ASK THE EXPERT: How Do We Decide How Much Alcohol to Purchase for Our Wedding?

Ryan McVay

Question: Our reception venue has a BYO alcohol policy, and we want to serve wine, beer and liquor but have no idea how much to buy. Is there a good rule of thumb for this? We want to make sure we have enough!

Answer: Your best bet is to work directly with a professional at either a distributor like Canal’s in New Jersey or Frank’s in Delaware, or, in Pennsylvania, both a beer distributor and a state store, says Rebecca Richman, a planner with Glenside’s The Queen of Hearts Wedding Consultants. You can talk to them about the number of guests, length of the party, number of bars that will be set up, dinner menu, and even the date, since the type of alcohol you’ll want to serve might depend on the season.

“They’ll be able to present you with a proposal for the amount of alcohol you need to adequately serve your guests,” she says. Bonus: most distributors will also help you arrange to have it all delivered right to your wedding, so everything’s perfectly in place before you reach for that first sip of champagne.

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