Celebration of Life Beverage Plan
What to pour, how much, and the one drink that was theirs.
Planning your own farewell? Name your drink. Coffee a certain way, a beer brand, a cocktail, sweet tea. Write down how you took it. Someone will raise it for you.
Planning for someone you love? Start with their drink, then use the quantity guide so the coolers are full and the coffee does not run out.
Start with their drink
Almost everyone had one. The coffee order. The Friday beer. The cocktail they made too strong. Serving it, and telling people what it was, turns a drinks table into a toast. The template has a card you can print and set beside it.
Then cover everyone else
About four in ten adults at any gathering will not drink alcohol, and many celebrations skip it entirely. Plan at least two good non-alcoholic options, and treat them with the same care: a real lemonade, a pitcher of iced tea, good coffee with decaf available.
How much to buy
Enter your headcount and hours in the template. The short version: plan one drink per guest per hour across all kinds. One bottle of water per guest every two hours. One cup of coffee per guest at a daytime gathering, and a gallon makes about sixteen cups. If you serve alcohol, a 750ml bottle of wine pours five glasses, and assuming six in ten guests drink, split evenly between beer and wine, that is roughly one bottle of wine and five beers for every ten guests in a three-hour gathering. One pound of ice per guest, doubled outdoors in summer. Two cups per guest, because people set them down and lose them.
These are planning estimates. Round up. Unopened bottles can usually be returned.
Before you buy alcohol
- Ask the venue. Many funeral homes and churches do not allow alcohol. Halls and restaurants may require a licensed bartender or their own bar.
- Never serve minors. Plan rides home or share a rideshare code with the family.
- Put one sober person in charge of the drinks table.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. Alcohol rules vary by state and venue.
Preview the template
Free to use. Tell us where to send it, and the editable copy and the PDF arrive by email.
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