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How Much Champagne for a 250 Guest Wedding?

🥂
263
bottles of champagne

For a 250-guest wedding lasting 5 hours

15% buffer included
1371
Total servings
5.5
Per person
+34
Buffer bottles

How We Calculated This

Our bartender-tested formula, step by step

1

Estimate actual drinkers

250 guests × 65% drinking rate
= 163 drinkers

At xlarge events, about 65% of guests typically drink alcohol.

2

Calculate base consumption

163 drinkers × 1.5 drinks/hour × 5 hours
= 1223 base drinks

Industry standard is 1.5 drinks per person per hour for a 5-hour event.

3

Apply consumption decay

Adjusted for drinking slowdown over time (decay factor: 3.75)
= 917 adjusted drinks

People drink faster in the first hour and slow down as the event progresses.

4

Apply wedding modifier

× 1.5 (+50% for champagne)
= 1371 champagne servings needed

Weddings typically consume 50% more champagne than average.

5

Convert to bottles

1371 servings ÷ 6 servings per bottle
= 228.5 bottles (raw)

Each bottle of champagne provides 6 servings.

6

Add 15% buffer & round up

228.5 × 1.15 = 262.8, rounded up
= 263 bottles

Always round up and add a buffer. Running out is worse than having leftovers!

* Why trust this formula?

Based on industry standards and refined by bartenders with 30+ years of experience. We factor in consumption decay (people drink less as events progress) and real-world drinking percentages.

📊 Quick Reference: Champagne by Guest Count

Guests Champagne Needed Total Servings
25 guests 27 bottles 137 servings
50 guests 53 bottles 274 servings
75 guests 79 bottles 411 servings
100 guests 106 bottles 548 servings
150 guests 158 bottles 823 servings
200 guests 211 bottles 1097 servings

* All calculations include a 15% buffer. Amounts for wedding.

Your Shopping List

Everything you need, plus essentials you might forget

🥂
Champagne
The main event
263
bottles

Don't forget these

  • Champagne flutes (1.5 per drinker)
    245 glasses
    Buy
  • Ice buckets (Keep bottles chilled)
    66 buckets
    Buy

Pro Tips for Your Wedding

Insider advice from experienced bartenders

💡

40% of all alcohol is consumed during cocktail hour - front-load your bar staff and ice.

Offer 1-2 signature cocktails instead of a full bar to cut spirit costs by 40% and speed up service.

🎯

Pre-pour wine at dinner tables 5 minutes before guests sit to prevent service bottlenecks.

🧊

Order 10-15% extra and ask vendors about their return policy on unopened bottles.

If dancing goes past 10pm, reopen a simplified bar: beer, wine, and 2 signature drinks only.

🛒 Buying Guide

For weddings, plan a 60/40 split between red and white wine for fall/winter, or flip it for spring/summer. Budget $12-18 per bottle for a crowd-pleasing selection - guests can't tell the difference between $15 and $40 wine at a party. Consider having champagne for toasts separate from your open bar calculation.

🎉

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