Enter the guest count, the length of the event and the type of meal. You get a rough guide to drinks, ice and food portions, based on assumptions you can edit.
Results are estimates for planning. Check the figures before you make a financial or health decision.
How the Party and wedding catering quantities works
The tool uses simple rules of thumb, all shown as editable fields. It is a rough guide, not a catering quote.
- Drinks per drinker: the first hour at your first-hour rate, then your later-hour rate for every extra hour.
- Who drinks: the percentage of guests who drink alcohol. Everyone else counts as a soft-drink drinker.
- Mix: a share of drinkers’ drinks are soft or water. The rest is split into wine, beer and cider, and other drinks using your percentages.
- Wine is shown as glasses and 75 cl bottles, using your glasses-per-bottle figure.
- Toast: one glass each, divided by glasses per bottle.
- Ice: guests × kilograms per guest.
- Food: guests × your canapés, starters, mains, desserts and evening portions.
A safety margin is added to drinks and food and everything is rounded up. The presets change by event type but do not allow for diets, a long gap before food, hot weather or a particular crowd.
Worked example
Using the default values in the calculator above:
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Guests | 80 |
| Length of event | 5 hours |
| Type of event | Wedding (reception, meal and evening food) |
| Guests who drink alcohol | 85 % |
| Drinks per drinker in the first hour | 2 |
| Drinks per drinker each later hour | 1 |
| Share of drinkers' drinks that are soft or water | 20 % |
| Wine share of alcoholic drinks | 50 % |
| Beer and cider share of alcoholic drinks | 30 % |
| Glasses of wine per 75 cl bottle | 5 |
| Sparkling toast | Yes, one glass each |
| Toast glasses per bottle | 6 |
| Ice per guest | 0.5 kg |
| Canapés per guest | 6 |
| Starters per guest | 1 |
| Main course portions per guest | 1 |
| Desserts per guest | 1 |
| Evening food portions per guest | 0.5 |
| Safety margin | 10 % |
Drinks servings in total: 528 servings
| Drinkers and non-drinkers | 68 and 12 |
|---|---|
| Drinks per drinker over the event | 6 |
| Wine | 180 glasses, 36 bottles of 75 cl |
| Beer and cider | 108 bottles or cans |
| Spirits, cocktails and other | 72 servings |
| Soft drinks and water | 169 servings (about 42 litres at 250 ml) |
Tips and common mistakes
Check the figures against your own guest list: if you know a group drinks more or less, change the percentages. Weather matters, since hot days mean more soft drinks and ice. Ask your caterer or venue what is included, as many provide the food and sometimes the glasses. Order drinks on a sale-or-return basis if you can, and count dietary needs separately from the totals. Keep some spare water out of the numbers.
Frequently asked questions
How much wine per person for a wedding?
The calculator derives it from drinks per hour, the share of guests who drink and the wine share of those drinks. All are editable rules of thumb, so adjust them for your crowd.
How much ice do I need for a party?
The default allows 0.5 kg per guest, which you can change. Hot weather, cocktails or ice buckets for bottles need more.
Are these quantities accurate?
They are rough guides only. Your guests, venue and menu will differ, so use the numbers as a starting point and talk to your caterer.