Most weddings need less alcohol than a panicked internet list suggests and more ice than anyone remembered to buy. Start from hours the bar is open, not from “everyone will drink eight cocktails.”
A conservative planning range is about one drink per guest per hour of open bar, then adjust down if you have a large non-drinking group or a short cocktail hour plus wine at tables. Adjust up if the crowd is cocktail-forward and dinner is late.
Split the list by drink type
If the menu is beer, wine, and two cocktails, do not buy equal amounts of five spirits. Buy for the drinks you actually printed. An espresso martini wedding and a margarita wedding are different shopping trips.
Keep a backup bottle of the house spirit and a backup white wine. Running out of the signature looks worse than having an unopened bottle to return, depending on your store's policy.
We will not invent a legal rule
This is planning math, not legal advice and not a promise about Tennessee alcohol rules. Confirm what your venue and any required permits allow before you purchase.
