Wedding Catering Calculator

How to Use This Calculator

1. Enter your day and evening guest numbers. Day guests attend the ceremony, canapés, and wedding breakfast. Evening guests join for the reception only.
2. Select your meal stages. Tick which stages you're having — canapés, wedding breakfast, evening buffet, or any combination.
3. Adjust the options for each stage. Set reception duration for canapés, course count for the wedding breakfast, and buffet style for the evening. Each option affects the quantities shown.
4. See your quantities. Toggle on "Show estimated costs" to see approximate pricing alongside your quantities.

UK Wedding Catering: What's Typically Included

A typical UK wedding has three distinct meal stages. Not all weddings include every stage — it depends on your venue, budget, and timing.

Canapés — the drinks reception

Served during the drinks reception immediately after the ceremony, while the couple and wedding party have photographs taken. Guests typically spend 1–1.5 hours here before being called through for the wedding breakfast. Canapés are passed around by staff or placed on stations — bite-sized, easy to eat standing up.

Wedding breakfast — the sit-down meal

The main event. Despite the name, a wedding breakfast has nothing to do with breakfast food — it's simply the first meal shared as a married couple. The term dates back to a tradition of fasting before the ceremony. A 3-course wedding breakfast (starter, main, dessert) is most common in the UK. Budget weddings sometimes opt for 2 courses; others add a cheese course or sorbet palate cleanser for 4 courses.

Evening buffet — the reception

Typically served 2–3 hours after the wedding breakfast, the evening buffet is for all guests — including evening-only arrivals who haven't eaten a full meal yet. This is important: evening guests are relying on the buffet as their main meal, not a light snack. Plan quantities accordingly.

How Many Canapés Per Person?

The rule of thumb from UK caterers: 3–4 canapés per person for a 45–60 minute drinks reception before a wedding breakfast. 5–6 per person for a longer 1.5–2 hour reception. If canapés are replacing the main meal entirely, plan for 8–10+ per person.

For variety balance, aim for roughly 4:1 savoury to sweet. Always include at least one vegetarian option and one vegan-friendly option in your selection — at least 1 in 4 varieties should be vegetarian.

The number of varieties doesn't change your total quantity, but it affects how many of each type to order. With 400 canapés across 4 varieties, you'd order roughly 100 of each — but always order slightly more of your most popular choices and fewer of anything unusual.

Canapé quantities by guest count

Pre-dinner quantities before a sit-down wedding breakfast.

Wedding Breakfast: Portion Planning

For the wedding breakfast, your caterer handles the exact portion quantities — they know how much beef tenderloin to order per cover. What you need to confirm with them:

• Total covers: your day guest count. Every day guest gets a full place setting.
• Number of courses: 2, 3, or 4. The most common UK choice is 3 courses.
• Dietary requirements: typically 10–15% of guests. Collect these on your RSVP cards.
• Bread rolls: allow 1.5–2 rolls per person if serving bread before or with the meal.
• Service style: plated/served (most formal), family style with sharing dishes, or buffet style.

For family style or sharing service, your caterer will advise on the number of sharing dishes per table — typically 2–3 dishes per table of 8–10 guests, placed in the centre for guests to serve themselves.

Evening Buffet Quantities

The evening buffet feeds everyone — your day guests who've already had a full meal, and your evening-only guests for whom the buffet is their main meal. Not everyone eats, particularly those who had a large wedding breakfast. UK caterers typically plan for 85–90% uptake.

Portion guide per person

• Hot buffet protein (meat, fish, or vegetarian main): 150–200g per person
• Cold buffet protein: 100–150g per person
• Carbs/sides (rice, pasta, potatoes): 100–150g per person
• Salad: 80–100g per person
• Bread rolls: 1–2 per person

Weights are after cooking. Raw weights will be higher, especially for meat — typically 20–30% higher for red meat, 10–15% higher for chicken.

Evening buffet quantities by guest count

Based on 175g protein, 125g carbs/sides, and 90g salad per person at 85% uptake.

How Much Does Wedding Catering Cost in the UK?

UK wedding catering costs vary enormously depending on menu choices, venue type, and service style. These figures reflect mid-range options for 2026:

• Canapés: £5–15 per person (typically £8–10 for 4–5 pieces pre-dinner)
• Wedding breakfast: £30–55 per head for a mid-range 3-course meal (food only, not including venue hire). Premium venues or fine-dining caterers charge £75–150+ per head.
• Evening buffet: £15–25 per person for hot food; £12–20 for cold

In total, food for an 80-guest wedding typically costs £4,000–7,000 depending on your choices. Many venues include catering in their per-head price — always check whether you're comparing like-for-like when getting quotes.

Use the cost estimate toggle in the calculator above to get a rough estimate based on your specific choices. Enter your caterer's quoted prices to see a more accurate total.

Tips for Wedding Catering in the UK

• Book a tasting session. Most caterers include a free tasting for the couple — take advantage of it. Don't book based on a sample menu alone.
• Collect dietary requirements on your RSVPs. Don't wait until the week before. Your caterer needs this information at least 4–6 weeks in advance.
• Keep the evening buffet simple. Your guests have already had a full meal. An elaborate evening spread is rarely appreciated — focus on comfort food that works at room temperature.
• Ask about kitchen hire fees. If you're bringing an external caterer to a dry-hire venue, check whether the venue charges a kitchen hire fee. These can add £500–2,000 to your catering bill.
• Order 5–10% extra on the evening buffet. It's better to have leftovers than to run out. Many caterers have minimum order quantities anyway.
• Think about flow and timing. A buffet for 120 guests needs multiple serving points to avoid queues. Ask your caterer how they'll handle this before you book.

Wedding Catering FAQs