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Wedding catering costs on average around €138 per guest. The price usually falls between €105 and €173 per person. What moves the figure most is the type of menu and the services included in the price. If you are looking for the full wedding banquet, the average rises to €151 per person. There, prices start at €94 and go up to €207. The time of year and the extras also count.
What does the price per guest include?
Why is there such a difference? Because what you pay per guest is not just the food. It also covers the service, the set-up and everything that goes around the plate. Top-quality meat and gourmet produce push up the bill, and you can taste the difference at the table.
Types of wedding menu
There are several types of menu. The best known is the classic one: everyone seated, with several courses served at the table. Other couples prefer something more informal. One couple chose a meat barbecue and a seafood and fish one, and their guests were delighted. Some caterers cook at the wedding venue itself. Real Balneario, for example, takes its mobile kitchen to the place of the celebration. There is also signature cuisine. Pedro Martino Catering works with a chef who holds a Michelin star.
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Adapted and vegan menus
Adapted menus are no longer unusual. A good wedding menu adjusts to what each guest can or cannot eat: allergies, intolerances or special diets. Some banquet venues offer a vegan wedding menu. Among them are Palacio de Valdesoto, Restaurante El Duque, Finca Marqués de la Moral, Palacio de Agüera and Castillo de San Cucao.
The cake and the desserts
Don't forget the cake and the desserts. Not every caterer makes them. When they do, the final price reflects it.
Starting prices and guest numbers
Starting prices vary a great deal. Some caterers have menus from €50 per guest. Others start at €85 or €100. And some start at €198 or €225. Look at the number of guests each offer covers, too. The €50 one works with weddings of 30 to 250 people. The €225 one, with weddings of 120 to 450. A ‘from’ rate is the lowest possible price, not what you will end up paying.
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Their own space and several weddings in one day
There are two more figures that can help you choose. 75% of wedding caterers have their own space for the banquet. If you already have a venue, ask whether they can come to you there. On top of that, 38% can do more than one wedding on the same day. Do you want them focused on yours alone? Ask from the very start.
How to ask for quotes
So what now? Draw up a rough guest list. It doesn't have to be the final one. Then think about the style of food you fancy: a seated menu, something more informal or signature cuisine. With that, ask two or three caterers for a quote. Give them all the same number of guests so you can compare properly. Ask what each price includes: the service, the cake, the desserts and special menus for anyone who needs them. If you have vegan guests or guests with allergies, say so in your first email. That way you will be comparing similar menus and won't get any surprises on the final bill.
Links
Information checked on: bodas.net, bodas.net.
More information, not yet independently confirmed: laboralcentrodearte.org.
