Practical UK wedding planning tools & templates
Wedding food can look simple on a per-head quote, but the final bill often includes much more than the meal itself. Here is how to budget for food, drinks, evening catering and the extras that are easy to miss.
There isn't one reliable UK "average price per head" for wedding catering. A formal three-course meal, a buffet, sharing platters and a food truck are completely different products, and some quotes include staff and equipment while others charge for them separately.
For initial budgeting, a useful working range is around £30 to £100+ per guest for the main food. Simpler buffet and informal options can sit towards the lower end, while formal plated meals and premium menus can move considerably higher.
The 2026 Bridebook Wedding Report gives a useful real-world benchmark: couples spent an average of £5,406 on reception catering and £2,002 on evening food. The research is based on around 7,000 UK married and engaged couples.
That is a survey benchmark rather than a quotation you should expect to receive. Your guest numbers, venue, menu and catering arrangement can move your own figure substantially.
Important: these are planning ranges, not a national price list. Always compare the total quotation and what is included rather than choosing a caterer solely because their headline per-head figure looks cheap.
Guest numbers are particularly important because catering is one of the few wedding costs that increases almost every time another person is added to the guest list.
The examples below use simple planning assumptions. They are not claimed to be UK averages; they are there to show how quickly a seemingly small difference in the per-head price affects the total.
Based on £30–£100 per guest for the main food. Smaller weddings can sometimes benefit from bespoke menus, although some caterers have minimum charges.
An £80 difference in the per-head price would mean £6,400 more for the same 80-person guest list. This is why comparing quotes properly matters.
At 100 guests, every £10 change in your catering price is £1,000 across the wedding. Small menu decisions can therefore have a surprisingly large effect.
Larger weddings make the per-head figure particularly important. Check whether your quote is based on day guests only or also includes evening guests.
These examples cover the main food only. Drinks, canapés, evening food, staffing, equipment and venue charges can all increase the final figure.
The catering format can make a bigger difference than many couples initially realise. Think about the type of wedding you want first, then compare prices within that style.
Guests are seated and served individually at the table. This is the traditional wedding breakfast and can work particularly well when you want a structured meal and speeches around it.
The price is influenced by the menu, number of courses, staffing, ingredients and venue. Premium ingredients and more elaborate menus can push the price beyond this planning range.
A buffet can be a practical option for couples who want plenty of choice without formal table service. It can work particularly well at relaxed weddings and venues with flexible layouts.
Don't assume every buffet is cheap. A substantial hot buffet with several premium dishes can cost considerably more than a simple cold buffet.
Large dishes are placed on tables for guests to serve themselves. This sits somewhere between a formal plated meal and a buffet and can create a relaxed, sociable feel.
Ask how portions are calculated and whether additional food is available if a particular dish proves popular.
Pizza, burgers, tacos, fish and chips and other street-food options can work particularly well for relaxed weddings and evening receptions.
Check whether the advertised figure is per guest, per portion or a minimum booking charge. Also confirm travel, staffing, serving equipment and how the supplier handles bad weather if the setup is outdoors.
Afternoon tea can suit a daytime or early afternoon wedding particularly well. Sandwiches, scones, cakes and tea create a lighter reception than a traditional three-course wedding breakfast.
It can be particularly attractive for smaller weddings, although you should consider whether guests will need additional food later in the evening.
Canapés are commonly served during the drinks reception rather than as a complete replacement for a meal. They can work alongside a wedding breakfast or as part of a more informal reception.
Make sure the caterer explains exactly how many pieces or portions are included. A low headline price can mean a much smaller quantity than you expected.
One of the biggest mistakes when comparing caterers is comparing the headline food price rather than the complete cost of feeding your guests.
A £55-per-head quotation is not necessarily cheaper than a £65 quotation if the first supplier charges separately for staff, crockery, linen, travel and equipment.
Your wedding breakfast or main reception food. Check the number of courses, portion sizes and whether tea and coffee are included.
Often served with welcome drinks. Ask how many pieces per guest are included rather than accepting the word "canapés" as a description of quantity.
Pizza, bacon rolls, chips, buffet food and street food are common choices. The cost depends heavily on the format and number of evening guests.
Some caterers include service staff in the per-head price. Others quote staffing separately. Find out exactly who is responsible for serving, clearing tables and managing the food.
Crockery, cutlery, glassware, serving equipment, linen and other hire items may be included or charged separately.
Welcome drinks, wine, toast drinks, table water and bar arrangements should all be identified separately so you can compare like with like.
Your venue choice can determine how much control you have over catering.
Bridebook's 2026 research found that 71% of couples used in-house catering, while 17% used an external caterer they could choose freely and 12% used an external caterer from a venue-approved list.
The same research found average combined venue-and-catering costs of £114.45 per person for in-house catering, £112.50 where couples could freely choose an external caterer and £159 where the venue required couples to select from an approved list. These figures combine venue and catering and therefore should not be treated as standalone catering prices.
This is a useful reminder that "external catering is cheaper" is not always true. The venue's rules, hire charge and approved supplier arrangements can change the calculation completely.
Before booking a venue, ask whether you can choose your own caterer, whether there is a corkage charge, whether the venue charges a kitchen or catering fee and whether external suppliers need to meet specific insurance requirements.
Drinks can turn a reasonable catering quote into a much larger overall food-and-drink bill. There is also much more variation between venues than there is with a simple per-head meal price.
Usually a glass of Prosecco, Champagne, Pimm's, beer or a non-alcoholic alternative. Ask whether guests can choose from more than one option.
Don't compare only the price. Check how many bottles or glasses are included per table or guest and whether additional wine can be purchased during the meal.
Usually a glass of sparkling wine or Champagne for the speeches. Some venues include this within their drinks package.
An open bar means the couple covers guests' drinks. If you are considering one, establish exactly which drinks are covered and for what period.
Guests pay for their own drinks. Whether this is appropriate depends on your expectations and the type of wedding you are planning. Make the arrangement clear in advance if you choose it.
A dry-hire or flexible venue may allow you to supply your own drinks, but check corkage, storage, chilling, glassware, staffing and licensing requirements before assuming this will save money.
When two caterers quote very different prices, it does not automatically mean one is overcharging. Look at what is actually being supplied.
This is the section I wish more couples were given when they start asking for catering prices. Don't simply collect three headline prices and pick the lowest.
Give every caterer the same information: guest numbers, venue, date, meal style, approximate menu and whether you need drinks or evening food. Then compare the resulting quotations line by line.
HMRC's catering VAT guidance confirms that catering supplies can have different VAT treatment from ordinary food bought for consumption at home, so it is worth checking whether a quotation is VAT-inclusive rather than assuming it is.
We're planning our own UK wedding while building Wedding Planning Hub, so catering is something we're dealing with as a couple rather than just writing about from a spreadsheet.
One thing we've found useful is separating the day into distinct food and drink decisions rather than treating "catering" as one enormous number.
That makes the budget much easier to understand. It also makes supplier comparisons easier because we can see exactly which parts of the day each quotation covers.
This is our own planning experience, not a claim that every wedding should be organised the same way. What works for a smaller wedding or a hotel package may be completely different from a dry-hire barn or a large evening reception.
You don't necessarily need to serve cheaper food to reduce the catering bill. Often the biggest savings come from changing the structure of the day.
There is no single national price. As a planning guide, simpler buffet and informal catering can start around £30 per person, while a formal plated meal can be £60–£100 or more. Premium menus can exceed £100 per guest. Drinks and evening food are normally additional.
At £30 per head, the main food would be £2,400. At £60 per head it would be £4,800, while £80 per head would be £6,400. These are simple planning calculations rather than market averages, and drinks, evening food and additional charges would be extra.
It can be, because buffet service can require less front-of-house service, but it isn't guaranteed. Menu choice, food quantities, staffing, equipment and venue requirements all affect the final price.
This varies considerably. A welcome drink, wine with the meal and a toast drink is a very different arrangement from an open bar. Ask for the exact number and type of drinks included rather than relying on a generic "drinks package" description.
Check for staff, crockery, cutlery, glassware, linen, kitchen or equipment hire, travel, VAT, corkage, minimum charges, evening food, drinks and any venue fee for using an external caterer.
Start comparing caterers once your venue and date are confirmed. Around 9–12 months gives you plenty of choice for a popular Saturday, although shorter lead times can work for less popular dates or venues with in-house catering.
Wedding catering prices vary considerably, so this guide deliberately uses planning ranges rather than presenting one figure as the "correct" UK price.
The main national benchmark used here is the Bridebook 2026 UK Wedding Report, based on approximately 7,000 UK married and engaged couples. Bridebook reports average reception catering spend of £5,406 and evening food spend of £2,002.
We have also compared the figures with current 2026 catering guides from other UK wedding sources. Those sources show substantial variation in quoted per-head prices depending on catering style, which is why we have not treated any single supplier or wedding website's advertised price as a national average.
VAT information is based on HMRC's current catering guidance.
Last reviewed: September 2026. Prices are intended for budgeting and comparison rather than as guaranteed quotations. Always obtain a written quote for your own wedding and check what is included.
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