Wedding cost per guest calculator

How to use it

Cost per guest is the number that turns a guest list into a budget. Venues and caterers quote it, and it's the quickest way to see what one more table really costs. The catch is that it depends on what you count: a caterer's per-head price covers the food, while the true cost of a guest includes the venue, the flowers and the photographer too. This calculator shows both, with the same categories a wedding budget uses.

1. Type your guest count. Use the number you expect to attend, not the number you'll invite. If you're still deciding, try a few: the figure updates as you type.
2. Add the amounts you know. The list starts with 21 standard wedding categories, from Venue and Food & Drinks to Transportation. Fill in quotes, deposits or your best guess; leave the rest blank.
3. Add or remove lines. Add anything the list doesn't have, like an officiant or welcome bags, and remove what you won't spend on. Your own lines count with the other categories.
4. Choose what counts. Untick Venue or Other categories to see the catering-only figure, or catering plus the venue. Each line shows what it adds per guest.
5. Print it or keep it. Print a one-page summary, or keep it safe in a free Linenfold account, where your budget and dashboard start from these figures.

How the cost per guest is worked out

The spending splits three ways: Food & Drinks, Venue, and everything else. Your ticks decide which of the three count. The calculator adds up the amounts in the parts you count and divides by your guest count, rounded to the cent. With 120 guests, a $9,600 catering quote and a $6,000 venue, catering alone is $80.00 per guest and catering plus the venue is $130.00. Add $9,850 across the other lines and the all-in figure is $212.08.

Each line shows its own share, its amount divided by the same guest count, so you can see where the money per head goes. A line in a part you've unticked says “Not counted” rather than showing a share. With no guest count there is no figure, and with nothing ticked the calculator asks you to tick something, instead of showing a misleading zero.

It's the same calculation Linenfold uses in the app, on the dashboard and the Food & Drinks page, with the same three ticks and the same headcount. To go the other way, from a budget to a guest count and a per-category split, use the budget calculator, or the guest count calculator to see how many guests a budget can afford, tier by tier.

What happens when you save

Your figures are kept in this browser, so they're still here when you come back on the same device. Nothing is sent anywhere until you choose to keep them. When you create a free account, each amount becomes the budget for its category, your own lines become categories of their own, and your guest count and ticks become your wedding's cost-per-person settings. The dashboard then shows the same cost per guest, planned from your budget, and as you confirm vendors it shows what you've actually booked alongside it. See pricing for what the free plan includes.

Questions couples ask

What should the cost per guest include?

It depends on the question. Caterers quote food and drink per head, so tick only Food & Drinks to compare quotes. Tick everything to see what each guest really costs, which is the number to use when you're deciding how many people to invite.

Should we count guests who are invited or guests who come?

Guests who come. Catering and rentals are paid per person attending. Once you have RSVPs, use the attending number; before that, a realistic estimate is better than the invitation count.

Why don't the per-line figures add up exactly to the total?

Each line is rounded to the cent on its own, and so is the total. With many lines the rounded shares can land a cent or two away from the rounded total. The total is the exact figure.

Do children count as guests?

Count everyone who takes a seat. If your caterer charges less for children, the cost per guest is an average across adults and children.

Is anything sent to Linenfold?

No. Your figures are kept in this browser and go nowhere unless you keep them in an account.

What happens in the free account?

Your amounts become the budget for each category, your own lines become categories, and your guest count and ticks set the cost per person on the dashboard, so it shows the same figure. The free plan is free forever; Complete is US$99 once, not monthly.

Want the rest of the toolkit? Browse the free wedding planning tools.