What is the average cost for catering a wedding reception

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Engagement Engagement. Travel Travel. Fashion Fashion. Gifts Gifts. Sponsored by Men's Wearhouse. Log In. Lauren Scotti Photographer. Maddy Sims Associate Editor. Once you choose your packages, most caterers will add on extra fees for extra services.

Most traditional caterers will ask for minimums for your wedding meal. Most caterers ask for a minimum of to guests. Most wedding caterers offer meal packages at range of different prices.

You can choose your package based on your budget. The lowest price package will typically include a full meal with soup, salad, an entree, dessert, coffee and tea.

Like the meal package, your caterer will offer low to high priced bar packages. The lower priced packages will have generic alcohol with a smaller selection. Higher priced packages will offer premium alcohol with more selections available. You can save money at your wedding reception by bringing your own bottles of wine or champagne, but most caterers will charge a corkage fee.

The fee covers their costs for bartenders, servers, glasses and liability insurance. If you order your cake from an outside baker, your caterer will usually charge a slicing fee to serve it to your guests. The fee covers their costs for servers and extra dishes. Check with your caterer to find out how much the slicing fee is.

Make sure you know ahead of time so you can be prepared. If your caterer is not an in-house vendor at your wedding venue, they may charge delivery fees or set up fees for bringing the food to your wedding.

Your caterer should include a complete cost breakdown in your quote and your contract. If you have some package prices, start with those, then add up all the extra fees.

The first number to look at is the price per person for the meal and bar packages. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification.

I Accept Show Purposes. By Sarah Zlotnick. Sarah Zlotnick. Sarah Zlotnick is a journalist with 10 years of experience and has been a writer in the wedding space for seven years. Brides's Editorial Guidelines. Fact checked by Cherisse Harris. Cherisse Harris is a fact-checker with a focus on lifestyle, beauty, and parenting. She's worked in research for nearly two decades. Once you have this magic number, you can work backward from there to allocate money to each element of the wedding, including your catering costs.

How you divvy the money up is entirely your choice. Some couples put a larger portion of their budget toward food, just because it's very important to them. In cities like Chicago, New York and Seattle, wedding planners are reporting majorly food-focused weddings with the couples using very personalized menus to give guests a taste of their world. In Southern states like Georgia and Florida, couples are more likely to stick to traditional wedding menus and opt for buffet or plated meals.

In the end, it's your wedding and you can have your catering any way you choose. Most wedding industry experts recommend tipping between 15 and 20 percent to your caterer.

This might feel overwhelming, especially if you're already facing large wedding costs. Talk to your wedding caterer and clarify whether the gratuity will be built into the bill; some caterers structure their pricing this way.

If you're not sure you can afford to tip percent of the total catering costs, a good approach is to individually tip the service staff. You can bring cash or checks in individual envelopes for each person and give it to your wedding planner or a friend to pass out at the end of the night. If you're looking for amount guidelines, consider these suggestions:. Food is a major factor in your wedding day. Finding the right wedding catering means research, interviews and tastings.

As you start the process, find caterers who serve your area, have stellar customer reviews, and have all the proper business licensing and insurance required for your region. As you narrow down your search, determine who is available on your wedding date. There's no use falling in love if they are already booked. If the caterer is available on your date, it's time to discuss menus and prices. Don't be shy about stating exactly what your maximum budget is — good communication about costs from the very start means a better overall outcome.

Most caterers have menu templates within different price ranges that can guide your food decisions, and some catering companies may be able to create a custom menu for you. After you and the caterer have settled on a possible menu, schedule a tasting to make sure you're happy with the flavors. It's also important to put down a deposit.

You don't officially have a caterer until you've reserved their services with a deposit. When everything is lined up regarding menu and date, make sure you have each detail defined. Confirm when the food will be delivered to the site, what the service will be, how many servers will be onsite and their hours, who will do setup and cleanup, etc.

Make sure each detail is clearly outlined in the contract, along with cost, to prevent any problems later. Millions of people ask Thumbtack for help with their projects every year. We track the estimates they get from local professionals, then we share those prices with you.

Browse profiles, see prices and use filters to find pros who match your project. Join as a pro. See all. Events and more. Other Info. Cancel Search. How much will your wedding and event catering cost? Get a free estimate. Find the right caterer for your project. Search pros. Per-person costs. Minimum guest count. Search local caterers and check prices. Get estimates. Buffet, seated or food stations.

Here is an overview of the main food service styles: Buffet: Guests walk up to food tables where either they serve themselves food or catering attendants dish up food for them. For a more budget-friendly buffet, caterers can drop off prepared foods and you can do the setup and service yourself.

A fuller-service buffet means the caterers do food setup, stay for the duration of the event, oversee the buffet, and clean up afterward.