Budget tool · Free to use
Wedding quote comparison sheet
Enter two or three quotes from your paperwork, put them on one guest count, and see the totals with the service charge and tax calculated on the bases the quotes state.
How do you compare wedding quotes?
Multiply the per-guest price by one shared guest count, add the base price and flat fees, then apply the service charge and sales tax to the bases the quote states. Compare the totals and the total per guest, then read the deposits and cancellation terms side by side, because a lower total can carry stricter terms.
Your entries are kept in this browser so they are here when you come back. They are not uploaded, and Clear entries removes them. The sheet uses USD and does not read your quotes.
The calculation, in plain sight
- Per-guest line = price per guest × the shared guest count.
- Lines = base price + per-guest line + other flat fees.
- Service charge = service rate × its base (the per-guest line only; the lines; or the lines plus tax), rounded once to the nearest cent, with half a cent rounding up.
- Sales tax = tax rate × its base (the lines, or the lines plus the service charge), rounded once to the nearest cent. When the service charge is on a taxed total, the tax is calculated first.
- Total = lines + service charge + sales tax. Total per guest = total ÷ guest count, rounded to the cent. Balance after the deposit = total − deposit.
For the labelled example in the sheet, on 120 guests: Venue A has a $4,000 base price, $85 per guest and $500 of fees, so its lines are $4,000 + $10,200 + $500 = $14,700. A 22% service charge on the per-guest line is $2,244 and 8% tax on the lines is $1,176, a total of $18,120.00, or $151.00 per guest.
Venue B has a $2,500 base price and $95 per guest, so its lines are $13,900. A 20% service charge on the lines is $2,780, and 8% tax on the lines plus the service charge is 8% of $16,680, or $1,334.40, a total of $18,014.40, or $150.12 per guest. Venue B’s per-guest price is $10 higher, and its total is $105.60 lower.
Where this sheet stops
Which base a service charge or tax uses is set by the quote or contract and, for tax, by the rules of the state where the wedding takes place. The sheet does not decide either one. Ask the vendor in writing how it calculates the service charge and the tax.
One tax rate applies to the lines in its base. If some lines on a quote are taxed and others are not, ask the vendor for an itemised tax calculation. The sheet does not model a separate gratuity, a food and beverage minimum, per-item rounding, tiered prices or discounts; the service charge calculator handles a separate gratuity.
The cancellation notes are shown as you typed them. The sheet does not read, score or compare them, and the totals do not include what a cancellation would cost. The result is arithmetic on your inputs, not a vendor quote.
Common questions
Why compare quotes on the same guest count?
A per-guest price only becomes a total at a count, and quotes prepared at different times may assume different counts. Enter the count you are planning for once, and the sheet applies it to the quotes, so the totals differ only by price and terms.
Which base does the service charge use?
The one the quote states. If a quote does not say, ask the vendor in writing whether the percentage applies to the per-guest price only, to the base price and fees as well, or to a total that already includes tax.
Is the lowest total the better quote?
Not necessarily. The totals cover only what you entered. Check what the quotes include, the deposit, when payments fall due and the cancellation terms before you decide; a lower total can come with terms you like less.
What goes in other flat fees?
Charges that are a dollar amount rather than a percentage and are not part of the base price, such as a delivery charge or a cake-cutting fee. A fee stated as a percentage needs its own base; ask the vendor what it is calculated on.
Do the example figures reflect real prices?
No. The example figures are invented illustrations, not research about prices and not a real place’s tax rate. Replace them with the figures on your own quotes.