Free tool
Enter your total budget and guest count to see a category-by-category breakdown — venue, catering, photography, flowers, music, and more — plus your cost per guest.
| Category | Typical % | Budget |
|---|---|---|
| Venue & rentals | 22% | $6,600 |
| Catering & bar | 20% | $6,000 |
| Photography & video | 12% | $3,600 |
| Flowers & décor | 10% | $3,000 |
| Music & entertainment | 8% | $2,400 |
| Attire & beauty | 7% | $2,100 |
| Planner / coordination | 6% | $1,800 |
| Rings | 3% | $900 |
| Cake & desserts | 2% | $600 |
| Stationery & invitations | 2% | $600 |
| Transportation | 2% | $600 |
| Favors & gifts | 2% | $600 |
| Miscellaneous / buffer | 4% | $1,200 |
| Total | 100% | $30,000 |
A starting point based on typical wedding spending — shift dollars to what matters most to you. Planning the day itself? Use VenueFuze's free guest list, RSVPs, and seating chart.
A common breakdown puts the biggest share toward venue and catering (together often around 40%), then photography and video (~12%), flowers and décor (~10%), music (~8%), attire and beauty (~7%), and smaller slices for cake, stationery, rings, transportation, favors, and a buffer. This calculator applies those typical percentages to your total.
Divide your total budget by your guest count. Because catering, rentals, and favors scale with headcount, trimming the guest list is one of the most effective ways to lower the overall cost — the calculator shows your per-guest number live.
Venue and rentals are typically the single largest category, often around 20–25% of the budget on their own (and more once catering is included). It's the first number to lock in, since it shapes everything else.
Yes — VenueFuze's guest list, self-serve RSVPs, meal and dietary tracking, and a drag-and-drop seating chart are free to use for a private event; you only pay if you sell tickets or add-ons.