinkers, 75 adults remain in the alcoholic-demand group while all 100 still influence the overall beverage plan.
Check whether all 100 people attend the full service window. Day guests may leave after dinner, while evening guests may join later. Brorano accepts one guest count and one duration and does not model those changes over a wedding schedule. Use the count that best represents the main bar period, document the limitation, and compare a second scenario if the attendance pattern changes sharply.
Choose the categories before reading the total
A full bar spreads demand across beer, wine, sparkling wine, long drinks, cocktails, and non-alcoholic drinks. A traditional beer-wine-sparkling menu concentrates the same audience in fewer alcoholic categories. Do not take quantities from a full-bar example and then remove cocktails without reallocating their likely demand. Recalculate with only the categories that will actually be served.
Keep sparkling wine used for a formal toast conceptually separate from sparkling wine available throughout the event. Brorano treats sparkling wine as one category and does not know the wedding schedule. Likewise, it estimates wine as a single category, not red, white, and rosé. The final style split belongs in your manual menu and should reflect food and known guest preferences.
Plan ice, packages, and budget
The mild full-bar scenario produces an estimated 32 kg of ice for drinks served in glasses, including a melt reserve. That number follows the estimated long drinks, cocktails, and alcohol-free servings. It does not cover beer or wine chilling, bottle tubs, transport coolers, or venue refrigeration. Ask the venue how drinks will be cooled before ordering separate cooling ice.
Brorano converts the categories into generic packages and shows a rough supermarket-level euro range. For the normal eight-hour example, that range is €750 to €1,520. It is not a live quote and does not include bartenders, bar hire, glassware, refrigeration, delivery, corkage, venue packages, or other service costs. Use it as a purchasing frame, then replace assumptions with your actual supplier prices.
Check whether the plan is operationally possible
A 100-person order needs more than arithmetic. Confirm delivery access, storage, refrigeration, bar stations, glass turnover, waste handling, and responsibility for unopened stock. A broad cocktail menu may look attractive but creates more bottles, mixers, and service steps. A focused menu is often easier to chill, explain, and serve consistently.
Review the category quantities with whoever pours the drinks. Their measures and glass sizes affect bottle yield. Check whether the location restricts self-supplied alcohol or charges corkage. Store alcohol-free drinks visibly and chill enough water from the start. Finally, keep the calculator assumptions with the order so a change in guest count or weather can be recalculated rather than guessed.
Planning examples
Normal eight-hour wedding in mild weather
Assumptions: 100 guests, ten children, fifteen adult non-drinkers, normal behavior, bartender service, mild weather, and all categories selected. The result is 902 purchase servings, 32 kg of in-glass ice, and a rough supermarket range of €750–€1,520. The split is 106 beer, 178 wine, 95 sparkling wine, 84 long drinks, 64 cocktails, and 375 non-alcoholic servings.
Restrained crowd with more non-drinkers
Assumptions: 100 guests, ten children, twenty adult non-drinkers, restrained behavior, mild weather, bartender service, and a full bar. The estimate falls to 795 purchase servings and 27 kg of in-glass ice. Alcohol-free demand remains prominent at 411 servings, while the alcoholic categories total less than in the normal scenario. The rough supermarket range is €570–€1,180.
Hot-weather wedding with the same headcount
Assumptions: 100 guests, ten children, fifteen adult non-drinkers, normal behavior, hot weather, bartender service, and all categories. The estimate becomes 1,028 servings, but the increase is hydration-led: 586 servings are non-alcoholic. In-glass ice reaches 52 kg. The example shows why heat should shift the mix toward water and alcohol-free drinks rather than simply adding alcohol.
Next step
Build your own 100-guest scenario
Enter the real duration, children, adult non-drinkers, weather, drinking behavior, service style, and offered categories. Brorano estimates purchase servings by category, in-glass ice, generic packages, and a rough supermarket euro range for those assumptions.
Frequently asked questions
Does the 100-guest estimate include children?
Yes, when they are entered. Children remain part of total beverage demand but are assigned only to alcohol-free demand. Record them separately from adult non-drinkers.
Can I use the example if I serve only beer and wine?
Not directly. Remove the unavailable categories in the calculator and recalculate. Their likely demand must be redistributed rather than simply deleted from a full-bar result.
Does the cost range include a bartender and bar equipment?
No. It is a rough supermarket-level range for generic beverage purchases and estimated in-glass ice. Labour, equipment, glassware, delivery, venue charges, and cooling infrastructure are outside it.
What if only 70 guests stay for the late party?
Brorano does not model changing attendance over a schedule. Compare a second scenario for the late period, document your judgment, and avoid adding two complete plans together without accounting for the drinks already served.