You Won't Believe How Expensive It Is To Feed Everyone At A Wedding
Picture the last special meal you truly balled out on - then multiply that by a hundred or so. That's what it could cost you to feed everyone at a wedding and get them properly liquored up. Catering is one of the steepest costs associated with hosting a reception, but there are ways to cut down. (#byebyecake)
We spoke to five recent brides from all over the country to hear how much they spent on their guests - from the welcome drinks to the late-night treats and everything in between - and where they skimped.
Drinks: $6,350
"This covered welcome drinks, cocktail hour drinks, and a five-hour open bar during our reception. It was $40 per person, but everything at our venue was subject to a 6 percent tax and a 20 percent gratuity."
Dinner: $13,494
“We were presented three options for food - $75, $85, or $95 per person - and went with the middle option. This included dinner, plus bread, salad, coffee, tea, and five passed appetizers for cocktail hour: crab cakes, mini beef Wellington, bacon-wrapped scallops, brie and pesto in phyllo, and Italian crostini. For dinner, guests could choose from Atlantic cod, sirloin, or a vegetarian mushroom risotto.”
Dessert: $900
"We had an ice cream bar, cupcakes, and a few other desserts - no cake, though - that were provided by a local bakery."
Late Night Food: $400
"For our after-party, we pre-arranged a pizza delivery to the bar. It was totally worth it. Dinner was hours earlier and people were partying hard on the dance floor; they were hungry by the time we got to the bar."
Take-home Goodies: $0
"My brother-in-law owns a cidery and made homemade custom alcohol as favors for guests."
Drinks: $3,158
"We had alcohol available from the moment guests arrived until the end of the event. And since our ceremony and reception were in the same venue, guests could drink during the service. Our venue didn't have permits for hard alcohol, so there were five types of wine - two white, two red, and one rosé - and two types of beer: Racer 5 IPA and Scrimshaw Pilsner."
Dinner: $6,364
"The cost included appetizers; food stations, which were out for two hours and refilled; and desserts. The appetizers were cheese, fruit, charcuterie, olives, and bread, and the dinner stations offered Hawaiian poke, mini tacos, grilled chicken satay, lamb sliders, steak sandwiches, barbecue pulled pork or jackfruit sliders, pancetta-gouda pizzas, and gorgonzola macaroni and cheese. We wanted people to be social and eat as they pleased. We were worried there wouldn’t be enough food because it wasn't a typical meal, but there was a ton left over, and most people said they had seconds and thirds of their favorites. When we did the tasting, we tried to eat one of each and got super full."
Dessert: Included with dinner
"For dessert, there were three options: a variety of macarons, lemon panna cotta, and mini cupcakes. We were never into the cake-cutting tradition and loved that our caterer included desserts in their price."
Catering Staff: $2,180
"Some places include that with food, but ours didn't."
Drinks: $1,575
"We chose to only do beer and wine, not necessarily to cut costs, although that was a bonus. My husband and I aren't big liquor drinkers, and I wasn't crazy about the idea of people being completely liquor-drunk at our wedding. We served four kinds of beer, plus a pinot noir and a sauvignon blanc, and we were able to get it all at cost from the restaurant that was catering for us. We also bought bottles of Topo Chico and sodas from Costco and put them in buckets around the venue."
Appetizers: $750
"We had trays of lobster poppers and meatballs passed around during cocktail hour. We were expecting around 150 to 160 people, so got 125 of each - figuring not everyone would eat both options or they wouldn't eat any at all."
Dinner: $3,465
"I had always envisioned having long farm tables, with a meal served family style - and that's exactly what we had. We served fried chicken with gravy, mashed potatoes, zucchini noodles, Brussels sprouts, and macaroni and cheese. We decided to go with 165 servings of everything to make sure we had enough. This also ensured our vendors and staff working that night were all fed, and we had a to-go box for us at the end of the night!"
Dessert: $1,579
"We definitely ended up spending more on our cakes than I had originally planned. The bakery we used, Sweet Treats, came recommended by our venue. For the wedding cake, we had a combination of white chocolate and strawberry in the middle. The groom's cake was red velvet. Like our appetizers, we also had fewer servings of cake available than the total number of expected guests. We figured not everyone would eat it, and - honestly - we had quite a bit left over."
Drinks: $1,490
"We had one bartender and an open bar from cocktail hour until the last dance. We wanted our guests to enjoy their evening without having to pay for drinks."
Dinner: $1,992
"Our dinner was a relatively simple two-entree dinner buffet. Early on, we discussed what we tend to remember most about weddings: the venue and the DJ. Therefore, we made the decision to put a bulk of our budget towards the venue and pay close attention to the DJ. Dinner was not where we spent our money."
Dessert: $536
"We went with twelve pies from a local bakery, including two 'Cutie Pies' for the bride and groom. We were so happy with our decision to go with pies - but we also got a sheet cake for people who look forward to that at a wedding reception. The pies matched our theme perfectly, and a line formed before serving even began just so people could get a piece of their favorite flavor."
Drinks: $2,950
"Our venue required us to bring in our own alcohol. We chose to do beer (IPA and blond ale), wine (sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, and cabernet sauvignon), and two signature cocktails - a raspberry Chambord Bellini and a Moscow mule. The hard cost of the alcohol was $1,600, and we paid another $200 to serve the signature drinks. There was also a $650 bartending fee and a $500 fee to have an extra bar station open during cocktail hour. We got to keep all the leftover alcohol, so we took the kegs back to the hotel for our after party (there may or may not have been keg stands!), and my husband and I kept a bottle of the red for our one-year anniversary."
Dinner: $10,000
"There were three appetizers served during cocktail hour: fried ravioli, buffalo chicken empanadas, and tomato bisque shooters with mini grilled cheese. For dinner, guests could choose between two salads and two entrees (chicken or spinach tortelloni). Had we offered two meat options, we would have been charged an extra $25 per plate for any guests who needed a vegetarian option. But we had a lot of guests who are vegetarian - including myself - so we just decided to make one of the vegetarian plates a main entree selection."
Dessert: $80
"A simple 10-inch cutting cake and various desserts - cheesecake bites, brownie bites, lavender macarons, and fruit tarts - were included in the cost of the venue. My husband and I actually didn't even want to do a cake at all, but my mother felt strongly we needed to have at least a small cake to cut for good luck. My dad also insisted we get a traditional Norwegian cake called Kransekake. It almost has more of a cookie consistency with multiple layers. A very nice woman who regularly makes Kransekake for her friends and family charged us only $80 - including delivery to our venue."
Design by Alexandra Folino; Animation by Vineet Sawant
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