A wedding catering quote template priced per guest, tasting through last call.
This is a free wedding catering quote template with the whole event itemized: the menu per person with the guest count right on the line, the bar package, staffing priced people-times-hours, rentals down to the glassware, and the logistics section that ends with a visible staff gratuity line. Load it in the builder, set the headcount, and price the rest. Rates start empty because your food cost depends on your menu and your suppliers.
Wedding catering quotes have two common problems. The headcount changes after the contract, and per-person lines make that a quantity edit instead of a re-quote. The service charge is not a tip and covers your overhead; this template applies it as the document-level fee, labeled as what it is, and keeps staff gratuity as its own line.
What’s in the template
This is the exact checklist that loads in the builder, with each line’s unit already set. Delete what this job doesn’t need.
Menu & Food7 lines
Every food line per person with the guest count as the quantity: plated, buffet, cocktail hour, kids and vendor meals, cake service, and the tasting priced flat.
- Plated dinnerperson
- Buffet dinnerperson
- Cocktail-hour hors d'oeuvresperson
- Kids mealsperson
- Vendor mealsperson
- Cake cutting & dessert serviceperson
- Tasting sessionflat
Priced per person. Quantity = guest count.
Bar & Beverage5 lines
Bar and NA packages per person, the champagne toast, bartenders by the hour, and corkage.
- Bar packageperson
- Non-alcoholic packageperson
- Champagne toastperson
- Bartendershour
- Corkageeach
Staffing4 lines
Servers, kitchen staff, and the breakdown crew priced people-times-hours, plus the event captain.
- Servershour
- Chefs & kitchen staffhour
- Event captainhour
- Bussing & breakdown crewhour
Unit: hour. Quantity = staff count, multiplier = hours.
Rentals & Equipment5 lines
Place settings per person, linens and tables each, chafing and serviceware, and the tent kitchen where the venue has none.
- China, glassware & flatwareperson
- Linenseach
- Tables & chairseach
- Chafing & servicewareflat
- Tenting / field kitchen setupflat
Service & Logistics4 lines
Delivery and travel, setup and breakdown, the final walkthrough, and staff gratuity as its own visible line, separate from the service charge.
- Delivery & travelflat
- Setup & breakdownflat
- Final walkthrough & timelineflat
- Staff gratuityflat
Commonly left off
In the template, and easy to drop from a one-number quote.
- Vendor meals
- Kids meals
- Cake cutting & dessert service
A 120-guest plated dinner, priced out
Sample rates on the main lines. Switch views to see what you track and what the couple gets.
- Works out to
- $168.55 / guest for food, bar, staff and rentals
- Plated dinner, 2026
- $65–150 / guest
- Buffet
- $40–90 / guest
- National average
- $80 / person
National ranges; sources under Questions. Your market sets the real number.
Questions
Units, tax, deposits and exports are covered in the Help guide.
What does a wedding catering quote include?
Five sections: menu and food per person (plated, buffet, cocktail hour, kids and vendor meals, cake service, the tasting), bar and beverage, staffing priced people-times-hours (servers, kitchen, captain, breakdown), rentals from place settings to tenting, and service and logistics ending with a visible staff gratuity line. The service charge itself rides as the document-level fee on the subtotal, labeled as what it is.
What does wedding catering go for in 2026?
The national average sits near $80 per person in The Knot's 2025 study, beverages and staff included, with buffets commonly $40 to $90 and plated dinners $65 to $150 per guest. Zola's index puts the typical food bill at $5,500 to $8,300, around $6,900. Guest count, service style, and bar scope drive the number, which is why every food line in this template prices per person with the count visible.
Is the service charge the same as gratuity?
No. The service charge is a percentage on the subtotal, typically 18 to 22 percent, that covers overhead: kitchen, insurance, vehicles, admin. Gratuity is money for the staff, typically separate. This template applies the service charge as the document fee and carries staff gratuity as its own visible line, so the couple sees both and the gratuity goes to the staff.
Is the wedding catering quote template free to use?
Yes. The builder runs without an account, and the free plan includes every estimate export: client PDF, Excel, CSV, an internal budget export, and a read-only share link that carries a client-safe copy inside the link itself. A free account adds one cloud-saved estimate. Pro is a one-time purchase, not a subscription: your branding on client exports, no Estimatery footer, invoice exports, unlimited cloud saves, and a Saved Items catalog of your standard lines.
Cost figures are national ranges compiled from The Knot (updated Mar 27, 2025), Zola (updated Feb 19, 2026), Fash (Jul 8, 2024), Joy (updated Jun 19, 2026), accessed October 2026. Your market sets the real number.
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Smoked meats per guest, on-site pit service, and cleanup.
General information for pricing your own work. Not legal, tax or accounting advice. Deposit caps, licensing, lien and permit rules vary by state.