Wedding Guides / Budget
How to create a wedding budget
Start from what things cost, not from a number you hope will work. Here's the order that keeps a budget honest.
9 MIN READ
Start with the guest count
Nearly every large wedding cost is priced per person: dinner, drinks, chairs, place settings, cake, favors, transport. Before you choose a total, write down a realistic guest number. Cutting twenty guests usually saves more than every decor decision you'll make combined.
Do this before you tour venues. A venue that quotes beautifully for eighty people can be unaffordable at a hundred and forty, and you won't see that until the proposal arrives.
Rule of thumb
Multiply your expected guest count by the local per-head catering rate. If that number alone is more than half your total, either the total or the list has to move.
The category split
Once you have a total, split it by category before you talk to a single vendor. These percentages are a starting point, not a rule. Move money toward whatever you'll remember.
| Category | Share of budget | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Venue and catering | 40 – 50% | Usually priced per head, so the guest list moves this most. |
| Photography and video | 10 – 15% | One of the few things you keep afterwards. |
| Flowers and decor | 8 – 10% | Seasonal blooms cost a fraction of imported ones. |
| Music and entertainment | 5 – 10% | A band costs roughly three times a DJ. |
| Attire and beauty | 5 – 8% | Include alterations, they're rarely quoted upfront. |
| Stationery and signage | 2 – 3% | Digital RSVPs cut this sharply. |
| Rings | 2 – 3% | Separate from the engagement ring. |
| Contingency | 5 – 10% | Not optional. Something always moves. |
Leave a contingency
Hold back five to ten percent and don't allocate it. Quotes get revised, guest counts creep, and the weather forces a marquee decision in the last month. A contingency is the difference between a change of plan and a crisis.
The costs couples forget
Service charges and gratuities on catering, which can add eighteen to twenty-five percent. Vendor meals. Overtime rates after a set hour. Delivery, setup and breakdown fees. Alterations. Marriage license. Postage for invitations. Trial hair and makeup. Cake cutting fees, which are real and irritating.
Tracking what you've committed
A budget only stays true if you track three numbers per category: estimated, committed, and paid. Committed is the one couples skip, and it's the one that tells you what's actually left.
Related resource
The wedding budget planner
Estimated, committed and paid for every category, already set up. Free to download.
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