ChickenPiecesTools

All calculators / Weddings & events

Event costing calculators

Quote the package, size the bar and the staff, mark up rentals, and decide whether the gig is worth it. 9 free tools, every formula shown, CAD before GST/HST.

Start here

Wedding Package Quote

Food, bar, venue, staff, rentals and your hours, at a target margin. The quote and the per-head number the couple hears.

Open on its own page
$

Your caterer's number, or your own plate cost.

$

Use the open bar buy list if you are not sure.

$

Venue, florals, cake, anything you pay and re-bill.

$/h
$

Tables, chairs, linens, tent. Your cost, not the client price.

Consults, site visits, vendor calls, the day itself, the follow-up.

$
25%

Profit as a share of the quote, after paying yourself. 25% is healthy.

How this is calculated

Cost = (food + bar) × guests + venue + staff × hours × wage + rentals + your hours × your rate.

Quote = cost ÷ (1 − target margin). Margin is a share of the quote, so 25% margin is a 33% markup.

Yearly leak = profit per wedding × weddings per year, halved. It is what quoting at cost gives away.

Prices are before GST/HST. Add tax on top of the price shown, never inside your margin. Estimates, not advice.

Get cost tips for your trade

Occasional emails from ChickenPieces with cost tips and supply deals. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy.

Verdict

Quote this number

$262 per head to the couple

Package quote$31,413
Your true cost
$23,560
Cost per head
$196.33
Profit on this wedding
$7,853
Your time, paid
$3,300
Quote at 25% margin
$31,413
Quote that only covers costs
$23,560
Conservative yearly leak$70,680

What quoting at cost instead of this number gives away over a year.

Save in the event planner

More event tools, by job

Price · What it costs and what to charge

Catering Per-Head QuoteGuests, food per head, staff hours, rentals and travel in. A quote per head that protects your margin out.Open Wedding & Event Margin CalculatorClient budget, vendor costs, labor, and overhead in. True cost, planner margin, and per-guest cost out.Open Rentals Markup CalculatorChairs, tables, linens at vendor cost, your markup, delivery and damage waiver passed through. Client price and whether it pays for your time.Open Wedding Photography Package PriceShooting hours, editing hours, second shooter, gear, album and travel at the rate you need. The price, and your real hourly at the asked price.Open

Buy · How much to order and what it really costs you

Open Bar Buy ListGuest count and hours in. A beer, wine, and spirits shopping list with buffer out.Open

Staff · How many people, and what they cost

Event Server Staffing CalculatorServers, bartenders and captains for the guest count and service style, the labour bill, and whether what you bill covers it.Open

Decide · Take it, negotiate or pass

Buffet vs Plated CalculatorSame guests, both service styles: food with waste, servers by ratio, equipment. Which is cheaper and by how much.Open DJ Gig Price: Take, Negotiate or PassHours door to door, travel, gear and licensing against the fee on offer. TAKE, NEGOTIATE with a counter, or PASS.Open

Event guides

All guides
How to quote a wedding package without working for freeThe quote has to carry every cost you pay, every hour you spend, and a margin on top. Most planners forget the middle one.4 min readHow to quote catering per head without losing moneyFood, staff hours, rentals and travel, then a target margin. The quote per head comes out of the total, not the other way round.3 min readWedding planner margin calculator: is this event worth your weekend?Client budget against vendor costs, your hours at your rate and overhead. Margin in dollars and percent, and per guest.3 min readBuffet vs plated: which is actually cheaper for a wedding?Buffets need more food and fewer servers. Plated needs less food and more servers. Which wins depends on the guest count.3 min readHow many servers do you need for a wedding of 150?Guests divided by a ratio, rounded up, plus a bartender per 75 and a captain per 8 servers. Then check what you bill covers it.3 min readOpen bar buy list: how much alcohol for a wedding?Two drinks the first hour, one an hour after, a buffer, then split by beer, wine and spirits into bottles.2 min readHow much should a planner mark up rentals?The markup pays for the hours you spend sourcing, changing and counting chairs. If it does not cover them, you are doing it for free.3 min readHow to price a wedding photography packageEight hours on the day is the small part. The desk hours, the second shooter and the camera that wears out are the price.4 min readShould a DJ take this gig? TAKE / NEGOTIATE / PASSFive hours on the decks is ten hours door to door. Price the ten, then decide.3 min read
Keep it

Your event planner

A simple list of your events with vendor costs, your hours and profit per event. Saved on this device, free.

Open the event planner
Field Pack
Wedding Quote Auditor

The printable worksheets, templates, and benchmarks behind this calculator. $79, one-time.

Not on sale yet. Drop your email and we'll tell you when it opens — the free calculator above works right now.

See what's inside