Wedding Guest Cost Calculator

Many wedding venues and caterers quote pricing per guest (or "per head") rather than as a flat fee — the total cost is simply the guest count multiplied by that per-guest rate. This is one of the most direct levers for controlling your wedding budget: trimming the guest list has a proportional effect on total cost.

Per-guest rates typically cover the meal and sometimes beverages, but often exclude taxes, service charges, and gratuities — always confirm exactly what's included before comparing quotes across venues.

Example: 150 guests at $85 per head comes to $12,750 for that portion of the wedding. Cutting the guest list to 100 would drop that line item to $8,500 — a $4,250 savings.

Children's meals are often priced lower — if your venue quotes adult vs child rates, run two calculations and add totals.

Service charge and gratuity may apply on top of per-head food — a $85 plate with 22% service and 18% gratuity behaves differently than $85 all-in.

Worked example with defaults: 150 guests × $85 = $12,750. Cutting to 120 guests saves $2,550 at the same rate.

Venue tax and service charge stack multiplicatively on some invoices — 22% service on subtotal plus 8% sales tax on the total differs from adding both percents mentally. Ask caterers for all-in per-head before multiplying guest count. Service charge plus tax stack multiplicatively on some invoices — ask caterers for all-in per-head before multiplying one hundred fifty guests.

Vendor meals (photographer, DJ) at $50–85 each add to headcount — 150 guests plus 10 vendors × $85 ≈ $13,600 versus $12,750 without vendor plates. Ten vendor meals at $85 add to headcount — 150 guests plus vendors ≈ $13,600 versus $12,750 without photographer and DJ plates. Compare per-head catering quotes against your guest-cost worksheet before signing the final banquet order.

One hundred fifty guests × $85 = $12,750 catering subtotal before tax and tip. Cutting guest list to 120 saves $2,550 at the same rate — often the fastest budget lever before downgrading menu tier. 150 × $85 = $12,750 before tax and tip — cutting to 120 guests saves $2,550 at the same rate without changing menu tier.