Wedding Reception Forum

How many drinks for reception???

Hey there, I am having difficulty deciding how much of each drink to provide at our reception. Please let me know what you think would be the correct amounts.

There will be 120 guests in attendance at MAX, the reception will be 4 hours.

We plan to serve:
  • Pop: Dr. Pepper, Diet Coke, Coke, Mountain Drew, Sprite
  • Lemonade
  • Sweet Tea
  • Coffee
  • Wine: Chardonnay, Moscato, Red Wine option
  • Beer: Miller Lite & Coors Lite
  • Signature Drink - Enough for 1 hour of cocktail reception. When it's out, it's out.

Thank you all so much!!

Re: How many drinks for reception???

  • Hey there, I am having difficulty deciding how much of each drink to provide at our reception. Please let me know what you think would be the correct amounts.

    There will be 120 guests in attendance at MAX, the reception will be 4 hours.

    We plan to serve:
    • Pop: Dr. Pepper, Diet Coke, Coke, Mountain Drew, Sprite
    • Lemonade
    • Sweet Tea
    • Coffee
    • Wine: Chardonnay, Moscato, Red Wine option
    • Beer: Miller Lite & Coors Lite
    • Signature Drink - Enough for 1 hour of cocktail reception. When it's out, it's out.

    Thank you all so much!!
    There's a ton of beverage calculators out there to use, but to the bolded, why? Why would you intentionally allow something to run out?

    If you're going to serve something, you need to serve it for the entire reception. 
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  • I would use a beverage calculator to figure these out.

    Can you add regular tea to the coffee list?   A box of Lipton or Bigelow would go a long way for the non-coffee drinkers. 

    Also, would you consider adding a ginger ale? I find that's appealing to a lot of the non-alcohol drinkers over Sprite at least here. 

    As for beer, why two light beers? If that's what is common in your circle it's not a big deal but the crowd of people I see generally would want a light and something a little darker like a Sam Adams.  Miller and Coors are very similar.

    I'd make sure your red wine is dry and not sweet.   Chardonnay and moscato are on the sweet side.

    As far as the sig cocktail goes, I'm with @ShesSoCold.   Offer it the entire time or omit it. 
  • I'm assuming you'll also have bottled water and/or pitchers of water, and just forgot to mention them.

    I would probably nix the Mt. Dew.  It's pretty similar to Sprite and would be one less "kind" to worry about.

    Go heavy on the Diet Coke.  For guests who can't or don't drink sugary beverages, that is the only soda option.  It's also my experience that Diet Cokes will fly 1/3-1/2 faster than any other type.

    I agree with the other PPs.  Either nix the signature cocktail entirely.  Or buy enough for it to last all/most of the reception.  As a guest, I wouldn't be too bent out of shape if a sig cocktail was gone by the last hour.  But I would be a little side-eye, if it ran out toward the beginning.

    I apologize I can't help with specific numbers!  My usual tactic for a party (and my small wedding) was to buy "a lot" and whatever was left would eventually get used up.

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  • MRDCleMRDCle member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment Name Dropper

    I'm assuming you'll also have bottled water and/or pitchers of water, and just forgot to mention them.

    I would probably nix the Mt. Dew.  It's pretty similar to Sprite and would be one less "kind" to worry about.

    Go heavy on the Diet Coke.  For guests who can't or don't drink sugary beverages, that is the only soda option.  It's also my experience that Diet Cokes will fly 1/3-1/2 faster than any other type.

    I agree with the other PPs.  Either nix the signature cocktail entirely.  Or buy enough for it to last all/most of the reception.  As a guest, I wouldn't be too bent out of shape if a sig cocktail was gone by the last hour.  But I would be a little side-eye, if it ran out toward the beginning.

    I apologize I can't help with specific numbers!  My usual tactic for a party (and my small wedding) was to buy "a lot" and whatever was left would eventually get used up.

    Yes - I would definitely overestimate and either be set on booze for my  house for a while or find a store that accepts returns of unopened bottles.
  • ei34ei34 member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    Without knowing your particular crowds’ preferences, my advice would be to offer a bit more variety among the wine (sub sauv blanc or Pinot Grigio for the Chardonnay) and beer (a darker beer in place of one of the lighter ones).

    Ditto PP to scratch the sig drink if it can’t be hosted throughout the event.  A friend from grad school got married a few years ago, and her cocktail hour was full open bar, followed by a beer and wine reception.  I love white wine and am happy to drink it all night, but I’d had two cosmos during cocktail hr and I hate mixing vodka and wine...doesn’t end well for me  :#
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