Wedding Budget Calculator by Category
This calculator splits one wedding budget across categories by percentage and shows the dollar amount for each. Start from the 12 suggested categories, then rename them or change the percentages, as long as they add up to 100%.
How to use it
A total wedding budget is easier to work with once it's broken into pieces. This page takes one number and divides it across categories by percent, so you can see what each part of the day would get before you start talking to vendors.
1. Enter your total budget
Type the full amount you plan to spend on the wedding, from every source combined.
2. Adjust the categories
The calculator starts with 12 categories:
- Ceremony 3%
- Reception venue 20%
- Catering & bar 25%
- Photo & video 10%
- Attire & beauty 8%
- Flowers & decor 8%
- Music & entertainment 8%
- Stationery 2%
- Rings & jewelry 3%
- Transportation 2%
- Gifts & favors 2%
- Other & fees 9%
These match the 12 groups in our wedding spreadsheet. They're a starting point to edit, not a recommendation or an average of real weddings. Rename any category, change its percent, remove it with ×, or add your own with + Add a category.
3. Get the percentages to 100%
The categories have to add up to exactly 100%. If you raise one category, lower another by the same amount. While they don't add up, a message shows the current sum (for example "now 95%"), and the amounts and totals stay blank until the sum is back at 100%. Percentages total then reads 100.00%.
4. Read the amounts
Each category shows its dollar amount: total budget × that category's percent. Under the table, Budget and Allocated should match. Amounts are rounded to the cent, and if rounding leaves a few cents over or short, those cents are spread one at a time across the categories that rounding moved furthest from their exact share, so the categories always add up to your budget exactly.
Ways to use it
- Start with your must-haves. If one part of the day matters most to you, raise its percent first and see what the other categories are left with.
- Test a total. Change the budget and every category updates, which makes it easy to compare a few budget levels side by side.
- Plan a contingency. The starting split's "Other & fees" category (9%) holds room for fees, tips and surprises. Keep it, rename it, or make a separate category for a buffer.
Keep in mind
These are planning targets, not quotes. Real prices depend on your location, date, guest count and vendors, and the calculator doesn't know any of those. Nothing you type is saved, so note your final split somewhere before you close the page.
Worked example
Try an example loads a $25,000 budget with the 12 starting categories:
- Ceremony 3%: $750
- Reception venue 20%: $5,000
- Catering & bar 25%: $6,250
- Photo & video 10%: $2,500
- Attire & beauty 8%: $2,000
- Flowers & decor 8%: $2,000
- Music & entertainment 8%: $2,000
- Stationery 2%: $500
- Rings & jewelry 3%: $750
- Transportation 2%: $500
- Gifts & favors 2%: $500
- Other & fees 9%: $2,250
Percentages total: 100.00%. Budget: $25,000.00. Allocated: $25,000.00.
FAQ
Where do the starting percentages come from?
They're the starting split for the 12 groups in our wedding spreadsheet. They aren't survey data or a typical wedding, so change them to fit your plans.
Why did the amounts stop changing?
The percentages no longer add up to exactly 100%. The message on the page shows the current sum. Adjust a category until it's back at 100% and the amounts update again.
Can I use more or fewer than 12 categories?
Yes. Remove any category with × or add one with + Add a category. Only the 100% total matters.