Your evening guests and food
Enter your evening guest numbers, then tick whichever dishes you're considering — pick as many as you like.
We'll add these together to work out total evening buffet numbers.
Choose your evening buffet food
Your Evening Buffet Guide
Don't forget the drinks
Pair this buffet guide with the Drinks Calculator to work out your wine, beer, spirits and soft drinks for the same evening reception.
Quick guide
How to plan your wedding evening buffet
- Enter your Evening guests and the Day guests staying on for the evening.
- Tick the dishes you are considering, such as pizza, hog roast or fish and chip cones.
- Press Calculate my buffet to see Your Evening Buffet Guide.
- Use Copy my buffet list or Print / Save as PDF to take it to your caterer.
What it does
- Adds evening and day guests together
- Seven dishes, from bacon rolls to curry
- Mix and match as many dishes as you like
- Quantities based on common catering ratios
- Rough cost range for the whole buffet
- Copy, print or save as PDF
Use it with
- Wedding Drinks Calculator – enter day and evening guest numbers, toast and welcome drinks and your drinkers' mix to see how much wine, beer, spirits, fizz and soft drinks to order
- Wedding Cake Calculator – enter day and evening guest numbers, cutting style and cake style to see portions needed, suggested tiers and a rough cost
- Mocktail Menu Builder – build a printable alcohol-free drinks menu for your wedding from 12 classic mocktails, a named signature drink and your own recipes
- Buffet Food Label Maker – print folding buffet labels for each dish with its name, description, vegetarian and vegan badges and the 14 UK allergens marked
Questions
Evening Buffet Calculator: common questions
Who is the evening buffet calculator for?
It is for couples planning the food for an evening wedding reception. You add your evening-only guests and the day guests staying on, then tick any of the seven dishes you are thinking about. The tool gives a quantity for each dish and a rough overall cost range, so you have something specific to discuss with caterers.
How accurate are the buffet quantities?
They are a rough guide based on common UK catering ratios for an evening wedding buffet. The right amount depends on how filling the wedding breakfast was, how late the buffet is served and your caterer's own portion sizes. Use the figures as a starting point and confirm final numbers with your caterer.
Is my information saved or sent anywhere?
No. Guest numbers and dishes are worked out inside your browser, and nothing is saved or sent to a server. Copy my buffet list puts the list on your clipboard, and Print / Save as PDF opens your browser's print window. Send this to Tim opens a pre-written draft in your own email app, and only goes if you send it.
When should the evening buffet be served?
Many couples serve it around an hour or so after the first dance, once evening guests have settled in and people are ready for a break from dancing. Serving it too early can empty the dance floor just as the party gets going. Agree the timing with your caterer, venue and DJ so everyone works to the same plan.
Tim’s tip
Let your DJ know when the buffet will open. A short announcement brings people to the food, and a well-timed song afterwards gets them back on the dance floor.
Made by Tim Daymond (Tinsel Tim). Tim has been a DJ since 1976 and has run Mobile Disco Network since 2013. He plays weddings and parties across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire. He is a Norfolk County Council Trading Standards Trusted Trader (ID 0000457), a member of the NADJ and the winner of 23 independent awards.
Why choose Tim · Awards · Reviews
Your privacy: this tool runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to Mobile Disco Network or stored on a server. Nothing is saved once you close the page. Email buttons only open your own email app, and nothing is sent until you press send.
Free to use, no sign-up. Last reviewed 11 October 2026.
Buffet planned?
Now plan the dancing around it
Tim times the music around your evening buffet, so the dance floor fills again as soon as plates are down. Book Tinsel Tim across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire.
Rather talk it through? Call Tim on 07796 565918 or 01760 722283, or message him on WhatsApp.
Planning the big day? Check Tinsel Tim is free on your wedding date. Check your date → WhatsApp Tim