How much should catering cost for a wedding?

Unveiling the Cost of Wedding Catering: What You Should Budget
House party catering in Delhi is often the largest single expense after your venue, and trying to pin down a precise cost can feel like a moving target. In India, wedding catering can typically consume 20% to 30% of your total wedding budget.

While a definitive, universal price is impossible, here is a breakdown of what you can expect the catering to cost, primarily calculated on a per-plate or per-person basis.

5 Key Factors That Drive Catering Costs
The vast price difference is due to several critical decisions you make during the planning process.

1. Menu Selection (The Food Itself)
Vegetarian vs. Non-Vegetarian: Non-vegetarian dishes, especially premium meats and seafood, are significantly more expensive than an all-vegetarian menu.

Cuisine Complexity: A menu featuring regional staples (like basic North Indian or South Indian food) is cheaper than one with international cuisines (like Italian, Lebanese, or Sushi), which require specialised, higher-cost ingredients and expert chefs.

Live Food Counters: Adding stations like chaat, pasta, wood-fired pizza, or specialised dessert bars increases the cost due to extra equipment, dedicated staff, and higher ingredient costs.

2. Service Style
The way the food is served directly impacts the staff and equipment needed.

Buffet Style: Generally, the most cost-effective option for large groups, as it requires fewer servers.

Plated/Sit-Down Service: This is the most expensive style. It requires far more staff (servers, runners, and kitchen coordination) and also increases the cost of rentals (finer china, glassware, and cutlery).

Family-Style: A mid-range option where large platters of food are placed on each table for guests to share.