Wedding Budget Calculator
Split a total wedding budget across venue, catering, photography, flowers, attire and more using typical percentages, and see the cost per guest. Calculates in your browser.
Cost per guest
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Show the math
Each category is a share of your total budget using common wedding planning rules of thumb; the per-guest figure is the total divided by your headcount:
category = total × percent ÷ 100
Venue and catering usually take the largest slice (around 40%). Treat the split as a starting point and shift money toward what matters most to you.
Percentages are typical estimates, not a quote. Everything is calculated in your browser.
What this does
A wedding budget calculator splits a total across venue, catering, photography, flowers, attire, and more using typical percentages, and shows the cost per guest.
How to use it
- Enter your total budget.
- Enter your guest count.
- Adjust the category percentages.
- Read each category and the cost per guest.
How it works
A common US split puts ~40% to venue and catering, ~12% photography, ~10% flowers, and 8% each to attire and music. These are rules of thumb — shift money toward what matters most.
category cost = total budget × category %
Understanding your result
The split is a set of rules of thumb, not a prescription, so move money toward what matters most to you and trim the rest. The cost-per-guest figure is the real lever: because catering and venue scale with headcount, cutting the guest list lowers the total far faster than shaving individual categories. Hold back about 5 percent as contingency for the extras that always appear.
Example
A $30,000 budget for 100 guests is about $12,000 venue/catering and $300 per guest.
Sources & methodology
Last updated .
Frequently asked questions
How should I split a wedding budget?
A common US split puts about 40% toward venue and catering, then roughly 12% photography, 10% flowers and décor, 8% each for attire and music, with the rest across cake, stationery, rings, transport and a buffer.
What is the average cost per guest?
It varies widely, but dividing your total budget by your headcount gives a useful per-guest figure to sanity-check the guest list against the budget.
Are these percentages fixed?
No, they are planning rules of thumb. Shift money toward whatever matters most to you; the categories are a starting point, not a quote.
Is my data kept?
No. Everything is computed locally in your browser.
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