Wedding Budget Calculator
Estimate wedding costs by guest count and style, with category breakdown (venue, catering, photography, attire, flowers).
What this calculates
US weddings averaged $30,000 in 2025 — wildly variable by location and style. This calculator estimates a budget based on guest count and style tier, with typical percentage breakdowns by category (venue + catering ~40 %, photo/video ~12 %, attire ~10 %, etc.) so you can compare against vendor quotes.
Formula & how it works
Total ≈ guests × per_guest_factor × style_multiplier. Per-guest baseline: $200 budget tier, $400 standard, $700 premium, $1200+ luxury. Includes everything. Breakdown: venue 15 %, catering 30 %, photography 10 %, video 4 %, flowers 8 %, attire 5 %, music 5 %, cake 2 %, invitations 2 %, rings 5 %, planner 10 %, miscellaneous 4 %.
Worked example
120 guests, standard tier: 120 × 400 = $48,000. Allocate: venue $7,200, catering $14,400, photo $4,800, flowers $3,840, music $2,400, etc. Same 120 guests, budget tier: $24,000. Luxury: $144,000. Style choice dominates per-guest cost.
Frequently asked questions
What's the average?
US: ~$30K (with huge variance — median is lower around $20K). UK: £20K. India: 5-20 lakh INR depending on region/community. Big-city weddings cost 30-50 % more than suburban.
Where can I cut?
Guest count is by far the biggest lever. Cutting from 150 to 75 typically halves the total. Other savings: weekday or Sunday wedding (20-30 % venue discount), off-season month, brunch reception, shorter event window.
Should we hire a planner?
For weddings over $30K, often pays for itself in vendor discounts and stress reduction. For tighter budgets, a 'month-of' coordinator (~$1,500-3,000) is the sweet spot — handles logistics without full planning cost.
What's commonly forgotten?
Hair/makeup trials, marriage license, transportation, tips for vendors (15-20 %), thank-you cards/postage, alterations, post-wedding cleanup, gifts for wedding party. Add ~10 % buffer for these.