How Many Stubby Holders Do You Need for a Wedding?

How Many Stubby Holders Do You Need for a Wedding?

Written by Kerry
On Behalf of Clinkies
05 November 2026

Personalised stubby holders can serve two purposes at a wedding. Guests can use them with suitable drinks during the celebration, then take them home as a practical reminder of the day.

Once you have chosen the design, however, there is another question to answer: how many wedding stubby holders should you order?

For most weddings, a sensible starting point is one stubby holder for every guest who is likely to drink from a can or compatible bottle, plus an additional 5-10% for unexpected guests, replacements and keepsakes.

If you want to give every guest a stubby holder as an individual wedding favour, order one for each confirmed guest and add a small number of extras. The right quantity therefore depends on your guest list, drinks menu and how you plan to distribute them.

Start With Your Confirmed Guest Count

Begin with the number of guests who have accepted your invitation rather than the total number originally invited.

For example, if you invited 120 people but 96 have confirmed, use 96 as your starting figure. You can then consider whether any additional people should be included, such as:

·         Members of the wedding party who were counted separately.

·         Photographers, musicians and other suppliers staying for the reception.

·         Children who may use a stubby holder with canned soft drinks.

·         Last-minute guests who have not completed their RSVP.

·         Family members who cannot attend but may appreciate a keepsake.

Check your numbers against the venue's final guest list before ordering. It is easy to miss members of the wedding party or assume that children do not need to be counted.

You should also decide whether the couple's own stubby holders are included in the total. Many couples keep a few unused examples with their photographs, invitations and other wedding mementos.

 

Check What Drinks Will Be Served

The drinks menu has a major influence on how many stubby holders guests will actually use.

Stubby holders are particularly useful when the reception serves:

·         Beer in cans or compatible bottles.

·         Canned cocktails.

·         Canned soft drinks.

·         Sparkling water in cans.

·         Non-alcoholic beer.

·         Other canned refreshments.

If most drinks will be served in wine glasses, champagne flutes, cocktail glasses or venue-supplied cups, fewer guests may need a stubby holder during the celebration.

Ask your venue, caterer or mobile bar provider what drinks and container sizes they plan to serve. Do this before placing your order, especially if using a less common can or bottle format. A standard stubby holder may not suit every container.

You do not need to calculate the number of drinks that will be consumed throughout the night. Guests can reuse the same stubby holder. You are calculating the number of people likely to use one, rather than the total number of cans or bottles served.

Decide Whether They Are Drink Accessories or Wedding Favours

The easiest way to calculate your quantity is to decide how the stubby holders will be used.

If They Are Mainly for the Drinks Station

Estimate how many guests will drink from cans or compatible bottles.

Suppose you have 100 confirmed guests:

·         10 are children.

·         15 are expected to mainly drink wine or cocktails.

·         Approximately 75 may choose beer, canned soft drinks, sparkling water or other suitable drinks.

In this situation, ordering around 80-85 stubby holders would usually provide enough for the expected users, with a few extras available.

This approach may suit couples who want the stubby holders to be part of the bar or drinks station without necessarily giving one to every person.

If They Are Individual Wedding Favours

Order one for every confirmed guest, even if some guests are unlikely to use theirs during the reception.

A guest who drinks wine at the wedding may still want to take home a personalised stubby holder featuring the couple's names and wedding date. When the item is presented as a favour, guests will generally understand that each person is welcome to take one.

For 100 confirmed guests, consider ordering approximately 105-110. This covers every guest while leaving a few extras for unexpected additions and keepsakes.

If Couples Will Share One Favour

Some weddings provide one favour per couple or household. This can reduce the quantity required, but the distribution needs to be clear.

If stubby holders are placed in a communal basket, guests may naturally assume there is one for each person. If you intend to provide one per couple, consider placing them at assigned seats or adding name tags.

For a reception with 60 couples and 10 individual guests, you would need at least 70. Adding a few spares would bring the order to approximately 75.

Add 5-10% for Spares

Ordering the exact number of confirmed guests can leave very little flexibility.

An additional 5-10% is useful for:

·         Last-minute additions to the guest list.

·         Incorrect final numbers.

·         Suppliers or members of the wedding party who were not included.

·         Guests who accidentally take more than one.

·         Damaged or misplaced items.

·         Styling the bar, favour table or photography details.

·         Giving one to a friend or relative who could not attend.

·         Keeping a few unused examples as wedding mementos.

For a small wedding, adding five to ten spare stubby holders may be enough. For a larger wedding, calculate the extra quantity as a percentage.

If your guest list is still changing, choose an amount closer to 10%. If attendance and drinks arrangements are firmly confirmed, approximately 5% may be sufficient.

Wedding Stubby Holder Quantity Examples

 

These figures are planning examples rather than fixed rules. Your final quantity should reflect your confirmed attendance, drinks menu and favour arrangement.

 

Should Children Receive a Stubby Holder?

Whether children should be included depends on how the stubby holders will be used.

If they are part of the drinks station and canned soft drinks will be available, children may be able to use the same design as adult guests. There is usually no need to create a separate design unless it is important to the theme.

If each stubby holder is presented as a formal wedding favour, include children in the quantity unless you are providing them with a different gift.

 

For weddings with a large number of children, confirm the drinks format with the venue. Juice boxes, small water bottles and other children's drinks may not fit a standard stubby holder.

Do You Need Different Designs?

Using more than one design does not necessarily change the total quantity, but it does affect how that quantity is divided.

Couples sometimes choose:

·         One design for all guests.

·         Coordinating designs for each side.

·         A main wedding design and a separate bridal-party design.

·         Different front and back artwork on the same stubby holder.

·         A small number of special keepsakes for close family members.

If you want two designs for a wedding with 100 guests, decide whether they will be divided evenly or assigned to specific groups.

An even split might mean 50 of each design. A bridal-party design, however, may only be required for the couple, bridesmaids, groomsmen and close family.

Before approving the artwork, write down the quantity required for each design and check that the combined total still covers the guest count and your spare allowance.

 

When Should You Confirm the Quantity?

Confirm the quantity after most RSVPs have been received but early enough to allow for artwork preparation, production and delivery.

Before ordering, try to finalise:

·         The couple's names as they should appear.

·         The wedding date and preferred date format.

·         The colours and overall design style.

·         Any photographs, illustrations or custom artwork.

·         The number required for each design.

·         The delivery address and event date.

·         The types of cans or bottles that will be served.

Always review the artwork proof carefully. Check spelling, dates, names, small text and the position of important design elements before approving production.

If your final attendance number may change slightly, it is safer to order a reasonable number of extras than to depend on placing a small additional order close to the wedding.

 

Where Should You Put Them at the Wedding?

The best location depends on when you want guests to use them.

At the Drinks Station

Place the stubby holders in a basket, tray or neat display close to the bar. Guests can pick one up as they collect their first suitable drink.

A small sign can explain the arrangement:

"Grab a drink and a stubby holder - yours to keep."

Make sure the display does not block the bar queue, and nominate someone to check whether it needs to be replenished.

At Each Place Setting

If the stubby holders are individual wedding favours, place one at every seat. This makes the quantity and distribution clear and helps incorporate the design into the reception tables.

Guests can take their stubby holder to the bar when they are ready to use it.

Near the Reception Entrance

A welcome table can work well when guests enter the reception carrying a drink. Display the stubby holders alongside the seating chart, guest book or other favours, with enough room to prevent congestion.

Whichever location you choose, make it clear that guests are welcome to use the stubby holders and take them home afterwards.

 

A Simple Quantity Formula

Use this formula when calculating your order:

Expected number of users + 5-10% spare = recommended quantity

If the stubby holders are individual wedding favours, replace the expected number of users with the total confirmed guest count:

Confirmed guest count + 5-10% spare = recommended favour quantity

The extra amount gives you flexibility without creating an unnecessarily large surplus.

For example:

·         100 confirmed guests.

·         One stubby holder for every guest.

·         10% added for spares and keepsakes.

·         Recommended order: 110.

For a drinks-station arrangement:

·         100 confirmed guests.

·         Approximately 75 expected to use suitable cans or bottles.

·         10% added for spares.

·         Recommended order: approximately 83, rounded to a practical order quantity.

 

Final Checklist Before Ordering

Before confirming your wedding stubby holders, check:

·         Is the guest count based on confirmed RSVPs?

·         Are children, suppliers and wedding-party members included where necessary?

·         Do you know which drinks and container sizes the venue will serve?

·         Are the stubby holders for selected drinkers or every guest?

·         Have you added 5-10% for spares?

·         Have you included copies for the couple to keep?

·         If there are multiple designs, is the quantity for each one correct?

·         Have all names, dates and artwork details been checked?

·         Is there enough time for design approval, production and delivery?

There is no single quantity that suits every wedding. Some couples need one stubby holder for every guest, while others only need enough for people using the bar's cans and compatible bottles.

Start with your confirmed guest list, consider the drinks menu and decide whether the stubby holders are functional accessories, individual favours or both. Then add a small number of extras for last-minute guests and keepsakes.

Clinkies personalised wedding stubby holders can be printed with names, dates, colours, photographs or custom artwork. A free artwork proof is provided before production so couples can review the design before their order proceeds.

 

 

Kerry is part of the team at Clinkies, creating personalised stubby holders for weddings, celebrations, businesses and events across Australia. Clinkies helps couples turn names, dates, photos and custom artwork into practical keepsakes, with free artwork proofs before production and Australia-wide delivery.

www.clinkies.com