How much beer/soda should I purchase for my wedding reception?

Hi all! I'm planning an outdoor wedding/reception on August 28th. We are expecting around 250 guests, and I have no idea how much beer and soda to provide for our guests!





The reception will be an evening pig roast (~6pm-midnight). Our caterer will be providing lemonade and coffee for our guests.





So my questions are: How many kegs of beer should we order for the reception? What kinds of beer should we get? How many 2-liters of soda should we get? And what kind of soda should we get?





I appreciate any and all suggestions :)|||depends on how much you expect people to drink, i would say you should buy around 15 cases of beer (of 24) and 35 sodas. if you think they are going to drink a lot buy 20 cases of beer and 50 sodas. you can always use the left over later.|||I usually use this calculator for when I throw parties without a caterer to determine such things





http://www.perfect-party-planning.net/dr鈥?/a>





As for types of beer, provide at least one light beer option, a large brand like budweiser and perhaps a seasonal brewery selection, such as something from Sam Adams





For soda, I wouldn't bother with 2 liters. They will end up costing more than if you rent a soda dispenser (including the cost of the soda!).|||All of this depends on how much your guests drink.





For the beer: Obviously, it depends on the size of glasses/cups you will be using. I suggest using the 12 oz. cups. There are online calculators that you can use to figure this out.





As far as the type. What is usually served where you live? Where I live, we always serve a regular and a "light". So, something like Michelob and Michelob Ultra, or Bud and Bud Light.





For the soda: Have some with caffeine (Coke or Pepsi) and some without (Sprite; 7-up, etc.)





Again, there are online calculators to figure this out.





One idea of what to do with all the soda. Again, where I live, we buy the small, hard plastic wading pool, like the one below and fill it with ice and put the soda in there:





http://doitbest.com/Wading+pools-Gen+Foa鈥?/a>|||There are a few websites that can help you calculate how much you will need in beverages for any size celebration or party:





http://www.evite.com/pages/party/drink-c鈥?/a>


http://www.chef-menus.com/alcohol.html


http://www.liquormartsonline.com/e/liv-p鈥?/a>


http://www.partyplanningmag.com/.../how-鈥?/a>








If you are planning to serve any type of mixed drinks that require soda, you will need extra soda just for that.|||you should get 2x servings as much beer as the number of guests and 2x as much soda. that should average out okay.


and obviously get brand name soda (just get coke). maybe half regular and half diet.


oh and consider offering wine as an option as well.|||A regular sized keg contains enough for 200 glasses.





I figure most of the guests will have about 4 drinks - 2 beers and 2 sodas.





Good choices for sodas are Coke and Sprite or 7UP.