Wedding costs
What wedding catering costs in South Africa
How wedding catering is priced in South Africa, why it scales with your guest list, and what a per head figure really covers.
Catering is often the single largest line in a wedding budget, because it scales almost directly with the guest list. In South Africa caterers usually quote a per head figure, so the total moves with your numbers more than with any other choice you make. What that figure covers varies a great deal: a plated three-course dinner with staff and hire is a different proposition to a relaxed buffet or a food-truck spread. Drinks, waitrons, crockery and equipment hire are sometimes bundled and sometimes charged separately, so the honest way to compare quotes is to check exactly what each per head price includes.
Western Cape caterers are still coming onto Once, so the guidance below leans on how the cost is built rather than a published band. Real figures will appear here automatically as suppliers list.
Last updated Q3 2026.
Starting Prices on Once
No Western Cape caterers on Once have published a comparable starting price yet, so there is nothing real to average, and we would rather show you nothing than invent a number. As suppliers add their pricing, an honest band will appear here automatically. In the meantime, the cost drivers below and the free budget tracker will get you to a realistic figure.
Build the full picture for your own day with the free budget tracker.
What Drives the Price
Whatever the headline figure, a few things move the cost more than anything else. Understanding them is the fastest way to shape a quote that fits what you want to spend.
Guest count
Because catering is quoted per head, the guest list is the biggest lever on the total. Trimming numbers is usually the fastest way to move the whole catering bill, and the drinks and hire that scale with it.
Menu and service style
A plated multi-course dinner with a full serving team costs more than a buffet or family-style spread, which in turn costs more than a casual grazing or food-truck option. The menu and how it is served set the base per head figure.
What is included
Waitrons, crockery, glassware, linen and equipment hire are sometimes inside the per head price and sometimes billed on top. Always confirm what a quote covers, since a low headline figure can carry extras.
Drinks and extras
A bar package, welcome drinks, a cheese table or late-night snacks all add to the per head total. Deciding early which of these you want makes the quotes you receive far easier to compare like for like.
Compare catering on Once
Browse suppliers, see each one's own starting price where they have set it, and enquire free. Or head back to the full wedding cost guide.