Awkward poll: price per plate

SewInLoveWithDMB · April 2013

You don't have to answer if you don't want, and I'm doing a poll so it is anonymous. I'm hoping since we are all over the country, there will be very different answers, but we won't know until we see the results!

Include tax and tip. In NJ, these prices also (generally) include open bar - so this "per person" format may not be "standard" to everyone else, but it's worth a shot...

And, go! (Thank you - hoping for some interesting results!)

formerlyCooper · April 2013

FI and I are spending about 67 per plate including gratuity [Oregon doesn't have a sales tax]. Our reception is a cocktail hour with hor d'oeuvres, a full lunch, dessert, non alcoholic beverages, and beer and wine.

Stina51286 · April 2013

Im open to share my prices.

I live more towards Green Bay, WI. Our hall is charging us $20 a person for a family style dinner, one meat. This includes unlimited beer/soda starting an hour before dinner, cutting off at dinner, then after dinner until 12:30 a.m., champagne fountain an hour before dinner, hors o'doeuvress an hour before dinner, champagne/wine for the head table and up to four family tables during dinner.

I will most likely be adding another meat which will be another $1 per person. Tip is 18% tax is 5%.

They are also adding vegetarian and gluten free options for the same price. Kids under 7 are $9.99 a person.

SimplyME22 · April 2013

Our venue has three caterers to choose from, we only went to a tasting with one of them and they are amazing! Our caterer works out to be about $30 per person- we're doing a buffet with beef, chicken, and stuffed shells. Fiancee is obsessed with mac n cheese, so they are doing a gourmet one, plus seasonal roasted veggies and potatoes. We also have an apple gorgonzola plated salad. We added on tomato soup shooters with grilled cheese bites to their standard appetizer package of charcuterie plate, fresh veggies/fruit, and spinach dip with pumpernickle.

Gratuity is 18% and tax in 7%, but kids to a certain age are free, then 1/2 price for the next age range.

The venue also charges a fee per person for the use of their soda system- $3.50/pp but it's BYOB. We're planning on just beer and wine as we're not big drinkers.

By the time its all said and done we're probably going to be between 40-45$ per person or so.

aimkin · April 2013

I think we were able to get a pretty good price for our area. For up to 125 guests its $50/person and from 126 and up its $30/person. Kids 12 and under are also cheaper. We'll be right around 150, so we'll have about 25 people at the lower rate. Our price includes a 5 1/2 hour open bar, passed hor d'ourves for cocktail hour, soup/salad, the entree, a second meat dish and a pasta dish served family style, dessert, a sweets table, and the cake. That also includes upgraded chairs and full uplighting. They are also provding the base for our centerpieces.

Tax around here is crazy 11.25%!! And 18% gratuity.

09McSteph03 · April 2013

I will share too -

Were right at $112 a person right now and that figure includes all food, beverage and gratuity. I did not include tax into that figure.

We are having apps during cocktail hour, then a buffet dinner that includes a beef carving and a chicken option along with sides). Our bar is open for 2 hours and then is being paid based on guest consumption for the last 2 hours. The figure I listed includes the chef fees. The open bar is a known cost. The consumption portion was estimated at 2 alcoholic beverages per person, per hour.

What I did not include in that fee is the site rental, prep and clean up fees which total about $17 a person but most of them are flat fees that wont change when our number does.

I think the cost will drastically reduce once we know the true head count and once the bar bill is in. 2 drinks per hour per guest is an estimated 440 drinks in two hours and that seems extremely high to me. For the record - the bar proposal is higher than the food proposal at this point. We wont sign the final commitment until 10 days before the wedding and then I will have a firm cost.

shannyb41 · April 2013

We're paying $140pp but that includes open bar, gratutity, tax, everything. Our venue even covers the cake. So it sounds like a lot (it did for me) but it's not terrible because it includes so much.

thejucheidea · April 2013

My mom is catering, and because she's a caterer, she's getting everything at wholesale, so we have a very low price per plate.

millersox2184 · April 2013

The package we chose through our venue is $69 a person which includes passed hors d'oeuvres, appetizer, salad, two entree choices, our cake, open bar for cocktail hour and champagne toast. This package also included our site rental fees and the fee to have our ceremony on the grounds. It was definitely the best option for us with all that it included. I know it is a big faux pas, but we are only have open bar for cocktail hour. We can't afford to have it all night and honestly, I have been to several weddings and I think 2 out of 15 have been open bar. In the area I live, I feel like it is pretty common to have a cash bar.

crazypuglady · April 2013

The dinner for our venue includes a cocktail hour of 3 buttlered h'odervres, two stationary, and a cheese/crackers display, a dinner consisting of a salad, a choice of entree (from two options.. or veggetarian/kids meal option) with two sides, and a chocolate fountian display. (our wedding cake is a seperate cost) The cost of this is about $65pp.. that being said- we sprung for the open bar- which includes seperate bartender fees, and an additional fee for the extra hour we bought. This brought our total to about $87pp. We guranteed our venue 100 guests.. but I'm hoping we don't go over 150.

KJiras · April 2013

I don't mind sharing. We're paying $125 pp. That includes full top shelf open bar, cocktail hour with 8 passed, 2 (or 3? I forget) stationary hordeurves, three course plated dinner, and wedding cake. Also includes tax, gratuity, site rentals - would have included ceremony but we're doing that elsewhere.

Awkward poll: price per plate

Re: Awkward poll: price per plate

Choose Another Board

Search Boards