Wedding budget calculator
See what your wedding might cost before the little expenses start multiplying.
Seven quick questions · no account · nothing leaves your browser
How this wedding budget calculator works
You give it three things: what you can spend, roughly how many people are coming, and — if you have picked one — your date. It divides the budget across the categories a UK wedding usually contains and hands you the result as an editable plan rather than a verdict. Every line carries an estimate, a booked price, a paid figure and a balance, so a plan that starts as guesswork gradually becomes a record of what you have actually agreed.
The percentages behind the first split are planning assumptions, not researched averages. They add to exactly 100% of your budget and include a 10% contingency. Two couples with the same budget in the same county can end up with completely different splits — a dry-hire barn with outside catering and an all-inclusive hotel package are not the same kind of purchase — so treat the split as somewhere to argue from, not a target.
Why guest count matters more than almost anything else
Guest numbers are the largest lever most couples have, and the one they usually pull last. But only part of a wedding moves with the list. Catering and drinks are priced per head, so every extra name has a price on it. Favours and stationery scale too. Venue hire, photography, videography, a band, your rings and your outfits do not — they cost the same for sixty guests as for a hundred and sixty.
Dividing the whole budget by the guest count therefore overstates what one more guest costs, often by a factor of three. The guest costs section splits fixed spend from guest-variable spend and prices a guest at the margin, which is the number that should actually inform the argument about the evening list. Evening guests are weighted below daytime guests, and you choose the weighting rather than inheriting a hidden one.
Why contingency is not optional
The default plan holds 10% back, and it is the line couples delete first. Weddings generate costs that never make it onto the first spreadsheet: a second dress fitting, corkage nobody mentioned, an extra table, taxis at midnight, a supplier meal you had not counted, postage at the new rate. A contingency is the difference between absorbing those quietly and arguing about them in the final month, which is the worst possible time to find money.
Why your supplier contracts set the payment dates
The payment schedule can suggest a final balance six weeks before the wedding, because that is a common UK term. It is a suggestion. Your contract sets the real deposit, the real instalments, the real due date and what happens if you are late, and those vary widely between suppliers. Read each one when you sign it, put the real date in, and treat this as the reminder rather than the authority. It never takes a payment and never will.
Whoever you book, get it in writing — even with people you know. Without a contract you have nothing if something goes wrong.
Why wedding estimates vary so much
Region changes prices. So does the date: a Saturday in July is a different market from a Thursday in February, and many venues price them accordingly. Venue type matters more than venue prestige, because a dry hire that needs catering, bar, furniture and staff bought in separately can cost more than an all-inclusive package with a higher headline. Guest count multiplies all of it. Anyone quoting a single national average for a wedding is describing a statistic, not your wedding.
Last updated 2026-08-29.
Common questions
How does the wedding budget calculator work?
You enter a total budget, how many guests you expect and, if you have one, your wedding date. It splits the budget across the seventeen categories a UK wedding usually contains and hands you an editable plan. Change any line, record a quote, mark a supplier booked, and every total follows. Once a line has a real price it is used instead of the estimate.
Is it free, and do I need an account?
It is free and there is no account, no email and no login. Your plan is saved in your own browser using local storage, so it is still there when you come back on the same device. Nothing is sent to a server. Optional Meta measurement is off unless you allow marketing cookies, and the reset button deletes your plan.
Are the suggested percentages real UK averages?
No, and it would be dishonest to claim otherwise. They are indicative planning assumptions that add to exactly 100% of your budget, including a 10% contingency, weighted by the priorities you choose. Real costs vary enormously by region, date, venue and guest count. Treat the split as a starting point and replace it with quotes as you get them.
How much does a wedding cost per guest?
It depends on how much of your budget is priced per head. Catering and drinks scale with every name; venue hire, photography, videography and entertainment generally do not. Dividing your whole budget by the guest count therefore overstates what one more guest costs, often by a factor of three. The guest costs section separates fixed from variable spend and prices a guest at the margin instead.
What is a sensible wedding contingency?
The default plan holds 10% back, and it is the line couples delete first. Weddings generate costs that never make it onto the first spreadsheet: a second dress fitting, corkage nobody mentioned, an extra table, taxis at midnight, a supplier meal you had not counted. A contingency is the difference between absorbing those quietly and arguing about them in the final month.
Does it know when my suppliers want paying?
No. It shows what you enter, and can suggest a date six weeks before the wedding because that is a common final-balance term in the UK. Your contract is the only source of truth for what is due and when. This tool never takes or processes a payment — it is a reminder list, not a payment system.
Why does the checklist have no dates when I have not set one?
Because inventing a calendar for a couple who have not chosen a date would be misleading. Without a date the checklist shows planning stages in order. Add a date and each stage becomes a real window counted back from your wedding day.
Is my information private?
Yes. Everything you type — supplier names, prices, notes, who is contributing — stays in your browser's local storage on your own device and is never sent to our server. Optional Meta measurement is consent-gated and receives no calculator values. Clearing your browser data or pressing reset removes the plan permanently.
Estimates produced by this planner are planning aids. They are not quotes, not offers and not financial advice. Confirm every figure with the supplier before you rely on it.