How to read a wedding catering quote, and how much alcohol to buy

What couples paid

From The Knot's Real Weddings Studies. The 2026 study surveyed 10,474 US couples married in 2025; the 2025 study surveyed almost 17,000 married in 2024.

One caution about the $80

The Knot does not say whether its per-person figure includes service charges or tax, and it reports alcohol as a separate line. Other published averages are lower or higher because they measure different things. Treat $80 as a rough national marker, and compare your own quotes by their final totals.

What a quote should itemize

The Knot's list of what a caterer's estimate should show:

• A price for each entree, appetizer, dessert and drink
• Rentals: plates, glassware, flatware, linens, tables and chairs if the caterer supplies them
• Labor, travel, setup and breakdown
• Cake-cutting and other service fees
• Tax

The service charge is not always the tip

This is where two published guides say opposite things. Zola says most quotes include a service charge of 18 to 22% that goes to the company, and that the staff expect a gratuity on top. WeddingWire says a caterer's tip is usually included in the service fee. Both cannot describe your contract. Ask the caterer in writing: does the service charge go to the staff, and is any gratuity expected beyond it?

Buffet or plated: nobody agrees

• WeddingWire: a buffet is usually less expensive, because it needs fewer servers and rentals, though more food.
• Zola, in its cost guide: plated costs the most because of staffing.
• Zola, in its buffet-versus-plated guide: it can go either way, because the caterer has to prepare more food when guests serve themselves.
• None of them cites data. Ask for both prices for your menu and your guest count.
• What couples actually chose, in The Knot's 2026 study: 60% of receptions had a buffet or self-serve stations, and 30% a plated sit-down meal.

Lines that get added later

Zola lists these as common extras. The amounts are Zola's estimates, so use them as questions, not as prices.

• Cake-cutting fee, charged per slice when the cake comes from another baker
• Corkage fee, charged per bottle when you supply the alcohol
• Vendor meals for your photographer, DJ, planner and their assistants
• Overtime for staff if the reception runs long
• Upgraded linens, chargers or glassware
• A tasting fee
• A food and beverage minimum: fall short of it and you still pay it

When the final count is due

Zola says the final headcount is typically due two to four weeks before the wedding, and that about two weeks out is a firm cutoff: after that you pay for guests who do not come. Your caterer's own date is the one that counts. Ask for it early and set your RSVP deadline before it, and include yourselves and your vendors in the number.

Choosing a bar

How couples in The Knot's 2025 study handled it:

Package or consumption

• A per-person package is a fixed price per guest for a set number of hours. You know the cost in advance.
• Consumption billing charges for what is actually poured. It can come out lower with a light-drinking crowd and higher with a thirsty one.
• Either way, ask about a minimum, about the service charge on the bar, and about what happens to unopened bottles.

If you buy the alcohol yourselves

The rule of thumb repeated by both The Knot and Zola is one drink per guest per hour. It is a planning shortcut, not a measurement. The Knot's worked example for 100 guests, a five-hour reception with a champagne toast and average drinkers:

The mix, and a reference point

The guides split on proportions. The Knot suggests half liquor and a quarter each of beer and wine. Zola suggests half wine, 30% liquor and 20% beer. Your guests decide, so ask your bartender or the friends who know the crowd.

For scale: the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines one standard drink as 12 ounces of regular beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of spirits.

Permits and who may pour

Serving alcohol at a private event is governed by state law and by your venue. Three official examples show how much it varies:

• Washington: a banquet permit, $25 per day, covers private invitation-only events such as weddings held in a public place. The alcohol must be free to guests.
• California: hired bartenders may serve at a party, but the host has to buy all the alcohol in advance. The bartender cannot supply it or sell it.
• Pennsylvania: giving alcohol away needs no license, but selling it does, and it must be truly free, not tied to a ticket or a fee.

If relatives are bringing the food

The federal food-safety rules for a buffet are short:

• Never leave perishable food out for more than 2 hours. Above 90°F, 1 hour.
• Keep hot food at 140°F or warmer, and cold food at 40°F or colder.
• Check your warming trays: the FDA notes that some only hold food at 110 to 120°F.
• Swap an empty dish for a full one. Do not add fresh food to a dish that has been sitting out.