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Shaadi Hisab
اردوPlan

Updated 2026-11-04

How to calculate per-head catering for a shaadi

Multiply the guests at each function by the hall’s per-head menu price, add the hall charges (rent, AC) and then 10% withholding tax on the hall bill. With our middle national figures, 300 guests at Rs 2,600 a head plus Rs 100,000 hall charges comes to Rs 880,000, plus Rs 88,000 tax: Rs 968,000 for one function.

Step by step

  • Count people, not cards, for each function separately: mehndi, baraat and walima lists are rarely the same.
  • Ask each hall for its per-head price in writing, and what it includes: stage, lights, generator, service charges, tax.
  • Check the minimum guarantee: some venues charge for at least 250 guests whatever the turnout.
  • Add 10% withholding tax on the hall bill.
  • Two weeks before, give the caterer the confirmed headcount from your RSVPs plus a small margin, not the invited total.

Per-head ranges we found

  • National: Rs 1,200 to Rs 4,500. Low: a 2025 Lahore walima at Rs1,200 a head (The News on Sunday); a Bahawalpur marquee advertises one-dish menus from Rs1,450. Mid: midpoint of Rs2,000–3,200 advertised by a Rawalpindi marquee. High: top of the Rs1,000–4,500 range reported for Karachi in Dec 2025.
  • Karachi: Rs 1,000 to Rs 4,500. Rs1,000–4,500 a head depending on the menu (Business Recorder, Dec 2025); mid is the midpoint.
  • Islamabad: Rs 1,890 to Rs 6,400. Rs1,890–6,400 advertised by an E-11 venue; mid is the midpoint.
  • Rawalpindi: Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,200. Rs2,000–3,200 advertised by a Rawalpindi marquee; mid is the midpoint.

The one-dish rule changes the menu

  • In Punjab, One dish only at a public place: one salan, one rice dish, one salad, hot and cold drinks, roti, naan and one sweet dish (s.2(d), s.4). This binds the host and also the hall owner, manager and caterer (s.5). A meal at home is not covered.
  • In Islamabad, One dish in a club, hotel, restaurant, wedding hall, community centre or any other place: one salan, rice with roti, one sweet dish, with hot and cold soft drinks (s.4 as amended). A meal at home for family and house guests is exempt.
  • In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, At rukhsati, baraat and walima: one rice dish, one gravy (salan) dish, one dry dish, naan or roti, salad and a sweet dish (s.2(e)). At engagement, mehndi and nikah: drinks only (s.4(b)). Applies to private residences and farmhouses too (s.2(g)).
Calculate per functionOne dish rules by province

Questions

Is the hall rent included in the per-head price?

Often not. Hall charges in our estimate run from Rs 0 to Rs 215,000 per function. Low: a Rawalpindi marquee waives its hall charge from 250 guests. Mid: the same marquee’s hall charge from Rs100,000. High: a Lahore marquee’s Rs180,000 venue charge plus Rs35,000 for AC.

How much tax is charged on a wedding hall bill?

10% withholding tax on the hall bill (FBR).

Sources