Wedding Catering Count Calculator
Turn your invite list into a realistic catering headcount using typical RSVP acceptance rates, plus per-head appetizer and cake counts.
How it works
Attending = invited × acceptance% · Dinners = attending + vendor meals · Appetizers = attending × pieces
Caterers bill by confirmed headcount, so the first job is turning invites into a realistic attendance estimate. Typical local weddings see about 80–85% of invited guests accept; destination or holiday-weekend weddings run lower, around 60–70%. Add vendor meals — photographers, the band and the planner are usually fed — and plan roughly four to six appetizer pieces per guest for a cocktail hour. Cakes are sold by servings, so one slice per guest is the baseline.
Worked example
Invite 150 guests at an 80% acceptance rate and you can expect 120 attendees. Add 6 vendor meals for 126 dinners. At 5 appetizer pieces each that is 600 pieces, and a cake serving 120 covers dessert.
Frequently asked questions
What acceptance rate should I assume?
A good default is 80–85% for a local wedding where most guests can easily attend. Drop toward 65% for a destination wedding, a holiday weekend, or a large share of out-of-town guests. Your final catering count is set by actual RSVPs, but this plans the budget.
Do I really need to feed vendors?
Most photographer, videographer, band and planner contracts require a vendor meal for anyone working through the reception. It is usually a simpler, cheaper plate than the guest entrée, but you must include them in the count you give the caterer.
How many appetizers per person?
For a one-hour cocktail hour before a full dinner, plan four to six pieces per guest. If passed apps are the main food or the reception is long, plan ten to twelve and treat it as a heavy grazing menu.
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This calculator is for educational purposes. Double-check important results before acting on them.