Wedding budget calculator
Enter your total and guest count. The calculator splits the money across the usual categories, shows the cost per guest, and lets you rebalance with sliders.
Share of budget
| Venue, food & drink | $13,500 |
| Photo & video | $3,600 |
| Flowers & décor | $2,700 |
| Attire & beauty | $2,400 |
| Music & entertainment | $2,100 |
| Rings | $1,500 |
| Stationery & postage | $900 |
| Transport, favours, cake | $1,500 |
| Contingency | $1,800 |
| Total | $30,000 |
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Why the guest list is the real budget lever
Some costs are per guest (food, drink, chairs, favours, stationery, cake) and some are fixed whatever the size (photographer, attire, officiant, band). Drag the guest count and watch which part of the bill moves.
$22,200 total. Every 10 guests you cut saves $1,100; the fixed $9,000 doesn't change.
Fixed costs here assume $9,000 for photography, attire, music and officiant. Use the guest list calculator to see how many invitations produce a given headcount.
How to use the split
The default split is a starting point used by many planners: roughly half on the venue, food and drink, then photography, flowers and décor, attire, music and the smaller line items. Your priorities should change it. If photos matter most, drag photography up; the other categories rebalance so the total stays the same.
Hold back a contingency of about 5 to 10 percent for things that always appear late: service charges, tips, overtime, alterations and postage. Remember that caterers commonly add a service charge and tax on top of the per-head price, so ask for the all-in figure.
Stationery (save the dates, invitations, postage, menus and place cards) is usually a small slice. Making your own invitations with the free wedding invitation maker and printing them locally is one of the easier savings.
Questions people ask
How do I split a wedding budget?
Start with around half for the venue, food and drink, then roughly 10 to 12 percent each for photography and for flowers and décor, 8 percent for attire, and smaller shares for music, rings, stationery and extras, with 5 to 10 percent held as contingency. Adjust to your priorities.
What is a realistic cost per guest?
Divide your total by your guest count. Per-guest catering alone varies hugely by country and style, so get quotes from two or three local caterers early and build the rest of the budget around them.
Does this calculator save my numbers?
Yes, in this browser only, so you can come back later. Clear it any time from the privacy page.