Wedding budget
Wedding Budget Calculator
Split your total wedding budget across venue and catering, photography, attire, flowers, music and more, and see the cost per guest. Adjust every share to your priorities.
Starting shares you can change. They are a planning split, not national averages.
$30,000 wedding budget
$30,000 for 100 guests.
Compare this with the per-person quotes you get.
| Category | Share | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Venue, food and drink | 45% | $13,500 |
| Photography and video | 12% | $3,600 |
| Attire, hair and makeup | 8% | $2,400 |
| Flowers and decor | 8% | $2,400 |
| Music and entertainment | 6% | $1,800 |
| Rings | 3% | $900.00 |
| Invitations and stationery | 2% | $600.00 |
| Cake and desserts | 2% | $600.00 |
| Transportation | 2% | $600.00 |
| Favors and gifts | 2% | $600.00 |
| Buffer for surprises | 10% | $3,000 |
Your guest list stays in this browser. It is not uploaded, saved or used for ads or analytics, and files you import are read on your device. Refreshing or closing the page clears the chart, so use “Save project file” to keep working later. The seat finder link carries the names inside the link itself: anyone who has the link or QR code can read the list, so share it only with your guests.
Using the budget split
Enter the total you can spend and your guest count. Every category is a percentage you can change; the table shows dollars and the cost per guest. Food and venue are usually priced per person, so the per-guest figure is the one to compare with caterer quotes.
- Cut the guest list before cutting everything else: each guest adds food, drink, a chair, a place setting and stationery.
- Keep a buffer for surprises such as service charges, tips, overtime and taxes that quotes leave out.
- Download the CSV and add actual quotes next to each line as they come in.
Common questions
Are these percentages averages?
No. They are an editable starting split so the calculator works on first load. Your own priorities and local prices should replace them.
Also on this site
More tools to try.
Seating chart maker
Drag-and-drop seating plan with round, rectangular, head and desk tables, guest list import, group auto-assign, keep-apart pairs, print to PDF, CSV export and a QR seat finder.
Wedding Seating Chart Maker
Plan your reception seating with a head or sweetheart table, round guest tables and family groups, then print a seating chart sign and an A–Z escort list or share a QR code.
Classroom Seating Chart Maker and Random Seat Generator
Make a classroom seating chart with desks in rows, pairs or groups. Paste your class list, generate random seats in one click, keep certain students apart and print it.
Wedding Day Timeline Generator
Enter your ceremony time and get a printable wedding day timeline: hair and makeup start, photos with or without a first look, cocktail hour, toasts, dances and send-off.
Find My Seat
Guests: scan the QR code from the welcome sign, type your name and see your table. Hosts can make the code with the free seating chart maker.
The studio notebook
A useful place to begin.
Clear steps, considered details, and ideas you can put to use.
How to Make a Wedding Seating Chart, Step by Step
A practical order of work for turning a final RSVP list into a printed wedding seating chart, with timing, grouping tips and what to check before you print.
Wedding Seating Etiquette: Common Conventions and Your Options
How couples usually handle the head table, parents, divorced families, plus-ones, kids and tricky guests, with alternatives when the usual approach does not fit.
How Many People Fit at a Table: Round and Rectangular Sizes
Typical seat counts for round, rectangular and square tables from a party rental company, plus space per guest and aisle widths to plan around.
Classroom Seating Arrangements: Rows, Pairs, Groups and U-Shapes
When rows, pairs, groups of four, a horseshoe or stations work best, how to rotate seats, and practical tips for building a seating chart you can change.
Escort Cards, Place Cards and Seating Displays: What Each One Does
The difference between escort cards, place cards and a seating chart sign, how to choose between alphabetical and by-table displays, and when a QR code helps.
Import a Guest List From a Spreadsheet or RSVP Site
How to export a CSV from Google Sheets, Excel or an RSVP site, which columns the seating chart tool reads, and how to clean the list before importing.