Wedding budget calculator
A budget is a split, not a number. Enter the total and the guest count; every category re-prices as you change either, and the per-guest line shows what the next invitation costs.
Per guest
$300
whole budget ÷ guests
Moves with headcount
59%
$17,700 of the budget is guest-driven
Ten more guests
+$1,770
flat lines held flat
| Category | Share | Amount | Per guest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue, catering & drinks per guest The line that scales with headcount. Almost everything else is flat. | $13,500 | $135 | |
| Photography & video Flat — the photographer costs the same for 60 guests or 160. | $3,600 | $36 | |
| Attire, hair & makeup | $2,400 | $24 | |
| Flowers & decor per guest Centrepieces scale with table count, so partly per-guest. | $2,400 | $24 | |
| Music & entertainment | $2,100 | $21 | |
| Rings | $900 | $9 | |
| Invitations & stationery per guest Per household rather than per guest, but it moves with the list. | $600 | $6 | |
| Cake & desserts per guest | $600 | $6 | |
| Officiant & ceremony | $600 | $6 | |
| Transportation | $600 | $6 | |
| Favors & gifts per guest | $600 | $6 | |
| Contingency Not optional. Something will cost more than quoted; this is where it comes from. | $2,100 | $21 | |
| Total | 100% | $30,000 | $300 |
Split adds up. Edit any share — the amounts follow.
Then seat them — free, no sign-up, saves in your browser.
Frequently asked
- How do I split a wedding budget?
- Start with venue, catering and drinks at roughly half, because it is the only line that grows with every guest. Photography is the next largest flat cost. Then hold back a contingency before you allocate the rest — the split above does that for you and every percentage is editable.
- How much does each guest cost?
- Divide the whole budget by the guest count for the headline figure, but the useful number is smaller: only the guest-driven lines — catering, bar, cake, stationery, favours, part of the flowers — actually move when you add a name. The calculator shows both, and what ten more guests would cost.
- What is the cheapest way to cut a wedding budget?
- Cut guests, not vendors. Every flat line (photographer, band, dress, rings) costs the same whether 80 or 120 people come, so removing a vendor saves that vendor once; removing ten guests saves catering, drinks, cake, a centrepiece and a table rental at once, and keeps saving on every line tied to headcount.
- How much should I keep as a contingency?
- Somewhere between five and ten percent, set aside before you start spending. Quotes rise between booking and the day — extra hours, service charges, a second bar, the alterations nobody budgeted for — and a contingency is the difference between absorbing that and borrowing for it.
- Does the budget include the honeymoon or the rings?
- That is your call, and it is the first decision to make, because it changes the split for everything else. The default here includes rings and excludes the honeymoon. Set the rings line to zero if they are already bought.
- Is this a template I can download?
- It is better than one: change the guest count and every line re-prices. When the split looks right, print the page or copy the table into your own spreadsheet. Nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere.