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 on purpose: your food cost is a conversation between your menu and your suppliers.
Wedding catering quotes have a math problem and a vocabulary problem. The math problem is the headcount, which will change twice after the contract; per-person lines make that a quantity edit instead of a re-quote. The vocabulary problem is the service charge, which is not a tip, covers your overhead, and gets explained badly across the industry. This template applies the service charge as the document-level fee, labeled what it is, and keeps staff gratuity as its own line, so both survive the family's spreadsheet review.
Every section below loads into the builder exactly as listed. This is the actual checklist, not a preview of one. Delete what your job doesn’t need and price the rest.
Every food line per person with the guest count as the quantity: plated, buffet, cocktail hour, the kids and the band, cake service, and the tasting priced flat.
Priced per person. Quantity = guest count.
Bar and NA packages per person, the champagne toast, bartenders by the hour, and corkage for the wine the couple insists on bringing.
Servers, kitchen staff, and the breakdown crew priced people-times-hours, plus the event captain who keeps the timeline honest.
Unit: hour. Quantity = staff count, multiplier = hours.
Place settings per person, linens and tables each, chafing and serviceware, and the tent kitchen for the venue that has a view instead of a kitchen.
Delivery and travel, setup and breakdown, the final walkthrough, and staff gratuity as its own visible line, because it is not the service charge.
Open it in the builder and the event is already structured: menu per person, bar, staffing, rentals, logistics. Delete what this wedding doesn't need. A drop-off brunch wedding trims to six lines before the venue confirms the dock code.
Set the guest count and your per-person rates; staff price people-times-hours. The P&L updates while you type, so the brie doesn't quietly eat the margin between the tasting and the invoice.
Export a clean client quote: menu, headcount, prices, one total. It's generated from a copy that never held your costs, margins, or internal notes, so there is nothing in the file to scrub and nothing for a curious mother of the bride to find.
The full guide (units, tax math, deposits, exports) lives on the Help page. It’s genuinely thorough. We’re as surprised as you.
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.
The national average sits near $80 per person, with buffets commonly $50 to $90 and plated dinners $80 to $150 per guest. Food-only totals for a typical wedding land around $6,900, with most between $5,500 and $8,300 before alcohol, rentals, and the service charge. 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.
No, and quotes that blur them start arguments. 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, understands both, and your servers get what was intended for them.
Yes, and not free-with-an-asterisk. The builder runs without an account, and the free plan includes every 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, unlimited cloud saves, and a Saved Items catalog for the menus you quote every season.
Passed apps, stations, bar packages, and party staffing.
Boxed lunches through plated dinners, delivery to staffed.
Smoked meats per guest, on-site pit service, and cleanup.