How to plan a wedding budget
The wedding budget is the single most important number in the entire planning process. It decides the venue, the guest count, the dress, the photographer, the honeymoon — every line item on the 14-category breakdown below. Most couples start with a number pulled out of the air, then discover two-thirds of the way through that the photographer alone costs what they budgeted for the whole wedding. This calculator prevents that. Set the total honestly, distribute the percentages to match your priorities, and watch the pie chart. The number on the right of each row is the cap for that category — go over it only when you have a real quote, not a wish.
Start with the total, not the categories
Most US wedding industry surveys put the 2026 median wedding at $30,000-$35,000 for ~130 guests. The 14 categories below are weighted toward that median. If your budget is different — $8,000 elopement, $80,000 luxury — change the total first, then drag the sliders. The percentages and pie chart will rescale automatically.
Lock in vendor quotes as you go
The slider is a planning tool, not a contract. When you get a real quote from a venue ($12,000 for the hall) or a photographer ($4,500 for 8 hours), override the slider amount with the actual number. The gap between your budget and the actual quote becomes obvious at a glance. The remaining categories stay at the percentages you set; you don't need to rebalance them until you actually have data.
The three big-ticket categories set the tone
Venue, catering, and photography typically account for 60-70% of any wedding budget. Get those right and the rest falls into place. If you need to cut, cut catering (buffet vs. plated, or weeknight vs. Saturday) before you cut the photographer — the photos are what you keep forever, the food is gone in an hour.
Honeymoon is a separate line, not a "misc" line
Put the honeymoon in its own category. If you treat it as miscellaneous, it'll be the first thing you cut when overruns happen elsewhere. The honeymoon is the actual wedding present to yourselves — give it its own line and protect it.
14 wedding budget categories explained
- Venue & Reception (35-40%) — The biggest line. Includes the ceremony space, reception hall, ceremony + reception fees, and any required insurance.
- Catering & Bar (25-30%) — Per-head cost × guest count. Buffet usually runs $50-$80/head; plated $80-$150/head; bar $20-$40/head additional.
- Photography (10-12%) — 8 hours of coverage with an album runs $3,500-$6,000. Engagement shoot adds $400-$800.
- Videography (5-7%) — Same-day-edit or 60-90 second highlight runs $1,500-$4,000. Full ceremony + reception + editing runs $3,500-$8,000.
- Flowers & Decor (8-10%) — Bridal bouquet ($150-$300), centerpieces ($50-$150 each × table count), ceremony arch ($500-$2,000), venue decor.
- Attire & Beauty (8-10%) — Wedding dress $1,500-$4,000, suit/tux $400-$1,200, hair & makeup $300-$800, alterations $200-$500.
- Music & Entertainment (7-10%) — DJ $1,200-$2,500, live band $3,500-$8,000, ceremony musicians $500-$1,500, sound system rentals.
- Cake & Desserts (2%) — Wedding cake $400-$1,000, dessert table $200-$600.
- Rings & Jewelry (4-5%) — Engagement ring + wedding bands together. Excludes the engagement ring if already purchased.
- Invitations & Stationery (2-3%) — Save-the-dates, invitations, RSVPs, thank-you cards. Or $0 if you use the free digital tools on this site.
- Favors & Gifts (2-3%) — Guest favors ($3-$8 each), wedding party gifts ($50-$200 each × 6-10 people), parent gifts.
- Transportation (2%) — Limo for the couple $400-$1,000, guest shuttle $500-$1,500, parking.
- Honeymoon (5-8%) — International 7-10 days $5,000-$12,000. Domestic 5-7 days $2,500-$6,000.
- Miscellaneous (3-5%) — Tips, marriage license ($50-$100), wedding insurance ($200-$500), postage, alterations, the "we forgot" line.
Frequently asked questions
How does the wedding budget calculator work?
Enter your total wedding budget, pick a currency, and the tool distributes the amount across 14 standard categories using industry-average percentages. Drag any category's slider to adjust its share, or type a custom amount. The pie chart and per-category totals update in real time. Export as CSV when you're done.
What are the average wedding budget percentages?
Industry averages for a US wedding: Venue & Reception 35-40%, Catering & Bar 25-30%, Photography 10-12%, Videography 5-7%, Flowers & Decor 8-10%, Attire & Beauty 8-10%, Music & Entertainment 7-10%, Cake & Desserts 2%, Rings & Jewelry 4-5%, Invitations & Stationery 2-3%, Favors & Gifts 2-3%, Transportation 2%, Honeymoon 5-8%, Miscellaneous 3-5%. These add up to about 100% but can be rebalanced based on priorities.
Which currencies are supported?
USD ($), EUR (€), GBP (£), JPY (¥), CNY (¥), INR (₹), and KRW (₩). The currency is purely a display label — type the budget in your local currency and the breakdown uses the same symbol throughout.
Is the budget data private?
Yes. All budget values are stored in your browser's localStorage only. Nothing is uploaded to any server. Clear your browser storage to wipe the data.
Can I export the budget?
Yes. Hit Export CSV to download a comma-separated file with all 14 categories, percentages, and amounts. Open in Excel, Google Sheets, or any spreadsheet. Use Print for a clean PDF-ready layout.
From budget to wedding film
Once the budget is set, the next conversation is "what do we keep forever". For most couples that's the photos and the wedding film. Both are line items in the calculator — photo is 10-12% and video is 5-7%. Put them together and you're at 15-19% of the budget, which is a fair price for the only two things you'll watch 10 years from now. See how the AI wedding video service works if you want a 60-90 second cinematic film for under $10 per attendee. Get a free quote.