average pricing--dinner reception?

[burnsgirl001]

my FH and I just put on down payment on our venue. its a catering hall about five minutes from FH's house (which is awesome). we are spending approximately $85 per guest plus 20% gratutity and 7% sales tax on a four course sit-down dinner with choice of three entrees. this price includes premium open bar all night, the hour cocktail hour, the wedding cake, the hall, all wait staff, and standard white table linens.
we also have to get a photographer/videographer, dj, transportation, his tux, flowers, and a few other things that i cant think of.
we are inviting about 200 guests, and there is a requirement from the venue that we spend at least $15,000 on food and beverage before tax and gratuity. which, we are definitely over that amount with the 200 guests at around $85 per head.
anyways, has anyone had a similar sit down dinner, what was the pricing, what did it include?
we researched everything around our area, and this is on the less expensive end for a catering hall around here (south jersey). more average was around $120 per guest.
just curious for any similar experiences.

[lillypad]

I am doing something similar, ranges from $97-$120 a person depending on the entree,less for a kids meal. It includes a 1 hour cocktail hour with an open bar and d'oeuvres, 3 course plated dinner with 3 additional house of open bar, champagne toast, use of ballroom and terrace, all of the chairs tables linens and dishes, the staff (not including their 22% gratuity), a ceremony coordinator, cake, set up, clean up, night stay at the hotel for the bride and groom, and the use of one of their antique cars for our grand exit. For where we live we could not find anything comparable in quality even close to this price.

[burnsgirl001]

just curious where you live? seems like where you live makes a huge difference in pricing--and lets just say new jersey's not cheap.

[lillypad]

I am in Florida, it gets a little crazy around here because it is such a popular place to have a wedding. My fiance actually had to push up his proposal 8 months because we were told you can't even get a venue with less than a years notice around here.

[10Nov2008]

I envy your bar price!!!

I live smack dab in the center of California and I was disgusted with venue catering prices!!!

My first choice of venue was going to be $35 a person for a buffet (their sit down meal wasn't very "special" in my opinion). It included soft drinks, water, etc. H'ors d'urves (spelling!) were extra starting at 1.25 a person (for a meatball!!!). Cake service was 2.50 a slice if not bought through their bakery. The ballroom was $3,000 for the evening. The bar was a whole 'nother issue. I was really pissy when they screwed me over on my date but it turned out all for the best!!!

Another venue (outdoor) wasn't too much better. $90 a person for buffet-style meal (sit down was additional pp for same meal). Cake service was 2.00 pp if not bought from them. Bar was additional.

The venue I found on accident was a dream come true. $26 and $28 for filet of sole and prime rib, respectively. The price includes punch and champagne punch, four selections of h'ors d'urves, salad, rolls, twice baked potato, seasonal veggies, and entree. Two bottles of wine are also supplied to each table as well as champagne toast and service is provided in the cost. The cake service is included in the pp cost and I am purchasing my own cake (they don't do cakes). Coffee, tea and water are provided as well. There isn't a charge for the venue if I pay for 175 people, which shouldn't be a problem since I have 225 invited!! They also provide a complimentary room in their hotel. The venue has a choice of napkin colors to choose from and they have centerpieces available for use.

I love it!!! My venue has very sweet people that I've been working with and they have worked with other vendors to get me some great prices on chair covers and room decor.

[f77g4]

Can I ask what you all include in the price per person? Watching all these shows on TV and hearing you guys posts, I'm just curious as the prices are crazy high compared to around here.

Like at our venue their various sit down meal prices range from $12/pp to 18.95/pp. This is a golf & country club too.

So I'm trying to figure out what all is taken into account for the $85 - $120 pp.

[Jacobs_Girl]

My wedding is upstate NY near canada.

Its $35 per person that includes a 7 course meal that includes lobster as a course, with wait staff includes gratutity and sodas and champagne. They don't really make money that way, its the extra add on's like table linen, utensils, etc etc

[lillypad]

Well I know our entree prices are a little inflated, even with everything it includes, but we actually picked our venue for the food. It is a small hotel and the catering department is run by the same chef as their AAA four diamond restaurant so the food is supposed to be fantastic. Since both of us work in restaurants, and go to school for it, great food was the one thing our wedding needed to have, everything else is just what we had room left for in the budget.

[burnsgirl001]

i kinda mentioned earlier what was included: four course dinner, hour cocktail hour, open bar for four hours ( i think a lot of the money goes to this), choice of three entrees, table linens, wait staff, set-up and clean-up, wedding cake, also a dessert spread from a local bakery (because we booked in the summer, a slow wedding time).
extra expenses would be if we decided to do a raw bar at the cocktail hour (which we might), martini bar (i dont like martinis), chocolate fountain, extra desserts and some other such stuff.
i think they charge so much first of all because some parts of the countryare just more expensive to live in, and secondly because if people pay that much, why would they lower their prices.
its actually interesting that you guys mentioned buffet. we wanted to do a buffet originally, but that option wasnt offered at the place we booked. they only do sit-down dinners. but they can finish the dinner between 45 mins to an hour, so we dont take up too much of the party time (one thing we were really concerned about). plus, we're actually paying to have an extra hour onto our reception. so in the end it will be one hour of cocktails and five hours of open bar.
I CANT WAIT! yay!!!

[Danielle9608]

I live in MA but am getting married in Cape Cod a very tourist area. We are paying $90 per person this includes 4 passed h'dourves and cheese/fruit platter and veggie platter during cocktail hour. 4 course meal, appetizer, salad and a choice of 2 different entrees (sit down meal- guests choose meal on rsvp card). It also includes the cake, with chocolate covered strawberries and truffles. We are also paying another $850 for the room rental, but all the linens, chair covers and bow, tables, chairs, china and stem wear is included. This price doesn't include the bar though :( I envy those that have the bar included in there price per person. I feel you! My area is so expensive!

[burnsgirl001]

wow, i cant believe the bar cost is on top of the $90 per person. i thought i was crazy for spending so much money on the food...at least i know i'm not alone! *smile*

[dylansmom011908]

Our reception hall dinner is costing us $24.95/person. This includes a 3 course sit down meal with 4 hr open bar. The cake cutting/serving, waiters and linens for the tables are no charge for us. We're planning on around 100-150 ppl given or take...so with tax and gratuidy, we're talking close to $3500.. which isn't too bad if you ask me.. we were expecting that to be our biggest expense and it turns out it is! :purplex:

[Nekochanpurr]

If you are trying to save money and can do it.. Try for earlier in the day! Lunch is usually cheaper. :D

[derricksdoll]

wow...our's is $12.95/plate which includes the tax and gratuity! Everyone gets a salad, rolls, and then just one choice for dinner...that we picked but it's absolutely amazing!! Bar is a separate tab and then our cake was through a different vendor.

But my $12.95 is looking pretty good compared to everyone elses! hahaha

[Nekochanpurr]

Hey, ours is $12.95 too! XD

[MrsDM]

Ours is about $90 on average per person. A little more, little less depending on what meal they chose. That is including the bar and salads, etc.

[fouturemzjohnson]

I found a wonderful venue that is charging 75 pp that includes cocktail hour with 3 different d'ordorves (sp) ......5 course dinner...... table lines of my choice (of course the choice of what they have in stock) chair covers........open bar with all non-acholic speciality drinks 5 choices.......... cake cutting........and they have a lighting man they work with any monograms are extra of course........ with 20% grats........and taxes

[joeyz_gurl]

That is an awesome price for that area... my family owned a restaurant in Central Jersey... it can really be insanely expensive... for us here in Atlanta, GA... the prices we have been quoted for a sitdown dinner are between $50 and 90, depending if we want the reception downtown or closer to where we live...

[burnsgirl001]

yea, luckily i'm in south jersey, which also tends to be a little more rural than central or north jersey, so the prices arent as high, which is a good thing.
its so funny to see what a huge difference the pricing makes depending on where you live across the country! crazy!!!

[smiller]

The restaurant where we will be having our reception is $80 per person, not including tax, tip, or alcohol. The frustrating part is that they do not allow corking if the party is over 15 guests so we will have to purchase the wine at the restaurant whihc tends to get costly. Oh well.

[Amanda&Jason]

Ours here are 11.00pp for 2 entree buffet(anything else around here is scoffed at), salad bar and bread table.

Our area is starting to get more fancy wedding venues. I know some of the new places are around $46 per head. My family is the buffet type of family. How dare I tell them what to eat!!!:lafhard:

I always wanted a sit down dinner. oh well!!!

[FututreMrsRieber]

mine is in th $12 range for food depending if i go buffet or sitdown for 2entrees 2 or 3 sides salad and rolls (sitdown would be their choice for entree salad 2 sides n roll) and then open bar bt 7 50 and 8 depending if i do 4 or 5 hours. This is just an upstairs room at a local bar but its pretty nice and the foods good. My sister and cousin have had their receptions there too.

[Habsfan]

I haven't figured out an average cost per person but this is what our costs are running.

Ceremony/reception site $2000, food $28 per person for just one plated meal, $50 surcharge for bringing in an outside cake, we haven't decided which appetizers to serve but they are pricey, $1.75 per shrimp cocktail? I don't even want to think about the alcohol bill. I'm pretty sure our site fee includes tables, linens, silverware and all that good stuff. I know it includes the cost of a bartender and someone to setup and tear down.

[ChristineLS]

My wedding is upstate NY near canada.

Its $35 per person that includes a 7 course meal that includes lobster as a course, with wait staff includes gratutity and sodas and champagne. They don't really make money that way, its the extra add on's like table linen, utensils, etc etc

I think we're from the same general area (I live in Buffalo, but the wedding is in Syracuse). We're looking at places in the <15 range, but we're not doing lobster :). What a difference upstate makes though - in NYC, where my mother is from, what you are doing would cost more of a fortune.

[EarlyBird]

most places i looked ran from 90-150 pp plus tax grat for food and bar.

I dont know how i stumbled across my WONDERFUL deal :) But i did

Im paying 78 pp for Chicken and Fish (We may add on steak to the list, depends how the budget is working when we get there)
It includes a cocktail hour- which is two pasta stations, 6 butler passed hor'derves and a cheese, veggie and fruit and dips tray
It also includes my choice of 3 colors in floor length linens, my choice of colored napkins. all my china, the reception room and the cocktail hour room.
oh, also includes the chocolate fountain and coffee, tea, open bar for 5 hours, sodas, water, juice and it includes TAX AND GRATUTIES. im only paying an extra 350.00 for the ceremony site and an extra 100 for another bartender

[amunet]

Mine is $40 [+20%gratuity +5%sales tax] per person. Includes: cheese, fruit, butler style Hors D’oeuvres [3], hospitality suite with champange, wedding toast, selection of 3 entrees, salad, potato, rolls, vegetable, and wedding cake. Also included is: coffee, tea, bartender fee, room rental, cake cutting.

This was about the lower to mid range pricing of the places I looked at.

[Danielle9608]

Mine is $40 [+20%gratuity +5%sales tax] per person. Includes: cheese, fruit, butler style Hors D’oeuvres [3], hospitality suite with champange, wedding toast, selection of 3 entrees, salad, potato, rolls, vegetable, and wedding cake. Also included is: coffee, tea, bartender fee, room rental, cake cutting.

This was about the lower to mid range pricing of the places I looked at.

I feel your pain. I got married in Cape Cod

[tortoisegirl]

The buffet dinner alone is $28/person. Plus servers, bartender, tax, gratuity, rentals, and beverages. And this is a "cheap" caterer for our area and pretty simple food. We could have skimped a little more on the selection, but I wanted a few choices since we're not doing any appetizers and have a lot of picky eaters.

[Kay]

I live in the middle~of~nowhere Midwest (seriously) and I couldn't find someone to charge $90 a person if I tried. I've been quoted $7 a person for chocolate-dipped strawberries, bacon-wrapped scallops, etc for appetizers, plus a salad, full meal (with choices like braised beef), and a selection of desserts (cheesecake, etc). It is $7 a person because it is a catering school that would be doing the food and you have to find our own venue with a kitchen (easily done at the local Elks Lodge for free since FH is a member). On the other hand, our local country club (FH's parents are members) will do a full buffet reception for 100 people for $500 ~ which includes waitstaff service (in full black & white uniforms) with unlimited tea and coffee and water and linens, etc. And, the waitstaff at the country club are VERY nice and VERY accommodating. There is ONE local place that is very beautiful and very fancy that may charge all the way up to $25 a person, we haven't checked yet, it could be lots cheaper but their menu ranges from $10 to $20. Basically, I think prices are very relative to the area where you are having the reception.

Besides, I bet ya'll have a Starbucks less than 2 hours away! Lucky Ducks! :tongue:

[EarlyBird]

I live in the middle~of~nowhere Midwest (seriously) and I couldn't find someone to charge $90 a person if I tried. I've been quoted $7 a person for chocolate-dipped strawberries, bacon-wrapped scallops, etc for appetizers, plus a salad, full meal (with choices like braised beef), and a selection of desserts (cheesecake, etc). It is $7 a person because it is a catering school that would be doing the food and you have to find our own venue with a kitchen (easily done at the local Elks Lodge for free since FH is a member). On the other hand, our local country club (FH's parents are members) will do a full buffet reception for 100 people for $500 ~ which includes waitstaff service (in full black & white uniforms) with unlimited tea and coffee and water and linens, etc. And, the waitstaff at the country club are VERY nice and VERY accommodating. There is ONE local place that is very beautiful and very fancy that may charge all the way up to $25 a person, we haven't checked yet, it could be lots cheaper but their menu ranges from $10 to $20. Basically, I think prices are very relative to the area where you are having the reception.

Besides, I bet ya'll have a Starbucks less than 2 hours away! Lucky Ducks! :tongue:


hehe guilty.. ill take my 3 starbucks in my town alone, to your cheap wedding prices :)

[tanya n matt]

hmm i was thinking about $30 per guest for food i could only dream of spending $80 on each guest isnt that like $17000 just on the guest? maybe i got it wrong but hope it all goes well for you

[FutureKelley]

Ours is going to be $22 pp for a dinner buffet (including salad, starch, vegetable, ect). That is not including the alcohol, which we still haven't settled on exactly what we will be doing, but that is charged either pp or by the bottle.

We do have to spend a minimum of $1,500 on food and drinks though, which we are budgeting $2,000 total and with a $5,000 budget... yikes, I don't know how we are going to do it!

[tanya n matt]

do u have a e there where ya can buy wine or champs in bulk at a cheap price im thinking about putting 1 bottle of wine and 1 bottle of champs per table and maybe havingopen beer and wine for 3 hours or so gosh i dunno so much to think of

[EarlyBird]

Ours is going to be $22 pp for a dinner buffet (including salad, starch, vegetable, ect). That is not including the alcohol, which we still haven't settled on exactly what we will be doing, but that is charged either pp or by the bottle.

We do have to spend a minimum of $1,500 on food and drinks though, which we are budgeting $2,000 total and with a $5,000 budget... yikes, I don't know how we are going to do it!


your percentage is about right for the "budget" of food/reception.

[burnsgirl001]

whats the percentage of "food and beverage" supposed to be? just curious...cause i'm thinking between $17,000 and $20,000 for food and beverage, and hopefully no more than $30,000 for the whole kit and kaboodle.
yeah, its outta control how much money we're spending for this event. sheesh.
and its CRAZY how much location affects pricing! insanity.

[Angel1na3]

We are looking at about $21,000. This is based on 150 guests and includes the following:
Cocktail Hour - 3 butler passes horderves (sp?), pasta station, carving station
Reception - salad, bread, entree (choice of 2)
Cake of our choice, chocolate fountain, gourmet coffee bar, linens, chair covers and bows, wedding coordinator, ceremony fees, music for ceremony and cocktail hour, five hour premium open bar, champagne toast, taxes, gratuity etc.

At first I thought that was high, but then after we realized how much we were actually getting and looking into like 5 other places, it was about average and we are getting more at our ceremony and reception venue.

[EarlyBird]

whats the percentage of "food and beverage" supposed to be? just curious...cause i'm thinking between $17,000 and $20,000 for food and beverage, and hopefully no more than $30,000 for the whole kit and kaboodle.
yeah, its outta control how much money we're spending for this event. sheesh.
and its CRAZY how much location affects pricing! insanity.


well they say the reception should take up about 40-60% of your budget.. it is consistant of this stuff

Site fee, if applicable
Catering costs (including tax and tip)
Bar and non-alcoholic drinks, punch, shots, etc.
Wedding cake and sweets
Valet parking, if applicable

[ChristineLS]

do u have a e there where ya can buy wine or champs in bulk at a cheap price im thinking about putting 1 bottle of wine and 1 bottle of champs per table and maybe havingopen beer and wine for 3 hours or so gosh i dunno so much to think of

Do you have any wineries where you live?