Wedding catering cost per head, and what the quote should include

The caterer is the biggest line in the budget: with drinks, it represents nearly half of the total. It is also the one where comparison is most misleading, because the price per person doesn’t include the same things from one quote to the next.

Price ranges

These ranges come from our budget simulator, calibrated on figures published by the wedding industry in France. They vary by region, season and level of service.

• Simple service (buffet, single main course, limited service): around €45 per guest
• Classic service (cocktail, starter, main course, dessert, table service): around €70 per guest
• High-end service (gourmet menu, large staff): €110 and more
• Drinks: from €10 (simple) to €18 (classic) and €32 (high-end) per guest on top
• Children’s menu: about half an adult menu

What the quote should specify

• The number of guests the price is based on, and the tolerance margin
• The full menu: cocktail (number of pieces per person), starter, main course, cheese, dessert
• The number of waiters and how long they stay
• Tableware, glasses, tablecloths and furniture: supplied, or rented separately
• Drinks: which ones, in what quantity, and the corkage fee if you bring your own
• Meals for suppliers (photographer, DJ) and for waiters, if billed
• Travel, delivery or cleaning fees
• The VAT rate applied and the final total including tax

The fees you discover too late

• Overtime when service runs past the planned time
• Rental of tableware, tables and chairs when they are not included
• A per-guest surcharge above the planned number or for a special menu (vegetarian, gluten-free)
• Serving the wedding cake or dessert
• Use of a kitchen or preparation room, if the venue doesn’t have one

A worked example for 100 guests

At the classic level of our simulator, a 100-guest wedding comes to about €7,000 for the caterer and €1,800 for drinks, or €8,800 in all. Add ten children at half price and it rises by about €350. If tableware and furniture are not included, a hire company may add several euros per guest; if service ends at midnight and the party runs until two, overtime for the waiters is billed on top. That is how two quotes that both say “€70 per person” can end up more than a thousand euros apart.

Lowering the bill without it showing

• Fewer canapés at the drinks reception if dinner follows soon after: six to eight pieces per person is often enough
• A seasonal menu: the caterer buys better and cheaper, and it tastes better
• A dessert buffet or the wedding cake as dessert, rather than both
• Your own wine with corkage, if the fee per bottle is reasonable
• A Friday, a Sunday or an off-season date, when some caterers are more flexible

What not to cut: the number of waiters. A dinner served by too few people drags, the food arrives cold, and it is the first thing guests notice.

How to compare three quotes

1. Give everyone the same briefSame number of guests, same date, same venue, same drinks, same length of service. Without that, the comparison is worthless.
2. Bring everything to tax includedCompare the total including tax, not the price per person: a price before tax and a price with tax can’t be compared (€60 before tax becomes €66 with tax at a 10% rate, to be checked on each quote), and an “all-inclusive” quote doesn’t contain the same things as another.
3. Count the extrasAdd tableware, staff, drinks and incidental fees when they are not included. That gives you the real price.
4. Taste, then decideA tasting is the only way to know what you are buying. Ask whether it is free or deducted from the quote if you sign.