Planning a wedding reception or large party is no easy undertaking. There are so many details to attend to that it can be a bit overwhelming. Fortunately, if you’re working with amazing vendors, such as a caterer, event planner, or rental company, they’ll give you advice, ask the right questions, and get those details taken care of.
One question we get quite often is, “How many glasses do I need to rent?” If you have a caterer or bartending company handling everything, check with them first. They may supply some or all the glassware, and give input on what else you may need.
However, if you’re supplying your own alcohol, some basic math gets you to a pretty good number as to how many glasses you’ll need to rent.
Step 1: How many drinks will you serve?
A general rule of thumb is to multiply the number of guests by the length of the party in hours (1 drink per person per hour). Now, for most parties, if you’re only offering wine and beer, figure 60% of guests will drink wine and 40% will drink beer. That said, you know your guests best and can hopefully guess some of their preferences. Given the general rule, if your reception lasts 3 hours and you have 150 guests, you’ll serve 450 drinks – 180 beer, 270 wine.
Step 2: How many drink stations will you have?
It is common to have two or more bars running during the cocktail hour when guest traffic is at its peak. After the rush of cocktail hour, one bar is kept running while the other one(s) are usually removed. Glasses, mixers and alcohol are moved to the main bar, which will run for the rest of the evening. For each additional bar you have, increase the number of glasses by 50%.
Step 3: What drinks will you serve?
While rental companies carry a wide range of glassware, they typically fall under five categories: wine glasses, water glasses, bar glasses, all-purpose glasses, and specialty glasses, such as martini, champagne, or brandy.
Depending on what you plan to serve, you have different options. In all cases, companies rent by the rack, which may force you to adjust your numbers up or down. The upside is you know if any are missing when the items are gathered up at the end of the night (or next day). For some glass types, you might err on the side of too many as the rental of one rack of unused glasses is cheap compared to the embarrassment of running out of glasses. Very few bartenders have the time or the means to wash glasses in the middle of your event.
Water
Keeping everyone hydrated is important, so you should plan for every person to have a water glass. Most rental providers offer a water goblet (fancier) and traditional highball glass, which works as a water glass. For a 150-person wedding, plan for 150 water glasses for the table settings, plus extra for vendors and water requests at the bar. Water goblets come 25 to a rack; highballs 36 to a rack.
Wine
Wine glasses, typically available in 8 ½-ounce and 13-ounce sizes, are used just for wine. Generally, you should have 3-4 glasses per wine drinker. This allows for multiple drinks and takes into account that glasses get misplaced or forgotten. Taking our earlier equation, for 150 guests you should plan to rent 270 wine glasses. Wine glasses come 36 to a rack. If you’re planning to have a wine glass at the table as part of your place setting, which is customary, you would add another 150 wine glasses in this example.
Beer
Serving beer in bottles or cans? Then there is no need to have glasses for your beer drinkers. However, for the occasional beer drinker that wants a glass, a water goblet or highball glass work just fine. If you’re having a keg, you might consider renting pint (come 25 to a rack) or pilsner glasses (come 36 to a rack). As the night progresses and the reception gets more “relaxed,” we recommend switching to plastic cups. It makes clean up faster after your bartender has left and reduces the risk of broken or missing glasses.
Champagne
If you’re planning a champagne toast at the reception, everyone, save for the very young children, needs a champagne flute even if they don’t really drink alcohol. It’s important to keep the traditional toast alive. Again, that’s another 150 glasses to include in your rental order. Champagne flutes come 36 to a rack.
Mixed Drinks
A growing trend for wedding receptions and a fancy touch for any party is to offer guests a signature cocktail. For these, you should figure needing 1 glass for 75%-100% of your guests, excluding children. If the drink is a martini, you’ll want martini glasses. Otherwise, you can use 10.5-ounce old-fashioned glasses, which is a popular glass as it’s shorter, looks fuller with less alcohol, and therefore controls portions. Otherwise, a taller 12.5-ounce highball glass can be used. Martini glasses come 16 to a rack; highball glasses 36 to a rack; old fashioned glasses 25 to a rack.
Hard Liquor
If you’re making hard liquor available, such as scotch or whiskey, old fashioned glasses are recommended. Expect 10% or less of your crowd to order a whiskey/scotch, but will vary depending on whether you have an open or cash bar. As mentioned earlier, you know your guests best and can determine if this number will be higher. Old fashioned glasses come 25 to a rack.
Step 4: Will staff wash glasses during the party?
In general, the money spent on extra glasses is much less than the cost of having staff wash glasses. If you do have staff help (and water/soap to wash glassware), reduce the number of glasses by 25%. If not, reduce the number of glasses by 10% (some people will ask to refill their current glass).
Step 5: How to Figure Your Final Glass Count
Now let’s put it all together with an example. You’re having a wedding reception that will last 3 hours and you’re expecting 150 guests (assume all are adults). You plan to have one bar and no staff to wash glasses. You will be serving bottled beer, wine, and mixed drinks, and having a champagne toast before dinner.
According to the formula, you will probably serve 450 drinks from the bar (150 guests x 3 hours), about 180 of them beer (you’re serving bottles, but you will want a few glasses on hand) and 270 will be wine. Therefore, you’ll need:
- 243 wine glasses (270 less 10% for those who will reuse) so you’ll rent 252 8.5-ounce wine glasses (come in racks of 36) or 250 13-ounce glasses (come in racks of 25).
- 175 water goblets–150 for each place setting and 25 for the bar (come 25 to a rack).
- Figure 20-25% of your drinks from the bar will be for mixed and non-alcoholic drinks, so you can rent 100 old fashioned glass (come 25 to a rack) or a highball glass (36 to a rack).
- For the champagne toast, you’ll have the bartender(s) pass filled glasses. Not everyone likes champagne and may opt to toast with their existing drink. You know your guests best, so plan accordingly. Champagne flutes come 36 to rack, so you’ll need to rent either 4 racks (144 glasses) or 5 racks (180 glasses). Extra glasses will go to the bar to serve any leftover champagne.
When planning your wedding or special event, the many decisions along the way can be overwhelming. But it’s all worth it when the day finally arrives, your vision comes to life, and everyone has a great time, which they will – who doesn’t love a good party!? During the process, save yourself time and frustration by working closely with your knowledgeable vendors. They’ve planned / supplied / assisted with hundreds—some thousands—of events and offer expert advice on what you’ll need.