Split a wedding or event budget across categories by percentage or fixed amount, with the cost per guest and what is left to allocate.
$30,000.00 for 120 guests is $250.00 a head. Venue & catering takes the largest share (45%); the plan uses the whole budget.
| Category | Share | Amount | Per guest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue & catering | 45 % | $13,500.00 | $112.50 |
| Photography & video | 12 % | $3,600.00 | $30.00 |
| Attire & beauty | 8 % | $2,400.00 | $20.00 |
| Flowers & decor | 10 % | $3,000.00 | $25.00 |
| Music & entertainment | 8 % | $2,400.00 | $20.00 |
| Stationery | 3 % | $900.00 | $7.50 |
| Rings | 3 % | $900.00 | $7.50 |
| Transport | 3 % | $900.00 | $7.50 |
| Contingency | 8 % | $2,400.00 | $20.00 |
Venue & catering: 45% × 30,000 = 13,500; Photography & video: 12% × 30,000 = 3,600; Attire & beauty: 8% × 30,000 = 2,400; Flowers & decor: 10% × 30,000 = 3,000; Music & entertainment: 8% × 30,000 = 2,400; Stationery: 3% × 30,000 = 900; Rings: 3% × 30,000 = 900; Transport: 3% × 30,000 = 900; Contingency: 8% × 30,000 = 2,400
Each category is either a percentage of the total budget or a fixed amount; the calculator turns both into money, adds them up and shows what is left to allocate or how far the plan runs over. Budget per guest is the total divided by the number of guests, and the table gives each category's cost per guest.
With the defaults, 30,000 for 120 guests is 250 per guest, and the example split puts 45% (13,500) on venue and catering. For comparison, couples married in the US in 2025 spent an average of $34,000 on 117 guests, or $292 a head, according to The Knot's 2026 Real Weddings Study.
The default percentages are an example, not a rule; change them to your priorities. A line such as "Rings 2500" is read as a fixed amount and "Flowers 10%" as a share of the total.
Checked against: Python decimal: percentages sum to 100; 30000/120 = 250; 45% of 30000 = 13500
Checked against: Hand calculation: 20000 × 0.6 = 12000
Checked against: Hand calculation: 4000 + 2500
Checked against: Hand calculation: 8000 + 3000 = 11000, 1000 over
$34,000 in the US in 2025, according to The Knot's 2026 Real Weddings Study, based on 10,474 couples married that year. The average guest count was 117 and the average spend per guest $292, up $8 from 2024. Couples hired 13 vendors on average.
Divide the total budget by the number of guests: 30,000 ÷ 120 = 250 per guest. The table does the same for each category, so venue and catering at 13,500 is 112.50 per guest. Only costs charged per head, such as catering, rise with each extra guest; a photographer or band booked for a fixed fee does not.
Start from the total you can spend, give each category a percentage or a fixed amount, and keep a contingency line. The default split is 45% venue and catering, 12% photography and video, 10% flowers and decor, 8% each for attire and beauty, music and contingency, and 3% each for stationery, rings and transport, which adds up to 100%. Move percentages toward what matters most to you.
The calculator shows a negative amount left to allocate and a share allocated above 100%. For a 10,000 budget with Venue 80% and Band 3,000, the categories total 11,000, which is 110% of the budget and 1,000 over. Lower a percentage or a fixed amount, or raise the total, until the share allocated is 100% or less.
Accuracy depends on your inputs and the method's assumptions. Decimal arithmetic uses 50 significant digits, but estimates, numerical methods and source data can be less precise; the displayed rounding does not remove those limits. It is checked against 4 worked examples whose answers come from independent sources; for example, “Example split of 30,000 for 120 guests” is checked against Python decimal: percentages sum to 100; 30000/120 = 250; 45% of 30000 = 13500.
The Knot — Average wedding cost and guest count (Real Weddings Study).
4 worked examples with independently sourced answers ship with this calculator. They run in the test suite; you can run them here too.
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