$150 per person for catering?

[macman's girl]

Hello :chimp:

I just started looking up some info for my wedding, which is probably going to be early next year. (we don't have a set date yet..)

My wedding will be very small -- probably not more than 50 ppl-- and so, i want it to be a little bit fancy and classy, but of course not too expensive.

I contacted one of the top rated hotels and venue rental wasn't actually as bad as I'd thought, so i may seriously consider this place. But they say $150 per person for catering.

Is that way too expensive? Are they totally ripping off just because they are an expensive hotel? Or is this something considerable? I am trying to figure out how much the "proper" budget should be for a "small and fancy but not too overly expensive" wedding :huh: I absolutely have no idea about anything.. please HELP ME!

[macman's girl]

just realized there was an option to choose what this posting would be about. it is certainly not about "wall flower..." sorry! i am a newbie... a very clumsy one.

[Layleks]

It looks like I'm still at the same stage as you. I found a place that does catering for $115 per person and though it was kinda pricey. However, my dad said, "that's nothing" and considered it a good deal. Maybe it varies person to person and what's being served. A five course lobster dinner is probably more than a mushroom ravioli I found at another caterer. I have no idea what the average price would be though.

[rockchalkchick]

I think it depends on what kind of wedding/dinner you're looking for, what area you're in, and what's reasonable to you.

I'm in semi-rural midwest, so my catering options were fairly limited, and my budget is pretty darn modest ($5000 for 200ish people).

In this area, even the highest-end catering (hotel ballroom, 4-5 course plated dinner, etc) will still only run you $60-75 a head (unless you're going for something ultra-custom, etc - some want to boast they have a $140/plate dinner and such). More modest catering can run as low as $10-12/head - my best offer for catering was a 4-station "served" buffet, sliced beef and pork loin, herbed chicken, and veggie alfredo stuffed shells, plus 3 hot veggies, potatoes, and bread options for $13/head; $15/head with real plates/silver.

So, short answer - yes, $150/head seems a little steep to me, given my location and budget. With that said, I'm fully aware that in even the most modest city location things get pricy quickly. As far as the "proper" budget for any wedding - it depends on what you can afford and what you feel is reasonable. If you want and can safely afford to spend $50K on a wedding, then that's a reasonable budget; if you would be going $45K in debt to have a $50K "dream wedding" you might want to reassess what's important/necessary.

There are a lot of guidelines for appropriate spending - the food/reception is definitely one of the biggest expenses of the day. I would shop around and see what's normal for your area - find out what your options are. Weigh the locations and catering options against the cost, and decide where your breaking point is. All that really matters is what's reasonable and appropriate for the two of you, your tastes, and the financial means of yourselves and anyone else who is pitching in.

[wannabeNurse2]

What does the $150 per head include? If that includes open bar, appetizers, and dinner I say go for it! Just to be sure I'd keep calling around to compare prices of other places. Keep a notebook of what each venue is charging, what that price includes, how you can decorate (some places say no confetti or candles), and how many people the venue comfortably seats.

[NOTKT]

Yea, I think that $150 is a bit too expensive but it is going to depend on your location and how "fancy" you want your reception. You may be able to get the same service and food at a better price, with some digging.

[WebLady]

Wow, $150 pp sounds pretty steep unless it a sit down dinner; or I guess maybe a really nice buffet or something special!

just realized there was an option to choose what this posting would be about. it is certainly not about "wall flower..." sorry! i am a newbie... a very clumsy one.The "wall flower" thing is your member rank title ... it changes in steps as you post more ;) At some point you will be able to change it to a custom one if you want :)

[mitch]

Wow IMO that seems a bit steep. :bbeek:

Find out what You get for $150 and ask Yourself one question.

Would You go out to a restaurant and pay $150 each for the same meal?

[girlggc]

I think $150 per person is rather high. Personally, I'm only paying about $50 per person. But bear in mind, that does not include alcohol.

[f77g4]

Yes, definately find out what is included in the $150/pp as well as call around and price comparison shop.

To me - that sounds completely outrageous but then again I'm from a small town in Canada and my meal is only $13.95/pp. Now mind you that is just a 3 course dinner with tea & coffee. Alcohol will be a cash bar simply because that is the norm around here and definately not in our budget.

But depending on your area and what all was included that could be completely normal.

[burnsgirl001]

hi! I am having my wedding catered at a banquet facility and am in south Jersey. we are spending $80-$90 per guest. this includes an hour cocktail hour, and five hour reception (we are spending a couple hundred extra to add make it 6 hour reception). it includes colored linens of our choice, sit-down dinner with choice of entrees--crab cakes, filet, or chicken dish, bakery spread for dessert, the wedding cake, the service staff, and our maitre de. our place requires that we spend a minimum of $15,000 on food and beverage plus 20% gratuity and 7% sales tax. it also includes premium open bar all night. we are expecting approximately 200 guests.
to answer your original question, like the other ladies said, it really depends the area youre getting married in and what is normal for the area. it also depends how much you're willing to spend on the whole wedding. definitely check around to see if you're getting the most for your money.
the best of luck to you!

[SkippyNXC]

Where i'm getting married in lower NYS, the venue i'm interested in gives me the exact same package as burnsgirl is getting for a 4 hr reception + cocktail hour (w/o the minimum on food n beverages tho) for about 65/pp. tho i have the option of upgrading certain things if i choose... this will be decided based on how many we end up inviting... its looking like it may be around 125

[VickiLynn84]

I think it depends on the area you live in.

I could never afford that. I am paying 18 dollars a person plus more for appetizers.
whats included in my 18/person

Roasted Chicken
Roast Sirloin
Ham w/ Pineapple
Pasta with Meat Sauce
Scalloped Potatoes
Parsley Potatoes
Green Beans Almondine
Tossed Salad

I pay extra for the appetizers.

Then again mine is just at a VFW, but the food is really good.

I guess I should add mine includes the napkins/linens, centerpeices, some decorations. I do have to pay seperate for my cake, dj etc.

[EarlyBird]

Here in South florida 100-150 a person is the norm, esp at a hotel. However, i know that in other places, it seems crazy. My friend got married in colo and she said how crazy that was, but yet my cousin got married in NY and hers ran her 210 a person. It really depends on the price range around there. Honestly, You need to check at least 5 places to know what the price range is. Like i said mine was 100-150 for the norm but i lucked out and found a gorgeous country club that was 78 a person out the door including open bar, rental, tax and grat.

[RosieAngel]

Remember that if you have a nice venue with just a few people, there will be food and beverage minimums to meet that will hike up the per person cost. This happened to us, since we reserved a room in our venue that could fit 50 people, but we only had 30 in all. In order to meet our minimums, we ended up getting way too much food, part of which we brought home to serve for brunch the next morning.

Mine ended up being around $150 per person, and it included TONS of appetizers during cocktail hour, a huge buffet with three meats (Australian lamb chops, mahi mahi, and gorgonzola-crusted prime rib), three salads, many fabulous side dishes, imported cheese and organic fruits; a dainty dessert course with exquisite little French pastries; and a top-shelf open bar.

[lilmsjess]

unless any of you make over 200k a year, i'm gonna hunt you down for $150/head!!!!!

the ONLY way i'd pay that price, is if i had a bridal suite for the weekend, OPEN BAR, 5 course dinner, ceremony AND PLANNER(and not one who worked by emails!), fully catered rehearsal dinner, as well as breakfast and such for my guests who'd be residing for the weekend, or helpers who needed food!!!!!

that's $7500!!!!! okay maybe i'm more realistic, but that's a house downpayment that's twice what i owe on my 1998 camry(meaning i can pay it off, and buy a new one!).....we have 3 kids total, so that's vacations etc.....but, again, that's just me :bbeek:

[Bruce Stenman]

I photographed a wedding at the Lodge in Pebble Beach which is about as nice as it gets. The couple saved a lot of money by using the restaurant menu and ended up with a cost per head that was under $40 for the food. Naturally the wine and champagne added to the total cost as did the room charge. Hotels are in business to make as much money as possible and I can see where a $150 per head catering charge is a great way to do just that.

Better to break out the different charges for the room, corkage, etc. and then see what you do or do not need. Buffet style saves money and can also make it less crowed in the room than when you have 20 servers dashing about and meanwhile you and your hubby would like to go around the reception and talk with people.

[Jenkel]

I would say that is a bit much. But like all the other members have said, it depends on where your located, how formal you want it, what is included in the price, and so on.
I would check out a few more places to do some comparisons.

Take my wedding for example:
I am from the midwest and plan on a semi formal wedding with approx. 175 guests and we are paying about $16.00 a head for the Ceremony/a Family Style Dinner and drinks for 2 hours. So I guess it depends where you live.

But I say this is YOUR wedding and if you have the budget for $150 a person and want to spend it then go for it! They are your memories and every woman deserves the wedding of their dreams!!

Good luck, and welcome to OW!:goodluck: