Guides / Events
How 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.
Skip the reading. The tool does this maths for you, free, as you type.
Staff your eventUnder-staff a wedding and the plates go out cold. Over-staff it and the labour bill eats the margin. The ratios below are the industry's working rules; the calculator rounds up because you cannot hire half a server.
The formula
Servers = guests ÷ ratio × (1 + buffer), rounded up. Bartenders = guests ÷ 75 for beer and wine, ÷ 50 for cocktails. Captains = servers ÷ 8. Labour = each group × hours × wage.
What a good number looks like
1 per 16 for a formal, multi-course service.
Stations and cocktail style can stretch to 1 per 50.
If what you bill per staff hour is under the loaded wage, the event is subsidising the staff.
What to do about it
- Count hours from setup to breakdown, not from the first course.
- Keep a 10% buffer for no-shows. Someone always calls in on a Saturday.
- Bill staff at a rate that covers wage, payroll costs and the hour you spent scheduling them.
Now do it with your numbers.
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Staff your event