Comments on: How Much Should I Plan To Budget For A Wedding Plate.?

By: NBree

NBree — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:50:20 +0000

I believe its $25 per person for a buffet and $35 per person for a sit down dinner. That’s about average.

By: j_trumpp

j_trumpp — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:53:28 +0000

It REALLY depends on what state you are in and which venue you are at. Also if it will be a buffet or a sit down dinner.
At my reception venue (a golf course club house in the SF Bay Area – Northern California) the buffet is $3 a person plus the expense of the different types of food provided.
We are having a sit down dinner and the price is $65 a person for three different options on the menu for the main course.

By: casper4

casper4 — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:18:43 +0000

It completely varies by time of day and time of year, the meal you are serving, and most importantly the area of the country where you are getting married.
In the NYC metro area, prices can range from $60 to $200 and up. $100 per plate seems to be the average for a Saturday night plated dinner reception. Buffets are typically a little lower, Fridays and Sundays are typically a little lower, and brunches and lunches are usually cheaper than dinners. Cocktail receptions (where there are enough hors d’oeuvres and stations to constitute a full meal) are often MORE expensive than a plated dinner. The more liquor you are offering, the higher the PP price usually is … beer and wine only will be less expensive than a full open bar.
Big cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, etc., typically charge a lot more than places in the Midwest and South. Your best bet is to call a few places and get price quotes. You can almost always talk them down or get them to throw in some extra upgrades (chair covers, extra food, etc.).

By: nova_que

nova_que — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:01:19 +0000

It totally depends upon where you live.
Where I’m from, the NY Metro area, average would be around $100 per plate. Where I live & am having my wedding – Central PA -, average would be around $50 per plate. I’ve read posts on here from folks who paid $20 or less per plate where they live.
So you really need to check out your own area to figure out what the norms are. They can vary ALOT from place to place.
Other factors are day of the week (Saturday tends to be most expensive and you can get a discount for other days), time of year (January – dead of winter – tends to be “off” season and can get you a discount), meal being served (lunch or brunch will be less than dinner), sit down vs buffet can sometimes vary the price (at my venue its the same but you get more options with the buffet).