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Wedding Planning Guide
By Rosalie Pappas, Event Gourmet & Florals · Updated May 2026
The most common question I get from engaged couples is some version of: “We have no idea what to budget. Can you just tell us what things cost?”
So let me do exactly that. I've been catering Adelaide weddings for years. The honest answer is that wedding catering costs vary a lot, and there are real reasons for that. I'll walk you through the main formats, the actual price ranges, what drives costs up or down, and what you can realistically expect at each level.
Nothing here is locked in. Every event is custom quoted. But this should give you a solid starting point.
A grazing table is the most popular option at Adelaide weddings right now. It works as a centrepiece, feeds guests during the cocktail hour or reception, and photographs beautifully. Grazing tables are priced by the spread size rather than per person.
A well-curated selection of artisan cheeses, cured meats, fresh and dried fruits, crackers, dips, and accompaniments. Works well as a pre-ceremony feature or for smaller groups of up to 40 guests.
More volume, more variety. Premium cheeses, charcuterie, sourdough, seasonal fruits, handmade dips, nuts, olives. The most popular option for Adelaide wedding receptions and comfortably serves 50 to 80 guests as part of a broader catering plan.
The full picture. Premium and imported selections, hot additions, seafood, elevated styling elements. Made for larger receptions or couples who want the table to be a real talking point.
What drives the cost up:
Guest count, inclusion of seafood, imported or rare cheeses, height styling with stands and tiers, fresh florals woven through the board.
What keeps it lower:
A tighter guest list, seasonal produce choices, simpler styling.
Canapes work well for cocktail-style receptions, pre-ceremony drinks, or any event where you want guests moving around and mingling rather than sitting down. Pricing is per person, which makes it easier to estimate once you know your guest count.
1 hour service
6 canape selections
$59 per person
1.5 hour service
8 canape selections
$69 per person
2 hour service
10 canape selections
$79 per person
For a 100-guest cocktail reception with a 1.5-hour canape service, that comes to $6,900 for food alone. Add travel, staffing for larger events, and any additional grazing or dessert elements, and a full cocktail-style wedding for 100 guests typically lands between $8,000 and $12,000 depending on choices.
A sit-down, plated dinner is the most formal option and suits couples who want a traditional reception experience.
$89 per person
40-person minimum
Includes one entree, two proteins, and two sides from a seasonal menu designed around what's available and at its best at the time of your wedding. Everything prepared fresh on the day using South Australian produce.
For 80 guests at the seated dining rate, the base food cost comes to $7,120. Factor in travel for out-of-metro venues, any additional elements like a grazing pre-ceremony or dessert bar, and a full day can range from $9,000 to $16,000 for a medium-sized plated wedding.
Handmade desserts including pannacotta, tiramisu, meringues, tarts, and macaron towers. Styled as a dedicated display that guests help themselves from.
$1,500
Beautifully styled for smaller receptions, up to around 40 guests as a standalone sweet course.
$1,900
More volume and variety. The most popular option for Adelaide weddings.
$2,200
An abundant display suited to larger receptions of 100+ guests.
A grazing table at the Gather or Feast level for 40 to 60 guests at a cocktail-style reception or post-ceremony celebration. Or a small dessert bar plus a canape hour for an intimate gathering of 30. This is the budget range for couples who want high-quality food and presentation for a smaller guest list.
A full canape service for 80 to 100 guests at 1.5 hours, plus a Soiree grazing table. Or a seated dinner for 60 to 70 guests with a dessert bar included. This is the range where most Adelaide wedding receptions sit. Quality ingredients, a properly fed group of guests, and genuine flexibility in the menu.
A full-day wedding for 100 to 150 guests: pre-ceremony grazing, a canape cocktail hour, plated main meal, and a dessert bar. Add wedding florals to that same booking and you get a single invoice that covers the full visual and culinary experience of the day. Events in this range tend to be at locations outside the Adelaide metro area, which adds travel and extra setup time.
Almost everything is either priced per person or scales with headcount. Knowing your rough number is the single most useful thing before you get in touch.
Canapes and grazing work out cheaper per person than plated dining at the same guest count, but not always once you factor in drinks, staffing, and service duration.
Adelaide metro is the baseline. Travel fees apply outside the CBD, typically from 30km. Barossa Valley and Adelaide Hills venues are common for weddings and the travel component is factored into quotes transparently.
Spring (September to November) and autumn (March to May) are peak wedding season in Adelaide. Barossa and Hills weddings in the cooler months sometimes benefit from heartier menu options that are genuinely better value.
Saturday is the most common booking and the most competitive for availability. Fridays and Sundays offer more flexibility.
We cater to all of them: vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, allergen-specific. This rarely adds significant cost, but very complex requirements across a large guest count can require additional preparation time.
If you're booking catering and florals together, the overall quote is generally more efficient than booking them separately, as setup and travel are consolidated.
Online calculators and published pricing guides are useful for orientation. But the only reliable way to know what your wedding will cost is to have a brief conversation and get a specific quote.
When you get in touch, the most useful things to include are:
Rose comes back with a tailored option rather than a generic package, because that's what people actually find useful.
Send an EnquiryResponse within 24 hours.
Most Adelaide wedding receptions sit between $5,000 and $12,000 for catering, depending on guest count, format, and whether florals are included. A small intimate wedding of 30 guests with a grazing table and dessert bar can come in under $4,000. A full-service plated reception for 120 guests runs significantly higher.
At a per-person level, often yes. Grazing tables and canape service give flexibility and tend to suit the relaxed, social format many Adelaide couples prefer. Plated dining costs more per head but creates a different experience. The right choice depends on your venue, your guest list, and the feel you're going for.
Yes. Travel fees apply for venues beyond 30km from the Adelaide CBD. This is always itemised in your quote so you know exactly what you're paying for.
For peak season weekends in Adelaide, nine to twelve months is a comfortable lead time. That said, Rose occasionally has short-notice availability, so it's always worth asking even if your wedding is sooner.
Yes, absolutely. Mixing formats is very common and usually the right call for a full-day reception. Rose will help you sequence things so the flow makes sense for your venue and timeline.
Yes. The quote includes setup before your event and tidy-down afterwards. Rose arrives before your guests to have everything ready, and handles the cleanup so you don't have to think about it.
Of course. Once you've had a brief conversation about your event, Rose will put together a menu proposal that gives you a clear sense of what's included.
Grazing tables at Event Gourmet start from $1,300 (Gather tier) to $1,700 and above (Soiree tier). Pricing depends on the size of the spread, the selections included, and any styling additions.
Yes. Rose regularly caters for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and allergen-specific guests. Let her know your requirements when you enquire and every guest will be looked after.
Tell Rose about your wedding date, venue, and guest count, and she'll put together a tailored catering proposal.
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