Wedding budget
How to split a wedding budget for 100 guests
The fastest way to sanity-check a wedding budget is to divide it by your guest count, then split it by category. Here is the whole thing worked through for $20,000 and 100 guests.
Step 1: cost per guest
Take your total and divide by guests. $20,000 ÷ 100 guests = $200 per guest. This number is a quick reality check, because venue, food, drink and rentals scale with headcount. If a venue quote alone is $150 per head, you know that most of the budget is gone before photography or flowers.
Step 2: split by category
These are common starting splits that we use in our own calculator. They are a planning starting point, not survey data: your city, season and priorities will move them. The dollar columns are simple arithmetic on a $20,000 total with 100 guests.
| Category | Share | Amount | Per guest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue & catering | 45% | $9,000 | $90 |
| Photography & video | 11% | $2,200 | $22 |
| Attire & beauty | 8% | $1,600 | $16 |
| Flowers & decor | 8% | $1,600 | $16 |
| Music & entertainment | 7% | $1,400 | $14 |
| Rings | 4% | $800 | $8 |
| Planner / coordinator | 4% | $800 | $8 |
| Stationery & invitations | 2% | $400 | $4 |
| Cake & desserts | 2% | $400 | $4 |
| Transport | 2% | $400 | $4 |
| Favors & gifts | 2% | $400 | $4 |
| Officiant & license | 1% | $200 | $2 |
| Buffer for surprises | 4% | $800 | $8 |
| Total | 100% | $20,000 | $200 |
Step 3: adjust for what you care about
- Venue & catering is the biggest lever. At 45% it is $9,000, or $90 a head. Cutting 10 guests saves about $900 of venue and catering in this example.
- Move money, don't add it. If photography matters most to you, take it from decor or entertainment so the total stays at $20,000.
- Keep the 4% buffer. $800 sounds small, but unexpected fees, tips and alterations nearly always appear.
- Track actuals as you book. Write the quoted price next to the planned one, and watch the gap, not the plan.
Do it with your own numbers
The free calculator does Steps 1 and 2 for any total and guest count, in your browser, with no sign-up.
Want it as a spreadsheet you can fill in?
The $9 planner has planned vs actual, payments and a guest list. The $15 bundle adds a vendor sheet, RSVP tracker, seating chart and checklist as printable PDFs. Not what you expected? Email for a refund within 30 days.