Budget & money calculator
Wedding Budget Calculator
Enter your total budget and guest count to get a realistic, category-by-category spending plan. It reserves a contingency, flags a tight per-guest budget, and suggests where to cut. Pair it with the guest list calculator to lock in your headcount first.
Your budget plan
Recommended breakdown
- Venue & rentals30%
- $8,100
- Catering & drinks25%
- $6,750
- Photography & video12%
- $3,240
- Attire & beauty8%
- $2,160
- Entertainment8%
- $2,160
- Florals & decor8%
- $2,160
- Stationery & favors3%
- $810
- Transportation3%
- $810
- Miscellaneous3%
- $810
This is an estimate, not a guarantee. Wedding costs and quantities vary by region, season, and vendor — verify before you buy or sign.
Next: read Wedding Budget Breakdown: Where the Money Goes or fold this into a full plan.
Build your wedding planHow this is calculated
- Default allocation: venue 30%, catering 25%, photo/video 12%, attire/beauty 8%, entertainment 8%, florals/decor 8%, then stationery, transport, and miscellaneous at 3% each.
- With contingency on, 10% is reserved first and the remaining 90% is allocated.
- Your top priority shifts ~8 points toward that category, rebalanced from the others.
- Per-guest warnings use rough floors: ~$100 (lower-cost), $150 (average), $250 (higher-cost), $400 (luxury).
Every figure here is a well-worn planning rule of thumb, not a quote — use it to budget early, then lock in real numbers as you book.
Printable PDF planner
A polished, print-ready PDF of your results is coming soon.
Add this calculator to your site (free)
Copy the snippet to embed the wedding budget calculator on your blog or venue site. It stays free and links back to Wedding Math.
<iframe src="https://www.weddingmath.com/embed/wedding-budget-calculator" title="Wedding Budget Calculator by Wedding Math" width="100%" height="720" style="border:1px solid #e8e1d7;border-radius:14px;max-width:900px" loading="lazy"></iframe>Average wedding cost by state
Keep reading
Wedding Budget Breakdown: Where the Money Goes
A category-by-category percentage guide plus how to flex the numbers toward what matters most to you.
PrintableWedding Budget Breakdown Chart
A printable wedding budget percentage breakdown — how much to spend on venue, catering, photography, and everything else.
Related calculators
Wedding Budget Tracker
A running ledger of planned vs. actual spending for every wedding category, so you always know what's left. Free, no login, saved on your device.
Open →Vendor Tip Calculator
Suggested gratuities for every vendor, plus a cash-envelope checklist so nothing gets forgotten on the day.
Open →Wedding Savings Plan Calculator
How much to set aside each month (or each paycheck) so the money is there by the wedding date.
Open →Frequently asked questions
How should I split my wedding budget?
A common starting point is venue 30%, catering 25%, photography/video 12%, attire/beauty 8%, entertainment 8%, florals/decor 8%, and the remaining 9% across stationery, transportation, and miscellaneous. This calculator uses those defaults and shifts a little toward your top priority.
Should I keep a contingency fund?
Yes — we recommend reserving about 10% before allocating the rest. Weddings almost always have surprise costs (overtime, vendor meals, alterations, gratuities), and a buffer keeps you from going over.
What is a good budget per guest?
It varies widely by region. As a rough guide, lower-cost areas often start around $100/guest, average markets $150+, higher-cost areas $250+, and luxury markets $400+. If your per-guest number is low for your area, trimming the guest list is the most powerful fix.
Does this include taxes and gratuities?
The category amounts are pre-tax estimates. Build tax and gratuities into each vendor category, and lean on the contingency reserve for the extras that are easy to forget.
Last reviewed June 2026 by Jared Waterworth. Estimates use widely accepted wedding-planning rules of thumb — see how we estimate. Numbers vary by region, season, and vendor, so verify before you book or buy.