Quotation Template for Sri Lankan Wedding and Function Packages

Build the quote around a per-head package

Most Sri Lankan venues sell weddings as a per-head package: a buffet or set menu, the hall, basic decor and service staff. Colombo five-star hotels quote well above city reception halls, and outstation halls are cheaper again, but the structure is the same. Show the per-head rate, the menu option chosen, and the minimum number of guests the package assumes.

Then list the extras separately, because this is where comparisons break down. The poruwa and its decoration, Kandyan dancers for the entrance, jayamangala gatha singers, the DJ, the cake structure and cake boxes for guests, welcome drinks and a liquor package or corkage all vary widely between venues. A couple cannot compare two quotes when one includes the poruwa and the other does not.

Sample: Colombo hotel wedding package quotation

Saturday evening wedding reception for 300 guests in a Colombo hotel banquet hall, 6:30 pm to 11:30 pm, quoted by a VAT-registered hotel with VAT shown separately.

• Minimum 280 guests; additional guests at Rs 6,500 each; final numbers 10 days before.
• Quotation number 26SEP_WEDQ_00412, valid for 30 days; price held once the advance is paid, subject to changes in taxes.
• If your hotel adds a service charge, show it on its own line and state whether VAT is applied to it.

Write the taxes out instead of "plus taxes"

"Rs 6,500 per head plus taxes" is the most common phrase on Sri Lankan venue quotes and the least helpful. If you are VAT-registered, say that VAT at 18% is added and show the VAT amount. If you add a service charge, which is common in hotels, show that on its own line too and say whether VAT is calculated on it, so the couple can check the arithmetic.

If you are below the VAT registration threshold of Rs 15 million a quarter or Rs 60 million a year, do not add VAT at all. Only registered persons may charge it.

SSCL is different. It is a 2.5% levy on your own turnover, not a tax on the customer's bill, so it is not a separate line the IRD requires. Most venues simply build it into the per-head price. If you choose to mention it, be clear that it is part of your price and not a government charge added on top.

Number your quotations the way the IRD numbers invoices

From 1 July 2026, VAT-registered persons must number tax invoices as YYMMM_QQQQ_XXXXX: the year, the month, a classification code of up to 15 characters, and a sequential number. IRD Circular SEC/2026/E/03 expressly says the QQQQ part may also be used to classify other documents, including proforma invoices and quotation invoices.

That is worth adopting. A quotation numbered 26SEP_WEDQ_00412 and the tax invoice that follows it, 26DEC_WED_01937, sit in the same system and are easy to match in an audit. It also stops staff inventing their own numbering on a spreadsheet. When a couple calls about "the quote you sent in September", the number tells you which version they mean, and whether it was superseded by a revised one after the tasting.

What your quotation must show in Sri Lanka

Validity dates and price changes

Food, fuel and electricity costs in Sri Lanka have moved sharply in recent years, and couples book 6 to 12 months ahead. Give the quote a validity period and say what happens to the per-head rate if the booking is confirmed but the wedding is next year. Many venues hold the price once the advance is paid and reserve the right to revise it for changes in taxes. Put that wording on the quote rather than surprising the couple later.

State the auspicious time (nakath) slots the hall can accommodate, the start and end time of the function, and the overtime charge per hour. Morning poruwa ceremonies and evening receptions on the same day are common, and the quote must say which slot is being priced.

Advance, payment schedule and cancellation

Typical terms are an advance to confirm the date, a second payment around a month before, and the balance a few days before or on the day. Say whether the advance is refundable, how cancellation charges rise as the date approaches, and whether a postponed wedding can move the advance to a new date.

Quote in rupees even when diaspora family members pay from abroad. Tax invoices may only be issued in foreign currency with Central Bank approval, and then must also show rupee values, so a rupee quotation keeps the later invoice simple.

• Advance amount and date, and what it secures
• Second installment and balance dates
• Cancellation charges by period before the date
• Postponement rules
• Accepted payment methods and bank details

Quoting the home-coming and the liquor question

Quote the home-coming as its own document, even if the same family books both. It usually has a smaller guest list, a different menu and often a different paying family, and when the advance for one is mixed up with the other, somebody ends up asking for a refund of money that was never theirs.

Say plainly how liquor is handled. Some venues sell a liquor package per head, some allow the family to bring their own bottles against a corkage charge per bottle, and some do neither. Put the option, the price and the service hours on the quote. It is one of the lines couples compare most closely, and one of the first things to cause arguments at the end of the night.

Finally, list what the couple must supply themselves: the ashtaka, the poruwa ceremony items if the venue does not provide them, the band or DJ if they bring their own, and the photographer's meals. A short exclusions list prevents most of the calls you would otherwise get the week before.

Quotation questions from Sri Lanka