Weddings are expensive no matter what. But there are ways to make yours cost-effective and still one of the most beautiful days of your life. A backyard wedding can be a magical and intimate event for you and your loved ones. But throwing your own ceremony means buying your own liquor. How much should you get? Liquor Barrel Wine & Spirits in Crystal, MN, can help you figure out how much is right for all your guests.

Your first step is to consider how long your reception is going to be and if it includes a cocktail hour. The cocktail hour’s main focus is mingling with drinks, so assume guests will have at least two during that time. On average, most guests will have about one drink every hour after that. So, for example, a cocktail hour plus a four-hour reception would equal six drinks per guest. You can adjust this according to your reception length.

Second, consider what you get out of each bottle of alcohol. Each type is going to provide a different amount of drinks per bottle. There are five glasses of wine in a single 750ml bottle, 12 drinks in a 750ml bottle of spirits or hard liquor, and, of course, a bottle of beer is a single serving. So you’ll need more bottles of beer compared to wine and liquor to help cover the beer lovers.

You know your guests best and what they like to drink. For instance, you might know for a fact you have a lot of lager drinkers, so you would want to err on the side of more bottles of beer. Or maybe you have several guests with gluten allergies, so you’d want less beer and more wine and spirits. Keep your guests in mind when figuring out your ratio. One way to get feedback on what attendees are interested in drinking is by sending out a survey. This can be part of the RSVP response or a separate survey asking what they’d be interested in having.

In the end, the best strategy is to figure out your numbers of drinks per person and drinks per bottle and buy just a little more than you think you’ll need. You will want to make sure you have enough to go around; it’s better to have some left over than to run out.

Ready to start picking out your wedding liquor? Call Liquor Barrel Wine & Spirits at (763) 537-1511. Their informed employees can help you pick out exactly what to serve and how much you’ll need. Visit their website to learn more about the specials at the store.