Photography & events
Wedding Catering Cost Calculator
Works catering cost, where service charge and tax sit on top of the per-head price.
Result
Wedding pricing varies by region, season and day of the week by more than most couples expect, so treat the defaults as placeholders and replace them with quotes you have actually been given. A Saturday in peak season in a major metro is a different market from a Friday in the off season. Service style changes the staffing more than the food, which is the part couples underestimate. Plated service needs a server for roughly every ten to twelve guests because every plate is carried and cleared, while a buffet needs far fewer. That is why a buffet can be cheaper even at a similar food cost per head, and why a plated menu quoted without its staffing is an incomplete number. Children and vendor meals are separated because they are normally charged at a reduced rate, and vendor meals in particular are a contractual requirement with several suppliers that couples forget to count at all.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Guests times the per-head price, plus the service charge, plus sales tax on the taxable portion, plus any staffing, cake cutting, corkage or equipment charges. The per-head price quoted is rarely the per-head cost, and the uplift is large enough to change the venue decision.
What moves the number
- Per-head price and what the menu includes.
- Service charge, which is typically a percentage of the food and beverage.
- Sales tax, which may apply to the service charge as well.
- Vendor meals, children's meals and dietary alternatives.
Where this one goes wrong
A service charge is not a gratuity and is generally retained by the venue or caterer rather than distributed as tips, which means a couple may reasonably still want to tip staff on top, and that should be budgeted rather than discovered. Vendor meals are the other line routinely forgotten: photographers, planners, musicians and others working through the reception are commonly fed, and at a per-head price that is a real addition to the count.
Before you quote
- Ask for a per-head figure inclusive of service charge and tax.
- Confirm whether the service charge is distributed as gratuity.
- Add vendor meals to the guest count.
Questions
About this calculator
Is a service charge the same as a tip?
Generally not. It is typically retained by the venue or caterer rather than distributed to staff as gratuity, which means a couple may still want to tip and should budget for it rather than assuming the service charge covered it.
What gets forgotten in a catering count?
Vendor meals. Photographers, planners, musicians and others working through the reception are commonly fed, and at a per-head price that is a genuine addition. Children's meals and dietary alternatives are the other adjustments.
Why is the real per-head cost higher than quoted?
Service charge and sales tax, with tax in some jurisdictions applying to the service charge as well. Asking for a figure inclusive of both is the only way to compare caterers on a like basis.
The formula
food = per head x guests adjusted for service style; staffing = servers x rate x hours + kitchen; total = food + staffing + service charge + tax
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How to use this calculator
- Guests. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 120.
- Children and vendor meals. Usually charged at a reduced rate.
- Reduced meal rate (%). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 50%.
- Service style. Enter your own figure; the page starts at Plated, served to the table.
- Main meal per head ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $105.
- Appetisers and canapes per head ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $22.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to total catering cost, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Guests | 120 |
| Children and vendor meals | 8 |
| Reduced meal rate | 50% |
| Service style | Plated, served to the table |
| Main meal per head | $105 |
| Appetisers and canapes per head | $22 |
| Dessert per head | $12 |
| Guests taking late night food | 40% |
| Late night food per head | $14 |
| Guests per server | 15 |
| Server rate per hour | $32 |
| Hours of service | 6 |
| Chef and kitchen staff | $900 |
| Service charge | 20% |
| Tax | 8% |
| Additional gratuity | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Total catering cost main result | $26,366 |
| Catering cost per guest | $219.72 |
| Food | $17,908 |
| Service staff and kitchen | $2,436 |
| Servers needed | 8 |
| Service charge | $4,069 |
| Tax | $1,953 |
| Cost of one more guest | $180.14 |
Catering comes to $26,366, or $219.72 per guest. Food is $17,908 and staffing $2,436 across 8 servers, before $4,069 of service charge and $1,953 of tax. One more guest costs $180.14.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only main meal per head, this is what happens to total catering cost. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Main meal per head ($) | Total catering cost |
|---|---|
| $53 | $18,009 |
| $79 | $22,188 |
| $105 example above | $26,366 |
| $158 | $34,883 |
| $210 | $43,240 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Guests
- A number, between 1 and 5000, starting at 120.
- Children and vendor meals
- Usually charged at a reduced rate.
- Reduced meal rate (%)
- A percentage, between 0 and 100, starting at 50%.
- Service style
- Choose from Plated, served to the table, Buffet, Family style, shared platters, Food stations.
- Main meal per head ($)
- A money amount, between 0 and 5000, starting at $105.
- Appetisers and canapes per head ($)
- A money amount, between 0 and 1000, starting at $22.
- Dessert per head ($)
- A money amount, between 0 and 1000, starting at $12.
- Guests taking late night food (%)
- A percentage, between 0 and 100, starting at 40%.
- Late night food per head ($)
- A money amount, between 0 and 1000, starting at $14.
- Guests per server
- Plated service needs roughly one server per ten to twelve guests. Buffet needs fewer.
- Server rate per hour ($)
- A money amount, between 0 and 500, starting at $32.
- Hours of service
- A number, between 1 and 24, starting at 6.
- Chef and kitchen staff ($)
- A money amount, between 0 and 100000, starting at $900.
- Service charge (%)
- A percentage, between 0 and 50, starting at 20%.
- Tax (%)
- A percentage, between 0 and 30, starting at 8%.
- Additional gratuity (%)
- A percentage, between 0 and 30, starting at 0%.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Total catering cost | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Catering cost per guest | A money figure. |
| Food | A money figure. |
| Service staff and kitchen | A money figure. |
| Servers needed | A number. |
| Service charge | A money figure. |
| Tax | A money figure. |
| Cost of one more guest | A money figure. |
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