Average Cost of Wedding Catering: What a Miami Quote Adds Up To
The average cost of wedding catering in the US is about $80 per guest, according to The Knot, while two Miami sources quote $80 to $200 per guest. When a quote lists the menu price on its own, an 18% service charge and 7% Miami-Dade tax add about 26%, so a $100 menu for 100 guests comes to about $12,626.
This guide is for couples and parents planning a Miami or South Florida wedding who want to know what the final catering invoice will say. It starts with the national averages, adds the Miami ranges, the service charge and the tax, and ends with the questions to settle in writing before you sign.
Figures were checked in October 2026, and The Knot's per-guest data covers weddings held in 2024. The Miami figures come from a staffing agency blog, a venue guide and a food truck association, so treat them as planning ranges and confirm them with written quotes.
What is the average cost of wedding catering in the US?
The Knot puts the US average at about $80 per guest, or $8,000 for 100 guests, while the Zola Wedding Cost Index puts the average total catering bill at $6,927.
The two figures measure different things. The Knot's 2025 Real Weddings Study reports a price per guest, and Zola reports what a couple pays in total, so the numbers should not be compared line by line. Inside The Knot's data, regional averages run from about $62 to $123 per guest. Midwest weddings had the lowest prices and Mid-Atlantic weddings the highest.
Zola adds that most couples spend between $5,500 and $8,300 on catering nationwide. That band is wide, so your own guest count and menu will decide where you land.
The Knot's per-guest average was $70 in 2019 and $75 in both 2021 and 2022, then peaked at $85 in 2023 and was $80 in 2024. The yearly moves are small next to the gap between regions.
What is the average cost of wedding catering in Miami?
The two Miami sources below quote ranges and do not publish a surveyed average. One puts a catered meal at $100 to $200 per guest, and the other puts a plated dinner with appetizers at $80 to $150. Both start at or above the $80 US figure.
The first source is a 2025 blog post from an event staffing agency about wedding costs in Miami. It says couples in Miami can expect these amounts for a catered meal, depending on service style and menu. The second is a Miami-Dade wedding venue's 2026 cost guide, which puts its plated range at $8,000 to $15,000 for 100 people. Below they are called the staffing blog and the venue guide.
The two ranges overlap and describe different things. The staffing blog covers a catered meal in any service style, and the venue guide covers a plated dinner with appetizers. For planning, treat $80 to $200 as a typical span. One Miami caterer publishes a package at $72.99 per guest before the service charge, staff and tax, so quotes below $80 exist too, and written quotes will narrow the span down.
How much do the service charge and tax add to a wedding catering quote?
MIAFTA, the Miami Food Truck Association, lists a service charge of 18% to 25% of the food and beverage total for Miami caterers, and Florida sales tax is added on top. At 18% plus 7% tax, each $1 on the menu becomes about $1.26, and at 22% about $1.31.
MIAFTA's 2026 cost page calls the charge an operational fee for the caterer and says it is not a staff gratuity, the tip that goes to the crew. One Miami wedding caterer publishes packages at $72.99 and $109.99 per guest for 4 hours, plus a 22% service charge, staff, tax and delivery. A quote built like that shows the menu price first and adds the rest below it.
Here is the math on a $100 menu. Add an 18% service charge to get $118, then 7% tax on that total, and the bill is about $126.26 per guest. With a 22% charge the multiplier is 1.3054 (1.22 times 1.07).
Every example here uses the 7% Miami-Dade rate, which is Florida's 6% state tax plus a 1% county add-on. Broward charges the same 7%, Palm Beach 6.5% and Monroe County, the Keys, 7.5%, according to a 2026 table of county rates.
The tax applies to the service charge too. A Florida Department of Revenue ruling (TAA 92A-048) treats a mandatory gratuity charge on meals as part of the taxable price, and Florida's Rule 12A-1.0115 does the same for service charges. A voluntary tip given over and above the price is generally not taxed.
For how fees are disclosed and how tipping works, see the guide to how much catering costs in Miami.
How much does wedding catering cost for 50, 100, 150 or 200 guests in Miami?
With an 18% service charge and 7% tax added to the menu price, $100 per guest comes to about $12,626 for 100 guests and $25,252 for 200 guests. The table runs the same math for four per-guest prices.
None of the sources says whether its per-guest figure already includes a service charge and tax. The table assumes it does not, which matches quotes that show the menu price first. If a caterer's price already includes them, use that price as it is and skip the multiplier.
Totals are calculated from unrounded per-guest prices. They do not include separately billed staff, rentals, the bar, delivery or a tip.
At a 22% service charge, as one Miami wedding caterer charges, the $100 row rises to $130.54 per guest and $13,054 for 100 guests, about $428 more than at 18%.
To request a written quote for your date and guest count, see wedding catering in Miami.
Wedding catering cost per person by service style
Zola puts plated dinners at $65 to $85 per person and buffets at $40 to $65. It lists family style at $50 to $70, food stations at $45 to $75 and cocktail receptions at $35 to $55.
Zola gives these ranges per style, and The Knot's $80 is an overall figure from another source, so the two do not have to match. Plated service means servers bring each guest's meal to the table, and a buffet lets guests serve themselves. Family style puts shared platters on the tables, and food stations are separate serving points around the room.
The venue guide's plated range starts at $80 and reaches $150, while Zola's plated range is $65 to $85, though the two may count different things. With an 18% service charge and 7% tax, the venue guide's range becomes about $101.01 to $189.39 per guest. To turn any style price above into a total, multiply it by 1.2626, or by 1.3054 at a 22% charge.
When you collect quotes, ask which service style each per-guest price covers. A buffet quote and a plated quote for the same guest count describe different services.
What is included in a wedding catering quote, and what costs extra?
Depending on the caterer, the per-guest price may cover only the food. The service charge, separately billed staff, rentals, bar service, kitchen fees and cake cutting can each show up as a separate line item.
Ask every caterer for a written list of what is included, then check it for these line items:
- Service charge and staff. The service charge is an operational fee, which leaves open who pays the crew. The venue guide says service staff is sometimes billed separately and suggests assuming $1,200 to $2,500 for a 100-guest wedding.
- Rentals. The venue guide puts chairs, tables, linens, glassware and charger plates at $2,500 to $5,000 for 100 guests if the venue does not include them.
- Bar. The venue guide prices an open premium bar at $35 to $50 per guest for 5 hours. In Zola's figures, beer and wine add $12 to $18 per person and a full premium bar $25 to $35. The sources may cover different hours and drinks, so check each figure against the hours in your own quote.
- Kitchen fees. Some venues charge outside caterers $500 to $2,000 for kitchen use (Zola). When a venue has no kitchen, a caterer may rent ovens and refrigerators for $500 to $2,000 and up (MIAFTA).
- Attendants and cake cutting. Bartenders, station attendants and coat check staff are often billed at $30 to $60 per hour for each staff member. Cutting a cake from an outside bakery can cost $2 to $5 per guest (MIAFTA).
Venues with a kitchen, tables and chairs remove some of these items, and venues without them move those costs to the caterer's invoice.
What raises the per-guest cost of wedding catering, and how can you lower it?
Destination weddings, small guest lists that hit a caterer's minimum, special dietary meals and peak-season dates raise the cost per guest. Zola's style and bar ranges and MIAFTA's season note point to three places to save: service style, the bar and the date.
Three of the four figures below are national, and the season note is specific to Miami.
- Destination (national). The Knot reports that couples with hometown weddings spent $79 per guest on catering, against $104 for domestic destination weddings and $114 for international ones. If you live in another state, a Miami wedding may count as a destination wedding, though these averages describe the whole country.
- Small guest lists (national). Many caterers require minimum orders of $2,500 to $4,000 no matter how few guests attend. That can push the cost per person to $75 to $100 at 25 to 50 guests (Zola).
- Special meals (national). Vegan, gluten-free or kosher meals often add $8 to $15 each (Zola).
- Peak season (Miami). MIAFTA says Miami's peak season runs from November through April, with higher demand and prices, while the hot summer months may offer more budget flexibility. MIAFTA is a weaker source on pricing than a national study, so use its season note as a direction only.
To bring the price down, ask each caterer to quote the same menu in more than one service style.
In Zola's ranges above, a buffet and family style both start below plated, and beer and wine cost less than a full premium bar. A summer date may leave more room on price. Ask for the minimum order before you cut the guest list, since a list below the minimum may save less than it seems.
How to work backward from your budget and avoid catering budget mistakes
Divide the catering budget by the guest count, then divide the result by 1.2626, which is 1.18 for an 18% service charge times 1.07 for the tax. A $15,000 budget for 120 guests leaves about $99 per guest for the menu.
The $15,000 works out to $125 per guest with the charge and tax included, and $125 divided by 1.2626 is about $99. If your caterer charges 22%, divide by 1.3054 instead. If rentals, the bar or staff are billed separately, subtract them from the budget before you divide.
Two mistakes throw this math off:
- Comparing a menu price with a total. A $100 menu is about $126.26 per guest once the service charge and tax are added. Check that two quotes are both before or both after those lines.
- Leaving out the line items outside the per-guest price. Anything billed outside the per-guest price needs its own budget line before you set a target.
What should you ask a caterer and get in writing?
Ask each caterer to answer five questions in writing before you sign.
- Which service style and how many hours does the per-guest price cover?
- What is the service charge, does any part of it reach the crew, and is a tip expected on top?
- Which staff, rentals, bar and kitchen items are billed separately?
- What is the minimum order, and does it apply to your date?
- Which date and guest count does the quote assume, and what happens to the price if either one changes?
Send each caterer on your shortlist the same date, guest count and venue so the answers can be compared side by side and against the table above.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to feed 50 people at a wedding?
At The Knot's $80 per guest, catering for 50 guests is $4,000. If the caterer lists the menu price on its own and adds an 18% service charge and 7% Miami-Dade tax, the total is about $5,050. Zola adds that caterer minimums can push the cost to $75 to $100 per person at 25 to 50 guests.
What share of the wedding budget goes to catering?
By a rough estimate, about 27% of the average US wedding budget. The Knot's 2025 study puts catering at $80 per guest for 2024 weddings, and its 2026 study puts the average 2025 wedding at $34,200 with 117 guests. At $80 each, 117 guests cost $9,360. The figures come from different study years, so treat 27% as a guide only.
Is gratuity included in wedding catering prices?
Not necessarily. According to MIAFTA, Miami's 18% to 25% service charge is an operational fee for the caterer and is not a staff gratuity. Ask your caterer in writing whether any part of the charge reaches the crew and whether a tip is expected on top.
Do caterers charge for a wedding tasting?
Sometimes. Zola says complimentary tastings are typically included for weddings over 100 guests or contracts above $10,000. Smaller weddings may pay $100 to $300, and that fee is often credited toward the final bill when you book the caterer. Ask about the tasting fee when you request a quote.
How far in advance should you book a wedding caterer in Miami?
One South Florida caterer recommends booking 6 to 12 months ahead for peak wedding season, which it defines as October through May. Quotes need a date and a guest count, so request them as soon as you have both, and ask each caterer which dates it treats as peak.
26.10.2026