How to Plan a Catered Event in Melbourne: Timeline, Quantities & Checklist

Great catering doesn't happen by accident. Whether it's a wedding, a milestone birthday or a team lunch, the events that run smoothly are the ones where the food was planned weeks out, with the right quantities and nothing left to chance on the day.

This is the plan we'd follow ourselves: a week-by-week timeline, how much food to order per person, the venue and delivery questions people forget, and the mistakes we see most often across Melbourne events.

Your Catering Timeline

4–6 weeks out (weddings and events over 100 guests)

• Shortlist caterers and request quotes. Send each one the same brief so the quotes are comparable: date, rough headcount, venue suburb, format and budget per head.
• Book your date. Popular caterers fill up first in spring, and November and December are the busiest months of the year.
• Ask about a tasting if it's a wedding or a large event.

2 weeks out

• Choose your format and menu (more on formats below).
• Survey dietary needs. Ask guests directly: gluten-free, vegetarian or vegan, dairy-free, nut allergies, halal.
• Check the venue rules: delivery access, kitchen or bench space, and any approved-caterer restrictions.

1 week out

• Confirm your final headcount. Most caterers need it 3–5 business days before the event.
• Send the final dietary list, with names next to each requirement so the right person gets the right meal.
• Lock in the delivery window and who will meet the driver.

The day before

• Reconfirm the delivery time and the on-site contact's mobile number.
• Clear and measure the serving table. A buffet for 30 needs roughly two metres of table.

On the day

• Have the space clear 30 minutes before delivery.
• Put dietary meals aside first, clearly labelled, before the buffet opens.
• Take photos of the food before anyone digs in. You'll want them later.

How Much Food Per Person?

The most common question we get, and the easiest to get wrong. These are rules of thumb; your caterer should adjust them for your crowd and timing.

Format	Allow per guest
Finger food before a meal (1 hour)	4–6 pieces
Finger food as the meal (2–3 hours)	10–15 pieces
Lunch box	1 box
Hot buffet	1 serve of each main, plus sides
Sweet bites after a meal	1–2 pieces

Two adjustments that matter:

• Add about 10% for late additions, and order for confirmed guests, not invitations.
• Timing changes appetite. A cocktail party that runs through dinnertime needs the top of the range; a mid-afternoon event needs the bottom.

Choosing a Format

• Lunch boxes — best for corporate lunches and casual events. Everyone gets the same portion, there's no queue, and dietary meals are easy to label by name.
• Hot buffet — best for weddings, birthdays and celebrations where people sit down to eat. Generous, communal and festive.
• Finger food — best for cocktail parties, engagements and networking, where guests stand and mingle with a drink in hand.
• A mix — finger food on arrival, then a buffet as the main event, works well for weddings and big birthdays.

For what each format costs, see our Melbourne catering cost guide.

Venue and Delivery: The Questions People Forget

Melbourne venues and office buildings each have their own rules. Check these before the day:

• Where does the driver park? CBD buildings often have a loading dock or loading zone with time limits.
• Is there a lift, and does it need a booking or a swipe card?
• Who signs for the delivery? Give your caterer a name and a mobile number, not just a building.
• Is there table space? Hot food served in chafing dishes needs a stable table, away from where people walk.
• What time can the caterer get in? Some venues only allow access an hour before the event.

Planning by Event Type

• Weddings — book 4–6 weeks ahead, plan a tasting, and give the caterer your run sheet so the food lands at the right moment between speeches. See our wedding catering page.
• Birthdays and parties — decide early whether it's a sit-down meal or a stand-up party; that one choice sets your format and quantities. See our party catering page.
• Corporate lunches and events — confirm headcount with the organiser's calendar, ask about invoicing, and choose individual boxes for working lunches. See our corporate catering page.

Mistakes We See Most Often

1. Booking too late — leave at least 3–5 business days for standard events, and 2–4 weeks for weddings and events over 100 guests.
2. Ordering for invitations, not confirmed guests — you'll pay for food nobody eats.
3. Forgetting dietary needs until the day — someone always misses out. A naturally gluten-free menu removes the biggest one.
4. No one to meet the driver — hot food waits in a foyer while someone searches for the event.
5. Choosing on price alone — the cheapest quote often means cold food and small portions.

How La Charito Makes It Easy

We cater events for 10 to 500 guests across Melbourne, with hot drop-off delivery from our Port Melbourne kitchen. Everything except the tequeños is naturally gluten-free, so one menu covers most dietary needs, and approved corporate accounts can pay on Net 30 invoices. Standard events need 3–5 business days' notice; weddings and events over 100 guests, 2–4 weeks.

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Planning an event in Melbourne? Request a quote from La Charito — Latin American catering from 50 years of family recipes, naturally gluten-free, from $25 per person.