Wedding Food Calculator: How Much Food Per Person

Use this wedding food calculator by guest count to estimate how much food per person you need, including appetizers, protein, sides, salad, bread, dessert, and late-night snacks.

Reception Details

Expected Guest Count

100 guests

Reception Duration

5 hours

Meal Style

Adds a stronger per-person buffer because guests tend to self-serve larger portions.

Food Service

Appetizer Pieces Per Guest

4 pieces

Cocktail hour before dinner usually needs 6 to 8 pieces per guest.

Dessert Buffer

10% extra

Adds a small cushion for cake slices, dessert table portions, or vendor meals.

Late-Night Snack Coverage

30% of guests

Useful for longer receptions, after-parties, and open bars.

Your Food Plan

Total Food Estimate

120 lbs

About 1.20 lbs per guest for a buffet dinner

Appetizer Pieces

400

4 per guest, about 8 trays

Protein Estimate

51 lbs

About 7 oz per guest, 115 entree servings

Sides

79 lbs

250 side servings at about 5 oz each

Salad & Bread

111 / 150

Salad servings / bread or rolls

Dessert Servings

111

10% buffer for cake or dessert table portions

Late-Night Snacks

30% guest coverage

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How Much Food Per Person at a Wedding

A practical starting point is about one pound of total dinner food per wedding guest, plus appetizers, dessert, and any late-night snacks. Buffet and family-style receptions need more overage than plated dinners because guests portion their own plates and may sample more options.

Use this wedding catering calculator as a planning baseline before speaking with your caterer. It is built for long-tail planning questions like how much food for 50 wedding guests, 100 wedding guests, 150 wedding guests, or 200 wedding guests, then adjusts the estimate for plated, buffet, family-style, or cocktail receptions.

Dinner Food

About 1 lb per guest

Increase for buffet and family-style service.

Protein

6-8 oz per guest

Use more for buffet lines or hearty menus.

Appetizers

6-8 pieces per guest

Use 10-14 pieces if there is no full dinner.

Dessert

1 serving per guest

Add a small buffer for dessert tables.

Final catering quantities should account for children, vendor meals, cultural meal traditions, dietary restrictions, and your venue timeline.

Frequently Asked Questions

For a full wedding dinner, plan around 1 pound of total food per person before service-style adjustments. A plated dinner can stay close to that baseline, while buffet and family-style meals usually need 10% to 20% more food.

For a cocktail hour before dinner, 6 to 8 appetizer pieces per guest is a common planning range. For a cocktail-style reception without a full meal, plan closer to 10 to 14 pieces per guest.

Yes. Buffets typically need more overage because guests serve themselves and portion sizes vary. A 15% to 20% buffer is a practical starting point.

For dinner service, plan roughly 6 to 8 ounces of protein per guest. This calculator uses 7 ounces as a midpoint, then adjusts the total for plated, buffet, or family-style service.

For 100 wedding guests, a full dinner usually starts around 100 pounds of total food, plus appetizers and dessert. A buffet may need closer to 115 to 120 pounds of dinner food, while a plated meal can stay closer to 100 to 105 pounds.

Late-night snacks are helpful for longer receptions, after-parties, and open bars. A common estimate is enough for 25% to 40% of guests, depending on the crowd and schedule.