In this article we will shed some light on how catering will contribute to your cost of a Bali wedding. With Bali’s plethora of restaurants and hotels one would assume you should be in catering heaven. But that is not quite the case.

Don’t worry there is still a broad range of caterers for you to choose from. And also there is absolute world-class catering available in Bali. However catering is a major cost of a wedding in Bali and it is relatively expensive. 

I am not sure why that is the case but the price difference between a very nice, several course meal in a good restaurant and the price you expect to pay per head for catering is significantly larger than in most other countries.

But, before I continue let me tell you one very important aspect – at least for those who would like to have some alcoholic beverages for their wedding. Alcohol is heavily taxed in Indonesia.  So don’t be surprised to pay more – sometimes much more – than in your home country for your ‘booze’.

Very basic catering may start for as little as 30 USD - 40 USD per head for a buffet style catering with food made from local, non imported ingredients.

But most couples choose more up market options with some culinary delights which may use some imported foodstuff. For this mid-range expect to pay between 50 USD  and 80 USD per head.

Whereas, on the upper end of the spectrum where you get truly world class catering with several courses and very decent cutlery and services expect to pay between 80 USD and 120 USD per guest. And in contrast to Western countries or more developed markets there are no additional service charges or other this-and-that charges.

Some of the above will include some finger-food, light snacks during the sunset period.

BUT:  we are not drinking yet !! If you don’t serve any alcohol then you don’t need to stretch your budget much further – for as little as 5 USD – 10 USD per head you should be able to get free-flow of tea, coffee, water and soft-drinks.

Once you start to offer alcoholic beverages to your guests it can get expensive and those drinks will weigh heavy on your overall cost for a Bali wedding. 

The price range? It depends on from what time until what time you want the booze to flow and how freely it will flow. Some people limit the free flow to beer and a selection of wines and let their guests pay for cocktails, champagne and hard liquor.

I would say on the cheap side of things with a limited alcohol selection you will need to pay at least 50 USD – 60 USD per guest. Whereas if you want to have top class food and free flow of drinks including imported liquor – lasting from 17.00h until midnight expect to pay from somewhere between 120 USD up to 200 USD per head.

So if you have in excess of say 15 or 20 guests your choice of catering will hugely influence your over all wedding bill.

You may also want to read the other parts of this series:

• Cost of a Bali wedding – Part One 
• Cost of a wedding in Bali – Part Two
• Cost of a wedding in Bali – Photographer
• Cost of a Bali Wedding – Makeup & hair

And we continue this series of articles with: Cost of a Bali chapel wedding

For any questions you may have please send an email to Jameela

Happy Wedding

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