Wedding Budget Calculator
Tell the calculator one honest number — the total you can truly spend — and it hands you back a complete wedding budget, line by line: venue, food, flowers, photos, and all the little things couples forget. No spreadsheets, no guesswork, and no panic at the checkout line. This is the very same worksheet I used with my Charleston couples for years, sweetie — and now it’s yours, free.
How the Calculator Works
- Start with your total. Not the dream number — the real one. What can you spend and still sleep at night?
- Add your guest count. Guests drive more costs than anything else — food, drinks, chairs, favors, all of it.
- Get your split instantly. The calculator divides your total across every category using the proportions I recommend after two decades of weddings.
- Make it yours. Nudge any line up or down — splurge on the photographer, trim the flowers — and the rest adjusts so your total always stays honest.
What the Calculator Covers
Every line a real wedding actually has — including the sneaky ones:
- Venue & rentals
- Food & drink
- Photo & video
- Attire & beauty
- Flowers & decor
- Music & entertainment
- Cake
- Paper goods & rings
- The just-in-case fund — the line that saves the day
A Sample Split — the $10,000 Wedding
Here’s the split the calculator gives for a $10,000 wedding. Enter $6,000 or $25,000 instead, and every line rescales to fit — the proportions stay Diane-approved.
| Category | Budget |
|---|---|
| Venue & rentals | $2,700 |
| Food & drink | $2,600 |
| Photo & video | $1,200 |
| Attire & beauty | $900 |
| Flowers & decor | $700 |
| Paper & rings | $550 |
| Music | $500 |
| Just-in-case fund | $500 |
| Cake | $350 |
| Total | $10,000 |
Diane’s Rules for a Budget That Works
- Pick your top three. Choose the three things guests will actually remember — usually the food, the music, and how the day felt — and let those lines lead.
- Protect the just-in-case fund. Something always pops up. A 5% cushion turns a crisis into a shrug.
- Let the guest list do the saving. Ten fewer guests can free up hundreds — the calculator shows you exactly how much.
Open the calculator full-screen
Planning the paper goods too? Visit the Wedding Invitation Maker — pretty invitations at a lemonade price.