💍 Wedding Budget Calculator
Enter your total wedding budget to see a suggested breakdown across common categories, based on typical wedding spending proportions. Adjust as needed for your priorities.
How the split is worked out
There is only one input. The calculator multiplies your total by a fixed share for each of ten categories:
category amount = total budget × category shareThe shares are written into the page, not derived from anything you enter, and they add up to exactly 100%:
| Category | Share | On a $25,000 total |
|---|---|---|
| Venue & catering | 45% | $11,250 |
| Photography & video | 11% | $2,750 |
| Attire & beauty | 8% | $2,000 |
| Flowers & decor | 8% | $2,000 |
| Music & entertainment | 8% | $2,000 |
| Wedding rings | 4% | $1,000 |
| Invitations & stationery | 3% | $750 |
| Favors & gifts | 3% | $750 |
| Transportation | 2% | $500 |
| Miscellaneous / buffer | 8% | $2,000 |
Read the percentages as one habit, not a rule
These proportions reflect a fairly conventional catered sit-down reception. They shift hard with the shape of the day and with where you are:
- Venue-heavy markets. In an expensive city the 45% line often runs to 55-60% on its own, and everything else has to shrink to pay for it.
- Self-catered or backyard weddings. Drop that line and the remaining categories are suddenly under-funded at their listed percentages.
- Rings. The 4% is for bands bought as part of the wedding spend; an engagement ring bought a year earlier usually is not in this total.
toFixed(0), so ten rounded rows can add up to a dollar or two either
side of your total.Frequently asked questions
What percentage of a wedding budget goes to venue and catering?
This tool assumes 45%, which on a $25,000 budget is $11,250. Treat it as the single number to sanity-check first: if your quotes come in above it, the other nine categories have to absorb the difference.
Does the breakdown include tax, service charge and tips?
No. It splits whatever total you type, so if your caterer adds 20% service and 8% tax on top of the quoted price, enter a total that already covers them or you will overspend the venue line by roughly a quarter.
How do I change the percentages?
You cannot edit them here - the ten shares are fixed. Use the result as a starting draft, then move money between categories by hand: raise photography, take it out of favors and decor, and keep the total the same.