{
  "slug": "wedding-budget-split",
  "title": "Wedding Budget Calculator",
  "heading": "Wedding Budget Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/wedding-budget-split",
  "summary": "Split a total budget across venue, catering, photo, and the rest.",
  "description": "Wedding budgets fail when the venue quietly eats half of everything. This allocates a total across standard categories using typical US percentages, then shows the per-guest cost so you can see what trimming the list is worth.",
  "formula": "Category budget = total × category share; per-guest = (venue + catering + bar) ÷ guests.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=wedding-budget-split",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "total",
      "label": "Total budget",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 35000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "guests",
      "label": "Guest count",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 120,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "venuePct",
      "label": "Venue + catering share",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 45,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 10,
      "max": 80
    },
    {
      "id": "photoPct",
      "label": "Photo + video share",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 12,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 40
    },
    {
      "id": "attirePct",
      "label": "Attire + beauty share",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 8,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 30
    },
    {
      "id": "musicPct",
      "label": "Music + entertainment share",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 8,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 30
    },
    {
      "id": "flowersPct",
      "label": "Flowers + decor share",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 10,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 30
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "venue",
      "label": "Venue + catering",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "perGuest",
      "label": "Cost per guest (food + venue)",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "photo",
      "label": "Photo + video",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "flowers",
      "label": "Flowers + decor",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "music",
      "label": "Music + entertainment",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "attire",
      "label": "Attire + beauty",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "other",
      "label": "Stationery, rings, favors, buffer",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Total budget: 35000 $",
      "Guest count: 120",
      "Venue + catering share: 45 %",
      "Photo + video share: 12 %",
      "Attire + beauty share: 8 %",
      "Music + entertainment share: 8 %",
      "Flowers + decor share: 10 %"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Venue + catering: $15,750",
      "Cost per guest (food + venue): $131",
      "Photo + video: $4,200",
      "Flowers + decor: $3,500",
      "Music + entertainment: $2,800",
      "Attire + beauty: $2,800",
      "Stationery, rings, favors, buffer: $5,950"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter total budget ($).",
      "Enter guest count.",
      "Enter venue + catering share (%).",
      "Enter photo + video share (%).",
      "Enter attire + beauty share (%).",
      "Enter music + entertainment share (%).",
      "Enter flowers + decor share (%).",
      "Read your venue + catering on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "total": 21000,
        "guests": 70,
        "venuePct": 27,
        "photoPct": 7,
        "attirePct": 5,
        "musicPct": 5,
        "flowersPct": 6
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "total": 35000,
        "guests": 120,
        "venuePct": 45,
        "photoPct": 12,
        "attirePct": 8,
        "musicPct": 8,
        "flowersPct": 10
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "total": 56000,
        "guests": 190,
        "venuePct": 72,
        "photoPct": 19,
        "attirePct": 13,
        "musicPct": 13,
        "flowersPct": 16
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How much buffer should I keep?",
      "a": "Five to ten percent unallocated is realistic. Overtime, vendor meals, and last-minute rentals show up on almost every final invoice."
    },
    {
      "q": "What is the fastest way to cut cost?",
      "a": "Guest count. Venue, catering, bar, rentals, and stationery all scale with headcount, so removing twenty guests usually saves more than switching any single vendor."
    }
  ],
  "related": [],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Wedding Budget Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/wedding-budget-split)"
}