What percentage of a wedding budget goes on catering?

Commonly a third to a half once drinks are included, which is why headcount dominates everything else. Your own per-head figure from two real quotes is worth more than a published average.

Should I book the venue first?

Set the guest count first, then the venue, because the count determines which venues are even possible. Booking a venue and then discovering it seats thirty fewer than your list is an expensive order to do things in.

How much should we keep back for surprises?

Five to ten percent, in a separate line you do not allocate. Weddings reliably produce late costs — postage, alterations, vendor meals, corkage — and a contingency that has already been spent is not a contingency.

Wedding budget calculator

Around sixty percent of a typical wedding budget scales with the guest count, and it is usually decided last. This starts from the guest list instead.

Guest count

Guests

Contingency

Held separately, not treated as spendable.

Per-guest costs

Catering

$ / guest

Drinks

$ / guest

Stationery

$ / guest

Favours

$ / guest

Cake

$ / guest

Fixed costs

Venue hire

Photography

Attire

Music

Flowers

Total budget: $31,154
Guest-driven share: 49.3%
Contingency: $2,174

Per-guest cost is $119.00, so 49.3% of the budget scales directly with the guest list. Twenty fewer guests would save $2,380 before any change to the venue or vendors.

The formulas

per-guest cost = catering + drinks + stationery + favour + cake portion

guest-driven total = per-guest cost x guest count

fixed total = venue hire + photography + attire + music + flowers

budget = guest-driven + fixed + contingency

Venue hire sits in the fixed column, but the venue you can book is decided by the guest count, so the number still moves — in steps rather than smoothly.

A worked example

A $24,000 budget at 120 guests, with catering at $85 a head, drinks $22, stationery $3, favours $4 and cake $5:

per-guest cost = 85 + 22 + 3 + 4 + 5 = 119

guest-driven = 119 x 120 = 14,280

as a share of budget = 14,280 / 24,000 = 59.5%

at 100 guests = 119 x 100 = 11,900 → saving = 2,380

Twenty fewer guests is $2,380, before any change to the venue. That is more than most couples save by negotiating every supplier they meet.

Assumptions and limits

Per-head costs vary enormously by country, season and day of the week. The structure is general; the figures are illustrative.
Excludes rings, honeymoon and pre-wedding events, which are often budgeted separately and often forgotten entirely.
Assumes a single venue. Separate ceremony and reception locations add transport and a second setup.
Contingency is held separately, not treated as spendable — a contingency quietly spent on flowers is not a contingency.

Doing this more than once?

This page prices one plan. These track what's actually booked and paid against it as deposits go out, category by category.

Questions

What percentage of a wedding budget goes on catering?: Commonly a third to a half once drinks are included, which is why headcount dominates everything else. Your own per-head figure from two real quotes is worth more than a published average.
Should I book the venue first?: Set the guest count first, then the venue, because the count determines which venues are even possible. Booking a venue and then discovering it seats thirty fewer than your list is an expensive order to do things in.
How much should we keep back for surprises?: Five to ten percent, in a separate line you do not allocate. Weddings reliably produce late costs — postage, alterations, vendor meals, corkage — and a contingency that has already been spent is not a contingency.

Last updated 24 August 2026.