the Hamptons
Wedding catering in the Hamptons: what it costs, what the proposal should say, and when to book
Wedding catering in the Hamptons runs about $150 to $400+ per person for food and service, so a 100-guest wedding is $15,000–40,000+ before the bar and rentals (a 2025 Hamptons figure; the national average is $80 a guest and the Mid-Atlantic $123, per The Knot's 2026 study). Add an administrative fee of 15–25%, Suffolk County's 8.75% sales tax on the whole bill, $40–150 a guest for the bar and a tent from about $1,500 to $5,000. Summer Saturdays here book 18–24 months out; caterers want 9–12 months.
Last updated · Reviewed by Sagaponack Catering Co.
What a Hamptons proposal contains
A serious catering proposal for a Hamptons wedding is a document with five parts, and the food is only the first: the menu and its service style; the staff, by role and hours; the rentals the caterer is supplying or coordinating (china, glass, linen, the kitchen tent); the bar, if the caterer is running it; and the fee lines at the bottom. The per-person number people quote at dinner parties is usually the first part only. Read all five before comparing two proposals, because a $175 proposal with a 20% administrative fee, a bar package and rentals is a different sum from a $225 proposal that already includes them.
What it costs (2026)
| Line | Range |
|---|---|
| Food and service, Hamptons (2025 regional figure) | $150–400+ per person; 100 guests $15,000–40,000+ |
| Food and service, national average (The Knot, 2025 weddings) | $80 per guest; $62 Midwest to $123 Mid-Atlantic |
| Plated dinner, national aggregators | $70–150 per person (one platform's average is far lower, $40, and likely excludes service) |
| Buffet, national | $40–90 per person |
| Stations, national | $35–65 per person at the budget end; $175–350+ for chef-driven live stations |
| Bar, Hamptons | premium open bar $75–150 a guest; beer and wine $40–75 |
| Bar, national | beer and wine $25–45; full open bar $40–90 or $45–100 depending on the source |
| Administrative fee | 15–25%; two Hamptons caterers publish 20% (one states it is not a gratuity) and a 15% gratuity respectively |
| Sales tax, Suffolk County | 8.75% on the entire catering charge, food, beverage and service alike |
The Hamptons figure is one regional magazine's 2025 range, not a survey, and the caterers we work with quote across it depending on menu, format and month. The national figures are there so the local premium is visible: on The Knot's numbers a Hamptons wedding dinner costs two to three times the Mid-Atlantic average per guest.
The fee and tax lines
Three lines turn a per-person quote into the invoice. The administrative or service fee, 15–25% across the market and 20% at named Hamptons caterers, covers coordination, insurance, kitchen staff and the vehicles, and at least one Bridgehampton caterer says in writing that it is not a tip. Gratuity is separate: one East Hampton caterer adds 15%, another leaves it discretionary. New York State taxes the whole catering charge, and a mandatory gratuity escapes sales tax only if it is separately stated, called a gratuity, and paid entirely to staff; a "service charge" by any other name is taxed. In Suffolk County that is 8.75%. A proposal that reads $200 a head is about $261 once the fee and tax are on it, and $291 with a 15% gratuity.
Staffing a wedding dinner
Plated service needs one server per 10–12 guests (one per 8 for a complex menu), buffet one per 20–25, and one bartender per 50 guests; for 100 guests that is 8–10 servers plated or 4–5 buffet, plus two bartenders. In the kitchen, one chef per 40 covers plated and one per 50 buffet, with a head chef above 75 guests. One East Hampton caterer publishes exactly this: one staff member per 10–12 guests, a four-person minimum, five-hour minimum shifts. Staff time is where a plated dinner for 180 earns its price, and where an over-ambitious menu at a private house goes wrong.
When to book
The average American engagement is 15 months, and the Hamptons calendar is shorter than that: summer Saturdays and Sundays at the venues that host weddings book 18–24 months ahead, a year is the floor, and vendors including the caterer want at least nine months. Nationally the advice is 9–12 months for a peak-season wedding of 150 or more. Tastings happen anywhere from 7–12 months out to six weeks before, depending on the caterer; the final headcount is due 7–14 days before the day.
The tent
Most Hamptons weddings at private houses are under canvas. On Long Island a 40×60 frame tent for 150+ guests rents for $2,100–2,750 and a 44×63 sailcloth for $4,250–5,000 (one Long Island rental company's 2026 list), with the East End priced above western Suffolk for the travel; permits add $200–500, and every tent over 200 square feet needs one. The kitchen tent, the lighting, a dance floor ($400–1,500) and a restroom trailer ($1,200–2,200 for a weekend) are separate lines, and the rain call is made 24–48 hours out.
The season, honestly
Peak season runs Memorial Day to Labor Day (May 25 to September 7 in 2026). June evenings average a 61°F low and 4 inches of rain for the month at the nearest official station; July and August are the warm, humid months, with 15–16 muggy days each; September is the shoulder everyone prefers, 75°F days and 59°F nights, and the hurricane season's sharpest weeks from mid-September into October. The sun sets at 8:26 PM on July 4 and 7:00 PM by September 15, which is the difference between cocktails in daylight and cocktails under string lights.
FAQ
Common questions
How much does wedding catering cost per person in the Hamptons?
About $150 to $400 or more per person for food and service, so a 100-guest wedding runs $15,000–40,000+ before the bar and rentals (a 2025 Hamptons magazine figure; The Knot's 2026 study puts the national average at $80 a guest and the Mid-Atlantic at $123). The proposal then adds an administrative fee of 15–25% (20% at two named Hamptons caterers, one of which states it is not a gratuity), sometimes a 15% gratuity, and Suffolk County's 8.75% sales tax on the whole charge. The bar is another $40–75 a guest for beer and wine or $75–150 for a premium open bar. A $200 quote is about $261 a head once the fee and tax are on it, before any gratuity.
Read the full answer →How far in advance should I book a Hamptons caterer?
For a summer wedding, 9–12 months for the caterer and 18–24 months for a Saturday at a venue that hosts weddings; the average American engagement is 15 months, and the Hamptons calendar is shorter than that. For a corporate gala or conference, 6–12 months; a retreat, client dinner or holiday party, 4–6 months; 50–100 guests, 4–8 weeks. For a dinner party under twenty, two to three weeks, with 48–72 hours possible for a simple menu and three to four weeks in December or for a Friday. Off-season weddings (January to March) want six months rather than a year. A third of all catering orders nationally land in the fourth quarter, so a December party is a September booking.
Read the full answer →What is the service charge on a Hamptons catering proposal, and is it a tip?
Usually not. The administrative or service fee, 15–25% across the market and 20% at two named Hamptons caterers, covers coordination, insurance, kitchen staff and vehicles; one Bridgehampton caterer says in writing that it is not a gratuity for the service staff. Gratuity is a separate line: one East Hampton caterer adds 15%, another leaves it discretionary. New York taxes the whole catering charge, and a mandatory gratuity escapes the 8.75% Suffolk sales tax only if it is separately stated, called a gratuity, and paid entirely to the staff; a service charge by any other name is taxed. If your proposal has a service charge and no gratuity line, ask what the staff receive.
How does Sagaponack Catering Co. work?
You tell us about the event once: what it is, when, roughly how many, where in the Hamptons, and the style if you have a preference. We put you in touch with one caterer who does that kind of event at that size in that town, insured and cooking from a permitted kitchen, and they call you within one business day. From there it is their tasting, their proposal, their contract and their staff. It is free for hosts; participating caterers pay us a referral fee for the introduction. We are not a caterer and we do not sell your details; the one company we send you to is the only one that gets your number. We cover 9 South Fork towns and 6 kinds of events.
Related
Other services
Rehearsal Dinners & Welcome Parties
The Friday of a Hamptons wedding weekend: a seated dinner for 30 at the house, a clambake for 80 or a welcome party for the whole list. Formats, 2026 costs, minimums and the traffic that decides the start time.
Private Dinner Parties
Eight, twelve or twenty-four at the table at the house: private-chef packages from $700 to $4,500 all-in, what a caterer does differently, how much notice each needs, and the August surcharge.
Cocktail Parties & Receptions
Passed hors d’oeuvres at $3–7 a piece, a cocktail hour at about $25 a guest, a full standing reception at $110–130 before drinks, the bar packages, and the staff a party of 80 on a lawn actually needs.
Corporate & Foundation Events
New York City pricing applies out east: $65–275 a person across formats, lunches at $35–75, gala dinners at $95–275, receptions at $110–130 plus the bar. Lead times, the summer calendar, the permits.
Holiday & Off-Season Parties
The other eight months: Thanksgiving, December parties, New Year’s Eve, Presidents’ Day and spring. Why winter is easy to book and hard to staff, the lead times, and the menu when the farm stands are closed.
Book a caterer for weddings
Ninety seconds: the event, the date, the headcount, the town. One insured, permitted Hamptons caterer who does this kind of event calls you within one business day. Free for hosts; nobody else gets your number.
We use what you send us only to put you in touch with the right caterer. Never sold, never used for marketing. Privacy policy.