Free tool · No sign-up
Wedding Budget Calculator
Enter what you want to spend and how many guests you expect. You get a starting budget for every category, your cost per guest, and a place to track quotes and payments as they come in. Change any share or amount and everything else updates.
Wedding budget
How the calculator splits your budget
It starts from a common split: roughly half for the venue, food and drinks, about a fifth for photos, video and music, and the rest for flowers, attire, rings, stationery and the smaller items, plus a buffer. These are starting points, not rules. If the venue includes catering, or you're skipping video, move that share to what matters more to you.
| Category | Default share | On a $30,000 budget | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | 24% | $7,200 | Ceremony and reception site fees. Check what is included: tables, chairs, staff, cleanup. |
| Catering and service | 21% | $6,300 | Food, staff and service charges. Usually priced per guest. |
| Bar and drinks | 6% | $1,800 | Alcohol, mixers, bartenders, corkage or bar packages. |
| Photography | 9% | $2,700 | |
| Videography | 3% | $900 | Set to 0% if you are skipping video. |
| Music and entertainment | 6% | $1,800 | Band or DJ, ceremony musicians, sound system. |
| Flowers and decor | 8% | $2,400 | Bouquets, centerpieces, ceremony flowers, candles, signage. |
| Rentals and lighting | 3% | $900 | Linens, extra furniture, tent, lighting, dance floor. |
| Attire and beauty | 6% | $1,800 | Dress or suit, alterations, accessories, hair and makeup. |
| Wedding rings | 3% | $900 | |
| Stationery | 2% | $600 | Save-the-dates, invitations, postage, programs, signs. |
| Cake and desserts | 2% | $600 | |
| Transportation | 1% | $300 | |
| Officiant and license | 1% | $300 | Officiant fee, marriage license, ceremony fees. |
| Favors and gifts | 1% | $300 | Guest favors and gifts for the wedding party and parents. |
| Planner or coordinator | 0% | $0 | Full planners and day-of coordinators vary widely; add a share if you are hiring one. |
| Buffer for surprises | 4% | $1,200 | Service charges, tips, overtime, last-minute fixes. |
What weddings cost on average
The Knot's 2026 Real Weddings Study, a survey of 10,474 US couples married in 2025, puts the average wedding at $34,200 for 117 guests, about $292 per guest. Some of the average costs it reports for couples who hired each vendor:
| Vendor or item | Average cost |
|---|---|
| Reception venue | $12,900 |
| Catering | $80 per person |
| Photographer | $3,000 |
| Videographer | $2,300 |
| Florist | $2,800 |
| Live band | $4,500 |
| DJ | $1,800 |
| Wedding dress | $2,100 |
| Wedding rings | $3,000 |
| Alcohol | $2,800 |
| Event rentals | $2,000 |
| Event planner | $2,100 |
| Cake | $540 |
| Invitations and stationery | $510 |
Source: The Knot, This Is the Average Wedding Cost. Averages hide wide differences by region, season and guest count, so treat them as a sense check rather than a target.
The guest count is the biggest lever
Catering, drinks, cake, stationery and favors are priced per guest, and every extra guest can also mean a bigger venue and more tables, chairs and centerpieces. The calculator shows what the per-guest categories come to in your plan, so you can see roughly what ten fewer guests would free up. Cutting the list is usually worth more than shaving a little off every vendor. The wedding guest list tracker estimates how many of your invited guests will actually come.
Ways to make the budget go further
- Pick your top three. Agree on the three things that matter most to you both and spend there; trim everything else.
- Look at the date. Fridays, Sundays and off-season months often come with lower venue minimums.
- Ask what's included. Venue packages may already cover tables, chairs, linens, setup and a coordinator, which can remove whole categories.
- Read the fine print on quotes. Service charges, taxes, overtime and delivery fees can add a lot to the headline price; put real quotes in "Quoted or paid".
- Keep the buffer. Tips, last-minute changes and small forgotten costs add up. A buffer of around 5% is a sensible floor.
Use it as a wedding budget spreadsheet
Spreadsheet (CSV) downloads every category with its share, budget, quotes and what's left, ready to open in Google Sheets or Excel if you want to add vendors, due dates or payment notes. Copy share link lets your partner or a parent open the same budget without an account. When you're ready to plan the rest, the wedding planning checklist and the wedding day timeline generator use the same wedding details.
Wedding budget FAQ
How much does the average wedding cost?
The Knot's 2026 Real Weddings Study, which surveyed 10,474 US couples married in 2025, found an average of $34,200 for 117 guests, or about $292 per guest. Costs vary widely by region, season and guest count, so the right number is the one you can comfortably pay.
How should I split my wedding budget?
A common starting point is about half for the venue, food and drinks, roughly a fifth for photography, video and music, and the rest for flowers, attire, rings, stationery and smaller items, with a buffer for surprises. Then move money toward the few things you care about most.
How much should we budget per guest?
Divide your total by your guest count; the calculator shows the result as you type. The categories that grow with each guest, such as food, drinks, cake, stationery and favors, are shown separately so you can see what changing the guest list would do.
How much should we set aside for unexpected costs?
A buffer of 5 to 10 percent is a common rule of thumb. Service charges, tips, overtime and last-minute fixes are easy to forget when you add up quotes.
Should the budget include the engagement ring and honeymoon?
Most couples track them separately. The Knot's study reports them separately too, with averages of $4,600 for the engagement ring and $5,500 for the honeymoon. The calculator includes wedding bands but not these; add them as categories if you want one total.
Is my budget saved? Who can see it?
It is saved in this browser on this device only and is not sent to our server. A share link carries your numbers inside the link, so anyone you send it to can see them.
Last updated
