Wedding Budget Percentage Breakdown Calculator
See your wedding budget split by category, as a percentage and a dollar amount, plus the cost per guest. Use the suggested split, set your own, or estimate a budget from your guest count.
- Cost per guest
- $300
| Category | % | Amount | Per guest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue & Rentals | 40% | $12,000 | $120 |
| Catering & Bar | 22% | $6,600 | $66 |
| Photography & Video | 12% | $3,600 | $36 |
| Flowers & Decor | 8% | $2,400 | $24 |
| Music / Entertainment | 7% | $2,100 | $21 |
| Attire & Beauty | 5% | $1,500 | $15 |
| Stationery | 3% | $900 | $9 |
| Misc / Buffer | 3% | $900 | $9 |
| Total | 100% | $30,000 | $300 |
How a wedding budget percentage breakdown works
A common starting point is to split your total budget by category. Most couples land near: venue & rentals ~40%, catering & bar ~22%, photography & video ~12%, flowers & decor ~8%, music/entertainment ~7%, attire & beauty ~5%, stationery ~3%, and a misc/buffer ~3%. The calculator above shows these as both a percentage and a dollar amount, and you can switch to My own categories to set your own split or Estimate by guests to build a total from scratch.
How much to budget per guest
Per-guest cost is the figure caterers quote against, so it's the number to watch. Rough per-guest ranges many couples use:
- Catering & bar: ~$70-$130 per guest (often the single largest per-head cost).
- Rentals (tables, linens, place settings): ~$10-$25 per guest.
- Stationery (invitations, save-the-dates): ~$4-$8 per guest.
- Favors: ~$3-$8 per guest.
Costs like the venue, photographer, flowers, and music are mostly fixed: they don't scale much with headcount, which is why the Estimate by guests mode separates fixed costs from per-guest costs. Enter your guest count and it scales the per-guest lines automatically.
Planning RSVPs too? Try the free wedding RSVP estimator to see how many invited guests are likely to attend.