Wedding Planning Template — US Catering Contract Budget: Service Charge, Sales Tax and True Cost Per Guest (Excel .xlsx + CSV, imports into Airtable)

Your caterer's per-person quote is not what you pay: the contract adds a service charge that under 29 CFR 531.55(a) is legally not a tip and does not have to reach the staff, and in many states sales tax is charged on that service charge too — then your guaranteed headcount locks, commonly 7 to 14 days out, and you are billed for every plate whether the guest comes or not. US wedding planners publish full-service fees from about $3,000 to well over $10,000; this workbook does the budget half of that job in Excel, on your own contract numbers, and tells you exactly how many guests you must cut to land on your number.