Put in your guests and how long each part of the day runs, and see how many bottles to order. Every rate is our estimate, and you can change it.
| FizzDrinks reception and the toast, 6 glasses a bottle | 40 bottles |
| Wine with the meal6 glasses of 125ml a bottle | 34 bottles |
| Soft drinksFor 12 guests who do not drink, through the day | 78 glasses |
| Water on the tablesHalf a litre each (our estimate) | 40 litres |
Every rate is our estimate, not survey data, and you can change it. Ask your venue whether they charge corkage and whether unopened bottles can go back.
Know how many are coming before you order: replies come straight into your guest list.
Start your guest list freeThe one fixed fact is the bottle: 75cl is six 125ml glasses. Everything else is a rate we chose as a sensible starting point, because we could not find a published UK figure for how much guests drink at a wedding that we could check. Each rate is labelled as our estimate and you can change it.
The drinks reception counts two drinks each in the first hour (a welcome glass and a top-up) and one an hour after that. The meal counts three glasses of wine each. The toast is one glass of fizz each. Only the guests who drink count towards bottles; everyone else gets the same number of soft drinks.
Round up when you order, and ask whether your venue or supplier takes back unopened bottles. Running out is worse than taking a few home. Your final number of guests comes from replies, so the RSVP calculator is the place to start if you have not sent invitations yet.
A 75cl bottle holds six 125ml glasses, the small glass UK bars have to offer and the usual pour at a wedding. Pour smaller flutes for the toast and a bottle of fizz goes a little further, so the calculator's six a bottle leaves you some spare.
Our starting estimate is three glasses with the meal for each guest who drinks, which is half a bottle. Change it if your crowd drinks more or less. Family know best: if your uncles drink red all afternoon, put it up.
No. Many UK couples pay for the drinks reception, wine with the meal and the toast, then open a cash bar. Some put money behind the bar until it runs out. Tick the evening box only if you are paying for every drink.
A charge some venues make for each bottle you bring in yourself, to cover serving it. Ask for the figure in writing before you buy, because it can cancel out the saving of buying your own.
The calculator gives every non-drinker a soft drink for each drink the others have, through the reception, the toast and the meal. Have something better than squash for the toast: an alcohol-free fizz looks the same in the glass.