DIY Wedding Food Calculator, Shopping List, Cake Order (Excel/Google Sheets)

How much food, drink and cake to buy for your headcount, with what a caterer would charge for the same crowd.

WHAT YOU GET
- DIY Wedding Food & Cake Calculator (.xlsx), 2 tabs: Food Shopping List, Cake Order
- Food Shopping List: you type guest count, children, service style (buffet, family style, heavy appetizers or plated), cocktail hour and reception hours, number of proteins, vendor meals and coffee service
- An 18-line shopping list: appetizers, protein at raw weight to buy, starch, vegetable, salad, rolls, water, soda, lemonade or iced tea, cups, coffee, buffet lines, servers and server tips
- A price column: type what your store charges and every line cost and the grocery total add up
- What a caterer would charge the same crowd ($60 a person buffet, $110 plated, plus a 20% service charge, the catering defaults on weddingtipcalculator.com), set against your DIY total; the saving shows once every line your style needs has a price
- Cake Order: you type guest count, who eats cake, dessert table, cupcakes, your baker's quote and the cutting fee; it gives servings needed, the smallest standard tier stack that covers them (Wilton serving chart), kitchen sheet cakes when the cake needs 5 tiers or more than the largest stack serves, dessert table and cupcake counts, and the cake cost per serving
- Open this in Google Sheets.pdf, a one-page import guide

HOW IT WORKS
1. Type your guest count, children, service style, hours, proteins, vendor meals and coffee into the peach cells.
2. Quantities use the portion math behind the free food and cake calculators on weddingtipcalculator.com and add a 10 to 15% food buffer; every quantity is rounded up.
3. Type your store's price per unit to total the groceries against a caterer's price, then pick who eats cake and type your baker's quote for the cost per serving.

WORKS IN EXCEL AND GOOGLE SHEETS
Opens straight into Microsoft Excel (2016 or later, Windows or Mac). No setup, no macros. For Google Sheets, upload the file to Google Drive, open it and choose File > Save as Google Sheets; formulas, colors and dropdowns carry over. A one-page guide is included. Prefer a ready-made Google Sheets copy? Message us with your order number and we will send you a private link.

WHO IT'S FOR
Couples feeding their own reception, or buying part of it themselves, who want a shopping list and a real number to hold up against a caterer's quote.

HOW YOU RECEIVE IT
Instant digital download. As soon as payment clears, Etsy emails you a download link and the files also appear under Purchases and Reviews in your Etsy account. Download on a computer or in a phone browser; the Etsy app itself cannot save files. Nothing ships.

PLEASE NOTE
- This is a spreadsheet template, not financial or legal advice. Figures are planning guidance, not a quote from any vendor.
- Personal use only. Please do not resell, share or redistribute the files.
- Colors can vary slightly between Excel, Google Sheets and your screen.

SUPPORT AND REFUNDS
Questions or trouble with a sheet? Message us through Etsy and a real person will help, usually within a day. Not the right fit? Message us within 30 days of purchase for a full refund.

From the makers of the free wedding money calculators at weddingtipcalculator.com. The kit uses the same sourced math, packaged into spreadsheets you keep, fill in once and reuse for the rest of your planning.