Wedding Budget Calculator
Split a total wedding budget across the usual categories — venue, catering, photography, and the rest — using typical percentages.
These are typical shares from wedding-planning surveys: the venue and catering usually eat two-thirds of the budget, with photography, attire, flowers, and music splitting most of the rest. Every wedding is different — bump the categories that matter to you and trim the ones that don't. Change the total and the dollar amounts update instantly.
How it works
A wedding is really a stack of separate purchases, and the fastest way to sanity-check a budget is to see where each dollar is supposed to go. This tool splits your total across the categories most couples spend on, using shares drawn from wedding-planning surveys.
The venue and catering dominate — together they typically take about two-thirds of everything. Photography and video, attire, flowers, music, and the cake divide most of what's left, with small slices for rings and a buffer for the inevitable extras.
Type in your total and the dollar amounts fill in immediately. Treat them as a starting map, not a rulebook: if a great photographer matters more to you than flowers, shift the money where your priorities actually are.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of a wedding budget goes to the venue?
Roughly 40 percent once you include rentals like tables, chairs, and linens. It's almost always the single biggest line, followed by catering and drinks at about a quarter of the total.
Are these percentages fixed?
No — they're a common baseline, not a rule. Backyard weddings spend far less on venue and more on food and rentals, while a destination wedding shifts the whole map. Adjust to fit your day.
Should I leave room for surprises?
Yes. This split reserves a small buffer for extras, but many planners suggest holding back an extra 5 to 10 percent of your own on top, because last-minute costs almost always appear.