Find the right Catering, Drinks & Desserts for your wedding, within your budget
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Catering is usually the biggest number in the whole budget, and the first question is not about food at all.
It is whether your venue will let you bring a caterer in.
Many banquet halls require you to use their kitchen. Others allow outside caterers but charge a fee for it, and some allow it only from an approved list. This single fact changes your entire budget and your entire shortlist.
Ask before you book the venue, not after. If you have already booked, ask today — it determines whether the rest of this is even a decision you get to make.
Pure vegetarian, Jain, halal, no onion or garlic, and separate preparation to keep them genuinely separate — these are common requirements at South Asian weddings and they are not all satisfied by "we have vegetarian options".
Be specific and get it in writing. A caterer who handles Jain requirements properly will tell you exactly how they keep the kitchen separate. One who waves it away is telling you something.
A mehndi is often chaat and snacks. A sangeet might be live stations. A reception is usually a full sit-down or buffet. Nobody wants the same menu four times in a week, and your guests will notice if they get it.
Ask the caterer to price each event separately so you can see where the money is going, and consider spending less on the smaller events to spend more on the one that matters most to you.
Caterers price per head and need a final number days in advance. South Asian weddings are notorious for guests who were always coming but nobody wrote down.
Ask what the cutoff date is, what happens if you go over, and whether there is a minimum. The minimum is the one that catches people — a hall and caterer that require 300 covers do not care that 240 came.
Ask for a tasting before signing anything large. Most caterers offer them, sometimes at a cost that is credited back if you book.
Bring whichever parent has the strongest opinions. It is easier to have that conversation at a tasting than at the wedding.
Catering is quoted per person and it is almost always the largest single block in the budget — the cost guide walks through where the rest of the money goes.
What moves it: guest count, number of events, how many live stations, and whether the venue is taking a cut for letting an outside caterer in. Always compare per-head prices for the same event, not total quotes.
Multiply by your guest count in hundreds — a 300-guest reception is roughly three times the figure above. Per-plate rates fall as numbers rise, so a large event usually lands under a straight multiplication rather than over it.
Figures describe catering per event, per 100 guests, in the Greater Toronto Area, 2026. GigSona — figures from vendors across the Greater Toronto Area, 2026. What a vendor actually quotes you depends on the type of event, how big it is, and exactly what you need — treat these as a starting point for a conversation, not a price list.
The per-event figures on this page are published per 100 guests, so multiply by your headcount in hundreds. Per-plate rates fall as numbers rise, so a large event usually lands under a straight multiplication rather than over it.
Check the contract first — banquet halls commonly add a service charge or gratuity to the catering total automatically, and tipping again on top is double-paying. If nothing is included, a tip for the serving staff is normal and worth agreeing in advance.
There is a cutoff date in the contract, usually one to two weeks out, and going over it costs more per head than the original rate. Ask for both the date and the over-count price when you book, not when you are close to it.