Wedding Budget Calculator

How it is calculated

You enter one total budget, and the tool multiplies it by four fixed shares: venue × 0.40, catering × 0.25, photography × 0.12, and everything else × 0.23. The four shares add up to 100%, so the four lines add up to your total apart from possible one-cent rounding. The percentages are built in and cannot be changed, and they are a planning rule of thumb, not a quote: real splits depend on the country, guest count and season. The last line lumps together attire, flowers, music, stationery, transport and anything else. A budget of zero returns zeros, and a negative or empty budget returns no result. Amounts are shown in the page currency.

Common mistakes

• Entering only what the couple pays and forgetting contributions from families. The split is of the total pot, so enter the combined figure.
• Treating the venue or catering line as a firm quote. A venue that includes catering makes the venue share too small and the catering share too large; combine the two lines when you compare.
• Putting the budget per guest in the box. The field expects the whole-event total.
• Expecting the last line to cover only attire or flowers. It also has to absorb rings, music, invitations, travel and a contingency, so keep a reserve out of it.
• Assuming the fixed shares fit a small ceremony or a destination wedding, where the venue and photography shares are often very different.