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I am just trying to figure out an average of what is typically spent per person. How much did you or will you spend per person at your reception? We just got the proposal for our menu and I am freaking out a little!!!
Thank you.
It might help to tell us what's on your menu so that we have a good sense of what's reasonable. Like, it's one thing if it's PB&J, it's another thing if it's lobster, you know? ;)
We paid about $55 per person for:
- Soda, tea, and coffee
- Bar mixers
- A beef tenderloin station
- A jumbo shrimp station
- A spread of veggies, dips, olives, stuffed grape leaves, and cheeses
- A mashed potato bar
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I think that it will depend on a number of factors, including location, type of food, service, etc. Can you give us your details and maybe the hive can estimate if it sounds reasonable?
$57 for food (including hor dourves, dinner and cake) & $33 for open bar (including our signature drink and full bar, wine service during dinner & champagne toast) = $90 per person & 12.95 for kids & vendors. Our entree selections include Snapper Filet and Beef Tenderloin with two sides, salad and dessert as well as cake.
However, Miami tends to be an expensive place for weddings. However, we are on the average end since I know alot of places go in the high 100's for plates/bar.
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We're spending about $160/head for hors d'oeuvres, salads, dinner (an upscale churrascuria--so there are like 10 different "entrees" from seafood to red meat to exotic meats that guests can sample), cake, and a 5 hour open bar on a Saturday night in Chicago. That includes tax and tip.
Most Chicago caterers were quoting me even more than that for a simple and likely mediocre chicken dinner after all of the rentals and service fees.
The taste of the food is important to us so we went with a restaurant. I think we're getting a much better value than the caterers were offering. And there's no room fee or rental fee.
I believe we opted for a package that is $65 pp. This includes the cocktail hour, open bar, appetizers and crudite spread, champagne toast, wine service at dinner, salad, choice of 3 entrees and cake cutting.
We are contracted for at least 175 guests.
Not including alcohol, we paid about $71.50 (not including service charge and tax) per person for 5 tray passed hors d' oeuvres, a plated 2 course meal (duet meal of filet & chicken) and the cake was included through a bakery in the price. Also included champagne toast, coffee & hot tea. We spent about $6500 on the bar (full open bar on consumption) including the service charge and tax for 220 people.
The original package was $105.95 per person but I got rid of things we didnt need and lowered the cost (shrimp cocktal tray passed, wine with dinner since we had an open bar, a gourmet coffee station)
For food, liquor and dessert I think we're somewhere around $50 pp. This is hard to figure out exactly as only food and soft drinks, water and coffee are included with our catering package. We haven't bought the liquor and desserts yet, so that number might end up being smaller.
Our venue charges $100/person for all food (buffet style), open bar, hors d'oeuvres, cake and champagne for the guests as they arrive. We could have gone with a cheaper place, but I just fell in love with this one! So now I'm scrimping on everything else to afford this! Also, you should note our venue is around NYC, which tend to be rather expensive.
$18 per person for after the wedding and $12 per person for the pig roast, but that does not include beverages.
I agree, we need to know what type of venue are you using, how many people, type of food (or the actual menu) any service fees, rentals, etc. More info the better :)
$40/adult before tax/tip (so $51) for apps, salad, entree, cheesecake dessert, wine, beer, mixers for bar.
~$110/ per person, includes pre-reception (punch, three passed hors'd'oeuvres, fruit and cheese stations) and reception (butternut squash soup, roast chicken (or veg. ratatouille), tahitian vanilla creme brulee, open wine/beer bar, champagne toast, and tiered cake to serve 120) - it's at disneyland, so i think we're definitely paying a premium for the location (and also, SoCal ain't cheap! ;-) hope this helps!
Cost is $75/person for a three-course plated meal. We will spend about $20/person on passed nibbles during a 45 minute cocktail hour. The bar tab will be about $60/person - we are opting to go with a consumption bar, rather than a package because its 3x as much.
To keep within our budget: We are closing the bar during dinner and offering poured red or white wine - this will cut down on overpouring and prevent a disruptive flow of guests to the bar. Also, we are offering only one entree to avoid the $20 pp upcharge (and simplify the tracking process!).
Are you using a caterer's venue or are you bringing your own to a private venue?
I've never really looked at Birmingham venues, except the museum and a couple of restaurants, but from what I've heard and seen in other cities, we're pretty middle of the road.
The package that we're thinkinng about right now is $105 per person with open bar for 4hours and buffet dinner and cake. Not too bad for LA area. But we're having at a reception hall, nothing fancy like a museum or a big hotel.
I've had two caters give me quotes thus far both came in at about $55 per person for apps. and a plated salad/main/dessert and then a $250 flat fee for bar mixers as we will provide our own alcohol. I could have went to an amazing restaurant nearby and done the whole thing including wine with dinner and location for $50 per person but they only do receptions from 11-3 so it was more of a lunch and did not fit with our church or our plans. Thanks for everyone's answers, I feel like I am getting a pretty good value for money with these offers based on this comparison.
Having my wedding in an expensive area of Long Island and I guess prices reflect that...
About $150pp including tax & tip, children under 12 are 50% of the price and vendors are $45.
For: complete wine/beer/liquor/mixers open bar all night, champagne for toast, 12 hors d'oeuvres and a food station during cocktail hour, salad & entree dinner (salmon & chicken, I was disappointed I had to pay extra for beef and chose not to...), dessert and wedding cake of my choice, all tables, chairs, dishes, glasses, silverware and linens so no rentals required. Plus a coordinator who stays through dinner. There is no site fee because they are an exclusive caterer for this venue.
Thanks everyone for your input! We are having a buffet dinner which we were quoted $63 (without the 21% service charge and 9% taxes) and includes:
beef tenderloin carving station
pasta station
grilled vegetable station
6 hors d'oeuvres
fruit/cheese kabobs
hummus and spinach dips
this also includes water and punch.
We are providing our own alcohol and have to pay $2.75 per person for alcohol plus $75 per bartender.
Does this sound like enough food and does the price sound reasonable? Don't forget I'm in Alabama also and are estimating there to be between 200 and 225 guests... THANKS EVERYONE!!!
If you are in the city, it's probably good. If you are getting married in a smaller town, it does seem a little high to me.
It sounds a little high, but not unreasonable. What sounds particularly high is the service charge: 21% for buffet stations? That's pretty whack. ;)
That seems a little high. I am getting married in Mobile, AL and mine is about half of that. Can you use outside caterers? If so, have you requested quotes from other caterers?
Good luck!
-Becky
We are getting married at a winery. about $200 per head with tax and service.
Rhcl I agreee it sounds high, especially for a choice of beef and pasta. Maybe the hors deovres are what's driving the price up? Are you serving six different types of hors doevres? If so, I would consider cutting a couple of those out and I would haggle with them a little about what that 21 percent service charge is all about. I'm paying a 20 percent charge to have the food delivered to each table.
We are paying $60.00/pp including tax/gratuity (this is for a hotel) - that includes
1. ceremony room rental / with riser and arch
2. ballroom rental / with dance floor and hurricane candle centerpieces for tables
3. Appetizers (4 choices)
4. Champaign toast
5. Dinner (plated dinner with salad and rolls)
6. 3 hours of select open bar (beer, wine & soda)
7. Coffee, tea and iced tea through out the reception
the taxes here are really high (9% sales tax and 20% gratuity)
I was originally quoted over $60 pp without tax and gratuity but that was way over my budget. The hotel was really great with working with me on the price. I cut out the stuff that I didn't feel was needed - like ice sculptures, chair covers, floral centerpieces (through the hotel) and stuff like that. I also had to work with the menu as well. Like instead of Steak we are having chicken/fish. Over all I think we got a really fair price for everything.
180/head including snacks, hor d'oeurevs (3), salad, soup, main course (2 choices), dessert trays, open bar
NOT including our signature drink (bottles of wine) or the cake
Ours is about $88 per head, not include taxes and gratuity which will bring it close to over $100 a head. This was cheap though compared to what we would have paid (at least double) if we had decided to have our wedding on Saturday night.
Because I didn't know how many people I would have. I negotiated that it was $49 per head for the first 100 people and then $28/head after that.
Menu is salad, chicken, 2 sides, bruchetta, coffee and tea station and all the soda and juices. Includes cheese and fruit diplay for cocktail hour. Alcohol supplied by us.
$85 per person at a country club.
That includes:
-3 course seated dinner
-5 hour top shelf open bar
-Services of the wedding coordinator/clubhouse manager
-valet parking
-linens
-taxes, gratuity, etc. etc.
$130 per person for a three course meal, top shelf open bar all night, and cocktail hour stuff. tax and gratuity not included. do'h!
oh cake, wine at the table, and chapmagne toast are included too. I thought that was pretty good.
For hor d'ourves, food, open bar for wine, beer and non-alcoholic drinks we'll pay about $55 per person before taxes and other service fees. Not too terrible for San Diego.
We're paying about $20 pp for:
Hors d'ourves (Olives, Cheeses, Veggies, Fruits, Salad, Shimp tower)
Main Meal (three choices, plus Veg, plus Kids Menu)
All Drinks (Champagne, Wine, Beer, Liquor, Non-Alc Bev)
Cake
Delivery, Set-up, Service, Gratuity
This is for 120 people. I think I offended one caterer when I told her that her quote was way outside my budget, she had quoted me about $45 pp (not including cake and gratuity). Looking at this thread, it seems like a decent price. My fiance and I have pretty skewed expectations for prices I guess...
$100 (including tax and tip) a person for a wedding on a Saturday night in downtown Cleveland with:
3 hand passed hors d
plated salad and entree
cutting and plating of cake (not including the actual cake)
5 hours open bar
exclusive use of venue
This was a good price compared to other downtown venues!
$3.50 per person for ham & turkey sandwiches, fruit & veggies and cheese trays.
I don't know what it would be with the finger foods, beverages, beer & wine included in the amount per person but it wouldn't be much.
Cake was $400.
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