What does price per person mean to you?

MIdwest here. I would NEVER go to a weding where I had to cover my own food.

To me if I want to break down the per person I am really just talking food. I would add up all food and drink costs and divide by the number of guests.

ETA: I always give cash equivilent to what I think the couple may have paid. I guess that is the same. I thought we were talking you had to actually front the money.. like it was required. We all know not everyone brings you anything other than good wishes.

You know, I have never thought about it. I do not know about my region but to me price per person would reflect just the food. It is the only time I think in that sort of math.

This will be an interesting discussion to follow! =)

It means food and alcohol only! I'm from the East Coast too (Massachusetts). That said, I don't ask anybody how much they spent on the wedding or how much the food cost. I just write a check for the standard amount that wedding food and wedding alcohol costs lol (we all know it costs 3 times the amount of non-wedding food and alcohol haha).

At my venue, its food and alcohol only, and they don't charge extra for room rental. They have all sorts of stuff like centerpieces you can use for free, and the linens are included for table (chair covers extra if you want them).

I am from west coast Canada and price per person to me means food. Not including drinks or anything else. Just food.

I'm from Pennsylvania and to me it means food and drinks. There's a venue by me that does a package that includes food, drinks, venue, dj and cake for a price per person but I think each venue may be slightly different.

The whole reason why I started this discussion was because I was shocked when my friend told me his price per person cost. He told me this a year after his wedding. At first I felt just awful because I was way off in covering my share. But then he started to tell me what was included in his per person cost and I felt better since I don't consider his items as the per person cost at all. By the way my friend wasn't trying to make feel guilty or anything like that, he is still trying to get over the wedding cost shock a year later LOL.

@Ashley, is that your own personal definition or is it a regional definition. I am surprised at just food. I thought for sure it would be reasonable to include drinks too.

@ Care Bear: That's my opinion and everyone I have ever talked to. Its just food.

@Ashley, ok I see gotcha thanks.

We don't do the cost-per-person/pay-for-your-plate thing here in my part of Texas, but I would assume cost per person meant food and drink only.

I don't think it's a regional thing, I think it's more a venue thing. Some venues are all inclusive, so their price per person price will include food, drink, cake, centerpieces, linens, DJ, service fees, decorations, invitations, pretty much everything. My venue is just food, non-alcoholic drinks, and the service charge (we bring in our own alcohol).

This is one of the reasons I don't like the idea of "covering your plate" with a gift. It's so hard to figure out what the per person cost really is, because everything, including decorations, gets more expensive the more people you have.

It's really immaterial since the concept of paying for your plate isn't on the table.

Cost of plate; food and alcohol.

I think of cost per person as food and beverages.

I don't like the "cover your plate" rule.

Your friend must have just taken the whole wedding budget and divided it by the # of guests.

Price per person depends on what you are referring to: the cost pp the venue is charging you generally is just food and/or drinks. If you are tallying your entire wedding costs on a per person basis then adding in things like your dance lessons makes sense.

I'm paying $42/pp for food

$66/pp for food and drinks

$100+ pp for the wedding as a whole.

If you are working out a budget they often say start with $100/pp as a budget and break it out from there.

@Erin, I didn't make that assumption. Another Midwest person from a previous discussion made that statement. But glad you clear that up.

@MissMadeline, yes I think that is what he basically did too. I was discussing it with him and I think he realized it was a little ridiculous to include certain items into the per person cost.

Considering that a 'plate' in the NY/NJ area can top 200.00 per person, that rule loses a lot of punch.

When referring to pp cost from the perspective of guests "covering their plate", then it *should* only include food and drink.

It shouldn't include optional decor items like centerpieces - those are the couple's choice to have a visually appealing wedding that meets their "vision". Dance lessons are for the couple to show off their first dance. Those things have nothing to do with providing for guests, and they aren't necessary parts of hosting an event. Couples should never expect to "make back" the money for the extras they choose.

For me it's food and alcohol, period. My venue does include silly things like a $1 per person for plates if we do self serve cupcakes. So I guess that could be included in PP costs, but that still falls under food for me.

I'd never expect anyone to cover their PP cost via a gift/ cash. That would be $100+ for my guests, no way!

I thought price per person was everything in your wedding. I live in LA and all of my friends give a gift that is equal to what the price of what it cost to have them there. And they give cash or gifts or a combo of both. That's what I do anyways.