Catering wedding costs: All prices & savings tips for 2025 [Guide]

1. Why you shouldn't underestimate the catering costs at your wedding 💍

When planning a wedding, you first dream of a dress, location or DJ — but often not about the budget. But just the catering costs At most weddings, do the largest single item off. Depending on the menu, type of drink and number of people, the costs vary significantly — from 50 to over 140€ per guest.

An example: A wedding with 80 guests and a classic buffet including a drinks package, service staff, equipment and midnight snack can easily over 8,000 euros costs — just for catering.

That's why it's worth it, already 6-8 months before the wedding to roughly calculate the costs. This provides a financial overview and protects against unpleasant surprises. Especially when you work with a full-service provider such as Egora When working, can you make all the ingredients — from menu to drinks to Entertainment — organize in a well-thought-out package.

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2. What factors influence wedding catering costs?

In order to create a realistic budget plan, you need to understand Which variables influence the price. These are the most important factors:

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A tip: An experienced caterer like Egora Event Catering Proactively advises you what costs how much at your desired location.

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3. Overview: The most common catering concepts & their costs

Depending on the style of the wedding, you can choose between different formats. Here a Comparison with typical prices:

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Note: With a Buffet catering The best prices can usually be achieved — even by combining cold plates and hot main courses.

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4. Sample calculation: wedding with 50 guests

Do you want first numbers? Here is an example of a buffet + service + drinks:

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And if you how many additional pairs Entertainment book, e.g. bartender or photo booth via Party Catering, should you start with approx. 10—20 € per person calculate additionally.

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5. Sample calculation: wedding with 100 guests

At a larger celebration, so-called Economies of scale — fixed costs are better distributed. This is what a realistic setup looks like:

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The buffet can be both classic and modern — Ideas for stress-free dining with lots of guestsYou can find it in this guide.

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6. Drinks: Flat rate or commission — which makes more sense?

Anyone planning their wedding quickly comes up with the question when calculating drinks: Flat rate or billing based on consumption? Both have advantages and disadvantages — and can have a significant impact on the overall budget.

packages offer security: A fixed price of around 20—35 € per person covers the most common soft drinks, wines, beers and maybe a few cocktails. This is often the cheaper choice for long parties or drinking guests. A flat rate is also convenient from an organizational point of view — there are no recalculations and no empties management.

Commission statement In turn, it's worth it if you know that the guests tend to drink moderately. Unopened bottles are taken back, which sounds fair — but can also result in back payments if the estimate is wrong.

It is particularly efficient when you combine both: soft drinks in a flat rate, alcoholic drinks according to consumption. When planning a wedding with Egora, this can be tailored exactly to your guest structure — of course also in combination with the appropriate buffet catering, which is a perfect match for your beverage concept.

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7. Equipment and service: The invisible cost factors

A great menu depends on what happens around it. Who brings the food? Who sets the tables? Where does the cutlery come from? These services are elementary — and cost money.

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Especially when people celebrate at a location without kitchen equipment — e.g. in the garden, at the lake or in a barn — costs rise due to mobile kitchen solutions, electricity connections or cooling technology. Here, egora ensures that everything comes from a single source: From set-up to equipment to experienced service personnel — you don't have to organise anything individually.

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8. Midnight snack: More than just a nice extra

It's small but effective: the midnight snack. When the dance floor glows and the alcohol level rises, everyone is happy to have a little refreshment.

Classics include:

• mini burgers and hot dogs

• coated pretzel sticks

• sweet muffins or brownies

• vegan wraps or falafel skewers

Such snacks usually cost 4—10 € per person, but their effect is priceless. They prolong the atmosphere, retain guests emotionally — and can also shine aesthetically. In combination with a Flying Buffet or designed as a mini food truck, the snack has eye-opening effects. On request, Egora can plan exactly such specials — perfectly tailored to your overall budget.

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9. Entertainment from the caterer — is that even possible?

Catering can do more than fill plates. Many couples underestimate that show elements can also be realized via the caterer. Particularly popular:

• Live cooking with flame beer station

• Sushi rolls as a show

• mobile coffee and cocktail bars

• Barista or gin tasting experiences

• Photo boxes or candy bars as an add-on

These offers start at around 300€, but can be integrated more cheaply by combining them with catering packages. Egora helps you connect these options with a provider — without any external coordination. This is how you get food, atmosphere and experience from a single source.

A smart way to combine culinary standards with an event character — and to impress guests in the long term. You can find more inspiration in the article about easy food for many guests.

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10. Systematic saving: How to keep the budget effective

Even with a limited budget, you can organize great wedding catering — if you're strategic:

• tarpaulin seasonal & regional — Strawberries in June cost less than imported berries in winter.

• Reduce the A variety of drinks — the fewer open bottles, the less loss.

• Avoid unnecessary gears — better 2 good ones than 5 overloaded ones.

• Buffet instead of menu saves service costs and avoids leftovers.

• Combination offers Use: Egora bundles food, drinks and furniture in one package — cheaper and easier.

You can find even more clever tricks in the Wedding planning checklist — it helps you not to forget anything and to keep track of your finances.

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‍11. Budget traps: You should plan for these extras well in advance

Wedding catering is not just a menu and drinks. If you want to personalize your big day, you often want special features such as dessert stations, special menu requests or a Entertainment program. These extras can have a massive impact on costs.

Popular — but budget-relevant — include:

• Special menus for people with allergies or vegan guests: There are often additional costs of 5-10 € per person. Suitable offers can be made, for example, as part of a Buffet catering integrate flexibly.

• Dessert experiences Like a mobile crepe station or a candy table, starting at a lump sum of 300-600 €.

• Mobile coffee or cocktail bars As well as food trucks cost between 400 and 900€, depending on technology and personnel.

• Entertainment add-ons Such as a photo booth or DJ are also among the popular extras. With egora, you can enjoy many of these services together with Party catering Book — everything is coordinated centrally.

With a well-organized provider like egora, you can integrate many of these special requests directly into the catering package — often cheaper than organising everything separately.

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12. Systematic quality: When premium pays off

Not every wedding needs lobster, but quality should be visible and tasty. Especially when it comes to meals for many guests, the “how” determines success. Catering in Berlin that uses regional, seasonal ingredients, for example, not only offers better taste, but also lower transport costs.

If you prefer buffet rather than menu for how many couples, you can choose from numerous concepts at egora — including many with live stations. This not only ensures fresh preparation on site, but also brings experience value.

For example, who is looking for simple solutions for many guests is, finds an inexpensive and at the same time elegant option in buffet or flying food style. Important: no compromises when it comes to hygiene, quality or reliability — especially at wedding parties.

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13. Book early, save smartly: Discounts & Timing

Planning is everything — especially when it comes to saving money. Anyone who obtains offers early has access to early bird bonuses from many caterers. Egora also regularly offers packages with discounts if you book 6-8 months in advance.

In addition, anyone who gets married in the off-season (November to March) often benefits from up to 20% lower prices — with the same service. And: A Monday, Wednesday or Thursday is not only more relaxed when it comes to locations — caterers also often offer reduced package prices.

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With the egora portal, such options can be compared in just a few clicks — including offers for Event catering or suitable additional packages for your wedding.

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14. Transparency in the contract: What you need to pay attention to

Professional catering requires a professional contract — and this should clearly regulate the following points:

• Number of guests & changes: Is late registration possible? Until when?

• Prices & additional costs: Which services are included? What are the costs of assembly and dismantling, transport, equipment, service?

• Cancellation & cancellation policies: How flexible are you when it comes to last-minute changes?

• Insurance & liability: Who is liable for damage or failures?

• Payment schedule & deadlines: What is to be paid when?

egora attaches great importance to transparent communication. In every offer, you will find detailed cost breakdowns — from fork to show chef.

You can also find out more about how to professionally check catering offers in our Wedding planning checklist, which guides you through all important points.

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15. The last check before signing the contract

In the end, it's about keeping an eye on everything. With this table, you have a solid basis for the final coordination with location, caterers and partners:

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If you can check everything off, your wedding catering is almost ready to go. Coordinating is particularly easy when you book directly via Egora — whether classic, trendy or extravagant.

On the platform, you can not only discover classic wedding menus, but also unusual variants such as Brunch catering for weddings or exclusive flying buffet concepts.

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