How much does wedding catering cost?
Most couples pay $40-$120 per guest. Here is what moves that number, what you get at each level, and where to spend less without regretting it.
Wedding catering typically runs $40 to $120 per guest depending on service style - buffet and stations at the lower end, plated service higher. The per-plate number rarely tells the whole story: staffing, rentals, service charges and bar are frequently separate, and can add 30-50% to the figure you were quoted. Ask for a total, for your guest count, with everything in it.
What you get at each price
Simple service
$40-$60 per guest
Buffet, family-style, food trucks, or a taco or BBQ setup. Often the food people actually remember, and the easiest place in the whole budget to spend less without anyone noticing.
What most couples pay most couples
$60-$100 per guest
Plated dinner or elevated stations, passed appetisers at cocktail hour, full staffing, and often rentals included.
Premium
$100-$250+ per guest
Multi-course plated service, premium proteins, chef stations, high staff-to-guest ratios and coursed wine. Common at full-service venues where catering is in-house.
These are what couples actually pay, not quotes we can make on a vendor's behalf. Every wedding caterer sets their own prices, and the ones on Lazo publish theirs where they choose to.
What actually drives the price
- Service style
- Plated service needs roughly twice the staff of a buffet. This is usually the biggest single difference between two quotes.
- Guest count
- Everything here is per person, which makes the guest list the real catering lever.
- Bar
- Frequently a separate line entirely. Beer and wine only is commonly $15-$25 per guest; a full open bar $25-$60. Consumption-based bars can be cheaper or much more expensive - ask for both quotes.
- Staffing and service charge
- Typically 18-24% on top. Confirm whether it is gratuity or the caterer's operating charge, and whether you are also expected to tip.
- Rentals
- Plates, glassware, flatware, linens and tables may or may not be included. This is $10-$30 per guest when it is not.
- Tastings and dietary requirements
- Tastings are sometimes free, sometimes $75-$200 per person and credited if you book.
How to spend less without regretting it
- Change the service style, not the menu
- Family-style and stations cost less than plated and feed people better. Nobody has ever complained about a wedding because the food arrived on a platter.
- Shorten the bar rather than closing it
- Beer, wine and one signature cocktail covers most guests at a fraction of a full open bar. A cash bar after dinner reads worse than a simpler bar all night.
- Trim cocktail hour, not dinner
- Three passed appetisers instead of six is invisible. Two courses instead of three is not.
- Count children and vendors properly
- Kids' meals and vendor meals are usually discounted but are frequently left off the first quote - and vendor meals are contractually required more often than couples realise.
When to book
Book 8-12 months out, or immediately after the venue if the venue requires a caterer from an approved list. Tastings usually happen 3-6 months before the wedding.
What to ask before you book
- What is the all-in cost for my guest count, including staffing, rentals, service charge, bar and tax?
- Is the service charge gratuity, and if not, what is customary on top?
- What are the vendor meal requirements and what do they cost?
- Who is the on-site captain and how many staff will be working?
- How do you handle allergies and dietary requirements on the night?
More questions to ask a wedding caterer — and what a good answer sounds like →
Common questions
How much does wedding catering cost per person?
Wedding catering typically costs $40 to $120 per guest. Buffet and family-style service sits at the lower end, plated dinner at the higher end, and premium multi-course service runs $100 to $250 or more. Bar, rentals and service charges are frequently separate.
Is a buffet cheaper than a plated dinner?
Usually yes, mainly because plated service requires roughly twice the staff. Family-style and stations land between the two and tend to feed people more generously than a plated course.
How much should we budget for an open bar?
Beer and wine only is commonly $15 to $25 per guest for the night; a full open bar $25 to $60. Ask for both a package price and a consumption-based estimate, because which is cheaper depends entirely on your guests.
What is a service charge on a catering quote?
Typically 18-24% added to food and beverage. It is often the caterer's operating charge rather than gratuity, so ask directly whether staff are tipped out of it and what is customary on top.
Why our prices aren't sponsored
Most wedding sites earn money from the vendors they list, which is why their "recommended" wedding caterers and their cost advice tend to point the same direction. Lazo takes nothing per lead and nothing per booking, and rankings can't be bought at any price. Every review comes from a couple who proved they actually got married with that vendor. So the ranges above are what we believe couples pay — not what anyone paid us to say.
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