How the split works
The calculator spreads your total budget across 16 categories using a common starting split: about a fifth for the venue, a quarter for catering and drinks, a tenth for photography, and smaller shares for everything else, with 5% kept aside for surprises.
It is a starting point, not a rule. If photography matters most to you, give it more and take it from somewhere you care less about. The total should still add up to 100%.
Budget per guest
Guest count drives most of the cost: catering, drinks, rentals, invitations and favors all scale with it. Dividing your budget by your guest count is the quickest way to see whether a venue or caterer quote fits. If catering per guest looks low for the menu you want, a shorter guest list usually helps more than cutting anything else.
Keep the 5% contingency
Almost every couple meets a cost they did not plan for: alterations, a rehearsal dinner, overtime for the photographer, extra rentals. Keeping 5% unspent until the final month is what stops those from pushing you over budget.
The formulas behind it
Every result cell is a plain spreadsheet formula, so you can check the math or rebuild it yourself.
| Cell | Result | Formula |
|---|---|---|
| B6 | Venue (20%) | =B2*20% |
| B7 | Catering & drinks (25%) | =B2*25% |
| B8 | Photography (10%) | =B2*10% |
| B9 | Videography (4%) | =B2*4% |
| B10 | Attire & alterations (7%) | =B2*7% |
| B11 | Hair & makeup (2%) | =B2*2% |
| B12 | Flowers & decor (8%) | =B2*8% |
| B13 | Music & entertainment (5%) | =B2*5% |
| B14 | Planner or coordinator (4%) | =B2*4% |
| B15 | Rings (3%) | =B2*3% |
| B16 | Invitations & postage (2%) | =B2*2% |
| B17 | Cake & desserts (2%) | =B2*2% |
| B18 | Transportation (1%) | =B2*1% |
| B19 | Officiant & license (1%) | =B2*1% |
| B20 | Favors & gifts (1%) | =B2*1% |
| B21 | Contingency (5%) | =B2*5% |
| B22 | Budget per guest | =B2/B3 |
| B23 | Catering & drinks per guest | =B7/B3 |