{
  "id": "wedding-budget",
  "version": "7b2e87111af5",
  "status": "published",
  "name": "Wedding Budget Calculator",
  "question": "Does my wedding budget add up?",
  "summary": "Adds up what each part of a wedding costs, from the venue and catering to the rings, and shows what is left of your wedding budget and the cost per guest.",
  "category": "finance",
  "subcategory": "tax-and-pay",
  "url": "https://www.acalculator.org/finance/wedding-budget-calculator",
  "markdown": "https://www.acalculator.org/finance/wedding-budget-calculator.md",
  "kind": "function",
  "method": "planned costs = the sum of the cost lines; left = budget − planned costs; cost per guest = planned costs ÷ guests; share used = planned costs ÷ budget × 100.",
  "assumptions": [
    "Every cost is the full amount you expect to pay, deposits included. Empty lines count as $0.",
    "Cost per guest spreads every cost over the guest count, including costs that do not change with guests, such as rings.",
    "The cost lines are a planning list, not a recommended split. Prices vary a lot by place and season."
  ],
  "inputs": {
    "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
      "budget": {
        "title": "Total wedding budget",
        "description": "All the money you plan to spend on the wedding, from every source.",
        "type": "number",
        "x-unit": "USD",
        "minimum": 1,
        "maximum": 1000000000
      },
      "guests": {
        "title": "Guests",
        "description": "How many guests you invite, the couple included.",
        "type": "integer",
        "minimum": 1,
        "maximum": 10000
      },
      "venue": {
        "title": "Venue and ceremony",
        "description": "Ceremony and reception venue fees, rentals and officiant.",
        "type": "number",
        "x-unit": "USD",
        "minimum": 0,
        "maximum": 1000000000
      },
      "catering": {
        "title": "Food, drink and cake",
        "description": "Catering, bar, cake and service charges.",
        "type": "number",
        "x-unit": "USD",
        "minimum": 0,
        "maximum": 1000000000
      },
      "photo": {
        "title": "Photo and video",
        "description": "Photographer and videographer.",
        "type": "number",
        "x-unit": "USD",
        "minimum": 0,
        "maximum": 1000000000
      },
      "attire": {
        "title": "Attire and beauty",
        "description": "Dress, suit, alterations, hair and makeup.",
        "type": "number",
        "x-unit": "USD",
        "minimum": 0,
        "maximum": 1000000000
      },
      "music": {
        "title": "Music",
        "description": "Band or DJ, and ceremony music.",
        "type": "number",
        "x-unit": "USD",
        "minimum": 0,
        "maximum": 1000000000
      },
      "flowers": {
        "title": "Flowers and decor",
        "description": "Flowers, decorations and lighting.",
        "type": "number",
        "x-unit": "USD",
        "minimum": 0,
        "maximum": 1000000000
      },
      "rings": {
        "title": "Rings",
        "description": "Wedding bands.",
        "type": "number",
        "x-unit": "USD",
        "minimum": 0,
        "maximum": 1000000000
      },
      "other": {
        "title": "Everything else",
        "description": "Invitations, favors, transport, planner, tips, licence and anything else.",
        "type": "number",
        "x-unit": "USD",
        "minimum": 0,
        "maximum": 1000000000
      }
    }
  },
  "outputs": {
    "left": {
      "label": "Left in the budget",
      "description": "The budget minus everything listed. Negative means you are over budget.",
      "format": "money"
    },
    "status": {
      "label": "Your budget",
      "description": "What is left in words: under budget, on budget, or how much over.",
      "format": "text"
    },
    "spent": {
      "label": "Planned costs",
      "description": "Every cost line added up.",
      "format": "money"
    },
    "used": {
      "label": "Share of the budget used",
      "description": "Planned costs ÷ the budget × 100.",
      "format": "percent"
    },
    "perGuest": {
      "label": "Cost per guest",
      "description": "Planned costs ÷ the number of guests.",
      "format": "money"
    },
    "budgetPerGuest": {
      "label": "Budget per guest",
      "description": "The budget ÷ the number of guests.",
      "format": "money"
    },
    "reception": {
      "label": "Venue and food share",
      "description": "Venue plus food and drink as a percent of planned costs.",
      "format": "percent"
    }
  },
  "defaultAnswer": {
    "inputs": {
      "budget": 30000,
      "guests": 100,
      "venue": 9000,
      "catering": 8000,
      "photo": 3000,
      "attire": 2500,
      "music": 1500,
      "flowers": 2000,
      "rings": 1000,
      "other": 2000
    },
    "outputs": {
      "left": 1000,
      "status": "$1,000.00 under budget",
      "spent": 29000,
      "used": 96.66666666666667,
      "perGuest": 290,
      "budgetPerGuest": 300,
      "reception": 58.62068965517241
    },
    "text": "Your wedding plan costs $29,000.00: $1,000.00 under budget."
  },
  "examples": [
    {
      "given": {
        "budget": 30000,
        "guests": 100,
        "venue": 9000,
        "catering": 8000,
        "photo": 3000,
        "attire": 2500,
        "music": 1500,
        "flowers": 2000,
        "rings": 1000,
        "other": 2000
      },
      "expect": {
        "spent": 29000,
        "left": 1000,
        "status": "$1,000.00 under budget",
        "used": 96.66666666666667,
        "perGuest": 290,
        "budgetPerGuest": 300,
        "reception": 58.62068965517241
      },
      "source": "Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Your Money, Your Goals: Monthly budget tool (list income, list spending, subtract spending from income), https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_well-being_monthly-budget.pdf: budget − costs; hand calculation in content.mdx"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "budget": 15000,
        "guests": 60,
        "venue": 6000,
        "catering": 7200,
        "photo": 2400,
        "other": 600
      },
      "expect": {
        "spent": 16200,
        "left": -1200,
        "status": "$1,200.00 over budget",
        "perGuest": 270,
        "budgetPerGuest": 250
      },
      "source": "Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Your Money, Your Goals: Monthly budget tool (list income, list spending, subtract spending from income), https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_well-being_monthly-budget.pdf: costs above the budget leave a shortfall; hand calculation in content.mdx"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "budget": 10000.1,
        "guests": 3,
        "venue": 5000.05,
        "catering": 5000.05
      },
      "expect": {
        "left": 0,
        "status": "right on budget",
        "perGuest": 3333.366666666667
      },
      "source": "hand calculation in content.mdx: exact decimals, 10,000.10 − 10,000.10 = 0"
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    "Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Your Money, Your Goals: Monthly budget tool (list income, list spending, subtract spending from income). https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_well-being_monthly-budget.pdf (retrieved 2026-10-03)"
  ],
  "related": [
    "budget",
    "savings-goal",
    "savings"
  ],
  "changelog": []
}