How much does waiting staff cost for a wedding? Price analysis for the UK
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I’ve heard that an average wedding requires about 250 hours of planning! Enough to make your head spin before the big day, right?
So, to simplify the logistics of your big day, a good idea is to delegate certain tasks.
For example: hiring waiters and waitresses.
Thanks to Yoojo, hundreds of couples have already managed to find the perfect waiter or waitress for their wedding.
I decided to analyse all the prices paid on our platform so that you can budget more easily for the best day of your life.
Average overall cost to hire a waiter for a wedding
I know you already have a lot to prepare, so I compared the prices of all completed tasks to give you an average:
Yoojo :
Professional wedding waiter :
*How did I get these results?
1️⃣
For Yoojo :
I calculated the average price from 117 completed wedding waiter tasks, on our home help platform.
2️⃣
Professional wedding waiter :
I averaged out all the prices charged by specialized service companies I could find online.
A wedding waiter is booked for an average of 5 hours on Yoojo!
Prices for the different services offered by wedding waiting staff
When planning a wedding, waiters play a key role in ensuring everything runs smoothly, especially when it comes to guest management, serving food and drinks, and managing the cloakroom.
Let me list the main tasks waiters can handle during your wedding:
| Task | Description | Average price on Yoojo (in £) |
|---|---|---|
| Welcoming guests | Guiding guests to different areas. | £90 |
| Handing out menus, game booklets, or seating plans. | £100 | |
| Serving the reception drinks | Serving drinks and canapés. | £140 |
| Managing the bar’s drink service (cocktails, wine, beer, etc.). | £130 | |
| Serving drinks during the meal. | £130 | |
| Table service | Presenting dishes and distributing plates. | £140 |
| Taking special orders and managing dietary restrictions. | £135 | |
| Table management | Replenishing drinks and keeping glasses clean. | £120 |
| Clearing empty plates after each course to prepare for the next. | £120 | |
| Coordinating with the caterer | Communicating with the kitchen to ensure dish availability and proper timing. | £140 |
| Managing timing for children’s tables. | £100 | |
| Maintaining the reception area | Cleaning common areas and wiping down tables. | £110 |
| Washing the dishes. | £130 | |
| Cloakroom management | Welcoming and then returning guests’ coats and personal items upon arrival. | £120 |
| Serving the wedding cake | Cutting the wedding cake and distributing portions to guests. | £105 |
| Presenting the cake and organizing the cake-cutting moment. | £85 | |
| Managing entertainment and transitions | Coordinating with any entertainment (first dance, entrance of the newly-weds, etc.). | £90 |
| Helping tidy up and restore the venue at the end of the event. | £130 |
Find waiting staff for your wedding
What’s the average hourly rate of a wedding waiter?
2 hours of service during the reception, or 6 hours to keep things running until late into the night? Depending on the duration of the task, the cost won’t be the same when you call on a waiter.
To give you a clearer idea, here’s the comparison of the average hourly rate:
Yoojo :
Professional wedding waiter :
1/ Providers set their own rates, Yoojo doesn’t impose prices. There’s no minimum package. The price depends on the task.
2/ The providers responding to your ad are often your neighbours: this drastically reduces travel costs.
3/ Providers can come for just one hour: no half-day packages like many traditional companies!
4/ Everything is digitized on Yoojo: that means you pay fewer fees than with a traditional agency.
They went through Yoojo for their wedding and found a waiter at the best price
Check out some examples of tasks ensuring top-quality service during weddings.
For each case, I’ll specify the duration of the service and the amount the client paid.
Example #1: Finding a wedding waiter for the reception drinks
💰 Total price paid: £52
⏳ Duration of the service: 4h
For this task, punctuality was crucial. The client had no trouble finding a reliable provider.
The added bonus was that the waiter also cleared the buffet after the reception drinks.
A complete service that made the reception run smoothly.
Example #2: Finding waiters and waitresses for the wedding lunch
💰 Total price paid: £70
⏳ Duration of the service: 3h
Booking a wedding date on a public holiday can cause problems finding available waiters.
But not for this client! His smart move: she posted her ad on Yoojo well in advance to ensure he had time to find the right people available in May.
Example #3: Finding a cheap waiter for an engagement party
💰 Total price paid: £60
⏳ Duration of the service: 4h
Before the wedding, there are engagement parties! This Yoojo client had a tight budget to plan her evening.
Luckily, on Yoojo, the providers interested in your offer propose their own rates adapted to your request.
You then choose the one that suits you best... and if you don’t book anyone, you don’t pay anything.
Example #4: Finding 2 waiters for the entire wedding
💰 Total price paid: £112
⏳ Duration of the service: 7h
To avoid feeling overwhelmed by wedding organization, this client carefully listed the tasks for her 2 waiters.
As a result, everything went smoothly, from setting up the buffet to clearing dishes, and keeping the bar stocked.
Conclusion: Your wedding service will be perfect!
Now that you know the prices of all the tasks a waiter can handle during a wedding, I’m sure you feel more relaxed.
No guest will be lost when it’s time to find their table. And everyone will have a glass of champagne ready for the toast.
To book a waiter's services, it’s up to you to choose the option that suits you: a specialized company or Yoojo (check the best waiters here). It’s your call, depending on your budget.
Now, all that’s left is to send out the invitations.
- Posting an ad on Yoojo is free and without obligation
- You only pay if you book a provider
- You can chat with providers before booking
- You can book from just 1 hour of service
- Our community helps you choose with ratings and reviews on each provider’s profile
- We only send your request to qualified providers available on your dates
- You release the payment once the service is completed
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How much does a waiter cost for a private event?
Find out how to organise a stress-free event with Yoojo's servers: a tailor-made service, adapted to your needs and the number of guests, for an unforgettable experience.