Wedding Budget Calculator

Venue & rentals: ~22%. Ceremony + reception space, tables, chairs, linens, dance floor.

Catering & bar: ~23%. Food per plate, bar package (open vs limited), service charge.

Photography & video: ~12%. The single best investment in 'things you'll still have in 20 years'.

Attire & beauty: ~8%. Dress, suit, alterations, hair, makeup, day-of touch-ups.

Flowers & decor: ~8%. Bouquets, boutonnieres, centerpieces, ceremony arch, candles.

Music & entertainment: ~8%. DJ ($1,500–3,500) or band ($3,500–10,000+), ceremony musician, lighting.

Rings, cake, stationery, transportation, gifts/favors: ~13% combined.

Contingency buffer: ~6%. Tips, taxes, last-minute additions — never zero this out.

Catering: per-plate. 100 more guests at $80/head = $8,000 more.

Bar: per-drinker, per-hour. Add ~$25/person for a 4-hour open bar.

Cake: per-slice (~$5/slice for grocery, $8–15/slice for designer).

Invitations + postage: ~$5/guest (suite + return address + RSVP postage).

Favors / welcome bags: $5–15/guest if you do them.

Transportation: charter buses run $1,200–2,000 per bus (~55 guests).

Tables, chairs, linens, place settings: ~$15–35/guest if not included in the venue.

Day-of-week: Friday or Sunday venues run 20–40% less than Saturday. Off-peak months (January–March, late November) can save another 10–20%.

Flowers: ask for in-season + locally grown; ~30% cheaper. Reuse ceremony arrangements at the reception. Fewer, larger centerpieces beat many small ones.

Bar: limit to beer, wine, and one signature cocktail. Saves ~40% over a full open bar without anyone noticing.

Cake: order a smaller display cake + sheet cake in the back for serving. Slice cost stays the same, but the display fee shrinks.

Stationery: digital save-the-dates, paper invitations only. Saves $1–3 per guest.

Total budget: $35,000 ÷ 120 guests = $292 per head, all-in. That's a middle-of-the-road US wedding — comfortable but with real tradeoffs.

Standard allocation: Venue & rentals 22% = $7,700. Catering & bar 23% = $8,050 (~$67/head — fine for buffet or family-style, tight for a plated 3-course meal). Photo & video 12% = $4,200. Attire & beauty 8% = $2,800. Flowers & decor 8% = $2,800. Music 8% = $2,800 (comfortable DJ budget; band would force cuts elsewhere). Rings, cake, stationery, transportation, gifts/favors combined 13% = $4,550. Contingency 6% = $2,100.

The 6% contingency ($2,100) absorbs vendor tips (typically 15–20% on catering and beauty), sales tax not included in vendor quotes (~6–9% in most states), and the last-month additions every couple makes (welcome bag upgrades, extra rentals, alterations). Zeroing it out is the most common reason couples blow their budget.

Cutting the guest list to 90 instead of trimming categories: catering drops from $8,050 to roughly $6,040, bar drops ~$750, invitations + favors drop ~$300, smaller venue saves ~$500. Total saved: about $3,600 — money that can be redirected to photography or attire without anyone noticing the headcount change.