What Does One Wedding Guest Cost? How to Calculate Per Person
The venue's quote states a menu price per person. But that is only part of what a guest costs. Anyone who calculates honestly quickly sees why the guest list is the biggest lever in the budget.
What comes up per head
- Food, often with starter, main course, dessert and a midnight snack
- Drinks or a drinks package
- Drinks reception and coffee with cake
- A share of the wedding cake
- Chair, table linens, dishes, if rented
- A share of decor and flowers per table
- Invitation, postage, place card, menu card
- Favor
A sample calculation
Menu €60, drinks package €45, drinks reception €8, cake and coffee €8, wedding cake €6, midnight snack €7, chair and linens €6, decor share €8, stationery €5, favor €3. That makes around €156 per person. With 80 guests that is over 12,000 euros, for the guests alone.
Ten fewer guests save around €1,500 in this example. That is more than many couples spend on flowers or stationery in total.
Fixed costs don't go away
The photographer, DJ, attire, rings and hall rental cost the same whether 50 or 100 guests come. That is why the total costs do not fall proportionally when you cut. But the per-head share is so large that every decision makes a noticeable difference.
Say the fixed costs are 10,000 euros. With 80 guests at 156 euros each, the wedding costs just under 22,500 euros, or around 280 euros per guest. With 60 guests it is about 19,400 euros, but over 320 euros per guest. The smaller wedding is cheaper overall, but each individual guest becomes more expensive because the fixed costs are spread over fewer heads.
Both numbers have their purpose. The variable 156 euros tell you what one guest more or less costs. The 280 euros tell you what the whole celebration costs per person. If you want to trim the list, you need the first number.
How to calculate for your own wedding
- Take the quotes from the venue and caterer and write out all prices that apply per person.
- Add the items that are not in the quote but come up per head: stationery, postage, favor, chairs.
- Estimate decor and flowers per table and divide by the seats at the table.
- Add everything up. That is your amount per guest.
- Multiply by the number of acceptances, not invitations. Calculate children and vendors separately.
In the FloraWed budget planner, the budget is linked to the guest list. Every acceptance or decline changes the total immediately, so you don't have to recalculate after every reply.
Children and vendors
Children usually cost less at the caterer, often half. Also plan for vendors who eat with you: the photographer, DJ, the officiant if they stay. That is often required in the vendors' contracts.
Some venues have a minimum spend. If you have fewer guests, you still pay the minimum sum. Ask about it before you trim the list.
A normal menu price is hard to name, by the way, as it depends heavily on region and venue. Request several quotes and compare what is included in each. How to put quotes on a common basis is in the article Comparing venue quotes, and ideas for saving per guest are in the article Celebrating your wedding on a budget.
Cost per guest, live
Link the budget to the guest list and see what each acceptance costs.