Everyone always asks…. how much a wedding caterer costs?
Congratulations, you’ve finally decided to tie the knot and now it’s the exciting job of organising your special day. There are many factors you need to consider when planning a wedding. How much does a wedding caterer cost? What quality of food do you want served? Do you want a sit down 3 course meal or a standing mingling wedding? Where do I have my reception? Do you hire a wedding planner? Is there enough space at the reception to have both my guests and the type of food service I want? Is there enough space for the quality of food I want to be
prepared by the wedding caterers?
These are all very important questions which will vary how much a caterer costs. Catering usually will cost you a between $50 – $150 per head, depending on the type of food you select and/or having a bespoke menu created for your wedding.
Below we have given our guidelines so you can get the most out of your wedding catering.
Step 1 – Get a budget!
Our starting point for you will be deciding your budget for the wedding caterers and the venue. Find out how many people you have coming to the wedding and plan from there. As we are a bespoke company, we work to the budget that you set. A creative and innovative menu can be worked into any budget. You just have to be realistic. Wanting lobster on a corn budget will just leave you disappointed.
Step 2 – Find a Venue
Selecting your venue will be the next step. You need to know that the capacity of the venue can hold your numbers along with the wedding caterers. A lot of venues will only allow you to use their in-house caterers, so make sure when you are looking into venues, you ask the manager what their policy is on catering and if you can use outside catering services. The majority of venues will charge you a set price per head which will include the venue hire plus a minimum amount spent on the bar.
Step 3 – How do you want to serve your guests?
At a hired venue with internal catering, most of the venues will offer you either canapes or 3 course meals. Here your looking at spending around $125 – $170 per head and this will include a 3 course meal, staff, venue hire & alcohol for around 4-5 hours. Some venues will charge you a flat rate just to hire the venue + food & alcohol.
Over the last year we have noticed a lot of couples want their wedding to be something different. Rustic, Unique & Memorable. Shared Affair’s catering style have done just this. A signature antipasto tower spanning 8m – 15m long, that allows guests to freely walk up and select from a delicious, fresh range of delicacies is always a great centerpiece and adds some wow factor. The towers include fresh seafood, a gourmet selection of cured meats, a range of international cheeses and house marinated vegetables and olives. Pare this with a Grand Pan, Shared Menu or spit roasts of slow cooked meats with creative seasonal salads and you have yourself a truly unique dining experience. Gone are the days of choosing between the dry chicken or the tough beef.
Along with the above options, some clients have opted for live food stations in which a selection of tents or areas are setup and guests are able to test and sample the various choices.
Final Steps
Get out there and enjoy your wedding day and don’t stress, the day will be fantastic and you won’t care by the time the day kicks off how much the wedding caterer costs.
