Free calculator
Wedding budget calculator
With the United States starting values (117 guests at the average $292 per guest, The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study, press release 2026-02-18, read 2026-09-19), a wedding comes to about $34,164; the biggest lines are food and drink $9,566 (28 %), venue $6,833 (20 %), attire, hair and make-up $3,075 (9 %). Type your guest count, pick a spending level or your own cost per guest, and see the total, the split by category and where you sit against the national average.
The country's average cost per guest (source and year under the field)
Result
- Estimated total
- $34,164
- Cost per guest
- $292
- Total against the national average
- At the average
- Per guest against the national average
- At the average
- Guests
- 117
- Average wedding cost
- $34,000
Your total is at the national average ($34,000 for 117 guests, The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study, press release 2026-02-18, read 2026-09-19); per guest, at the national average. Averages are published figures for a whole country; your venue, city and season move them a lot. This is a planning estimate, not financial advice.
| Category | Share | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Venue | 20 % | $6,833 |
| Food and drink | 28 % | $9,566 |
| Photography | 6 % | $2,050 |
| Videography | 6 % | $2,050 |
| Music and entertainment | 7 % | $2,391 |
| Flowers and decor | 8 % | $2,733 |
| Attire, hair and make-up | 9 % | $3,075 |
| Rings | 2 % | $683 |
| Invitations and stationery | 3 % | $1,025 |
| Cake | 2 % | $683 |
| Transport | 2 % | $683 |
| Favours and gifts | 2 % | $683 |
| Planner | 3 % | $1,025 |
| Ceremony and officiant | 2 % | $683 |
| Total | 100 % | $34,164 |
Not a separate line in the published table, so they start at 0 %: other and contingency. The source under the table says where they sit; add your quotes to the total budget when you have them.
Planning on paper? Pro prints this budget, your guest list and a month-by-month checklist.
Budget by category, guest list with tables and meals, checklist dated from your wedding day, up to three scenarios, Excel export. Kept in this browser.
How it works
Total = guests x cost per guest, or the total budget you type instead. Each category = total x its published share of a wedding budget, normalised so the lines always add up to the total even when the published table rounds to 99 or 101 %. Cost per guest = total / guests. Position against the average = your total / the average wedding cost, minus one; the same for the cost per guest.
The spending level is a multiplier on the country’s average cost per guest: below average = 0.6 x, average = the average itself, above average = 1.6 x. These are stated assumptions, not brackets from a survey, and the figure they produce sits in the cost per guest field for you to overwrite with a quote. For 100 guests in the United States that gives $17,520 below average, $29,200 at the average and $46,720 above average.
Every number is yours to change; the starting values only save typing and are shown with their source and the date they were read. There are no venue or supplier prices and no claim about your wedding. Everything runs in your browser and the inputs stay there, so the guest list can price your expected headcount and the Pro planner can lay the same budget out on paper.
Sources of the United States starting values
- Average wedding cost: The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study (more than 10,000 US couples married in 2025), press release 2026-02-18: "The average wedding cost in 2025 was $34,000, holding steady year-over-year" (a search snippet of theknot.com shows $34,200 for the same study; that page could not be opened, so the press-release figure is used) — https://www.theknotww.com/press-releases/the-knot-worldwide-unveils-2026-real-weddings-study Read on 2026-09-19.
- Average guest count: The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study (more than 10,000 US couples married in 2025), press release 2026-02-18: average guest count 117 — https://www.theknotww.com/press-releases/the-knot-worldwide-unveils-2026-real-weddings-study Read on 2026-09-19.
- Average cost per guest: The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study (more than 10,000 US couples married in 2025), press release 2026-02-18: published "average of $292 per guest, up $8 per guest from 2024" (34,000 / 117 guests = $291, consistent) — https://www.theknotww.com/press-releases/the-knot-worldwide-unveils-2026-real-weddings-study Read on 2026-09-19.
- Budget by category: WeddingWire Newlywed Report, "Wedding Budget Breakdown" (article dated 2020-12-10; the report year is not stated on the page), percentages of the total: venue, catering, cake and rentals 50 %; photography and videography 12 %; attire, hair and beauty 9 %; flowers, lighting and decor 8 %; reception music 7 %; wedding planner 3 %; invitations and stationery 3 %; officiant and ceremony music 2 %; transportation 2 %; wedding rings 2 %; favors and gifts 2 % — https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-ideas/wedding-budget-breakdown. Mapping onto this table: the 50 % line is split between venue (20 %), food and drink (28 %) and cake (2 %) in the proportion of Zola's 2026 Wedding Cost Index averages (venue and site fees $8,573; catering $6,927 plus bar services $5,542; cake and desserts $917 — https://www.zola.com/expert-advice/whats-the-average-cost-of-a-wedding), and the 12 % line between photography (6 %) and videography (6 %) by Zola's $4,400 and $3,993; whole percents by largest remainder; "other and contingency" is 0 % because the published table already adds up to 100 % Read on 2026-09-19.
United Kingdom, Canada, Australia have their own published averages and tables, shown with their source under each field when you switch country. For any other country, type the average cost per guest you expect and the amounts show without a currency symbol.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a wedding cost for 100 guests?
- At the United States average of $292 per guest (The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study, press release 2026-02-18, read 2026-09-19), 100 guests come to about $29,200. At 0.6 x the average that is $17,520; at 1.6 x it is $46,720. The venue, the city and the season move the real figure a lot, so type your own cost per guest once you have a quote.
- What is the average wedding cost and guest count?
- In the United States, $34,000 for 117 guests, about $292 per guest (The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study, press release 2026-02-18, read 2026-09-19). United Kingdom, Canada, Australia have their own figures with their own sources; switch country in the calculator to see them. An average is one number for a whole country and hides big regional differences.
- How is a wedding budget split by category?
- The calculator uses a published table of shares (WeddingWire Newlywed Report, "Wedding Budget Breakdown", percentages of the total, read 2026-09-19). With it, the biggest lines of the United States example are food and drink $9,566 (28 %), venue $6,833 (20 %), attire, hair and make-up $3,075 (9 %); the full table with all 15 categories appears under your result. Where a publisher lumps two of our categories into one line, the source text explains how it was split.
- What do "below average" and "above average" mean?
- Multipliers on the country's average cost per guest: 0.6 x and 1.6 x. They are assumptions declared next to the field, not spending brackets from a survey, and they exist only to give you a starting figure. Overwrite the cost per guest with a real quote whenever you have one.
- Can I split my real budget instead of guests x cost per guest?
- Yes. Type it in the total budget field and the calculator splits that amount by category, recomputes the cost per guest from your guest count, and compares both with the national average. Leave the field empty to go back to guests x cost per guest.
- Is my budget saved or sent anywhere?
- It stays in this browser's local storage and is never uploaded. The guest list uses it to price your expected headcount, and Pro lays it out as a printable planner from the same saved figures. Clearing the browser's site data removes it.
Guides
- How much does a wedding cost for 100 guests?
What 100 guests cost at the published US, UK, Canadian and Australian averages, below and above average, split by category, and whether $20,000 is enough.
- Wedding budget breakdown percentages: what goes where
The published share of a wedding budget per category in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, applied to the average wedding and to a $30,000 budget, with sources.
- Average wedding cost in the UK for 50 guests (and 30 to 200)
What 50 guests cost at the published UK average per guest, the same for 30 to 200 guests, below and above average, and where the money goes by category.
- How much does a wedding cost in Canada?
The published Canadian average wedding cost and guest count, the cost per guest they imply, totals for 30 to 200 guests and what C$20,000 covers.
- How much does a wedding cost in Australia?
The published Australian average wedding cost, guest count and cost per guest, totals for 30 to 200 guests and the budget breakdown with the venue at 46 %.