Wedding budget calculator
Put in a total, a guest count and the kind of city you are marrying in. You get a category split in rupees you can adjust, and a per-plate figure to check it against.
| Category | Share | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Venue & roomsHall or hotel hire, guest rooms | % | ₹3,00,000 |
| CateringFood and beverage across all functions | % | ₹3,75,000 |
| Decor & flowersStage, mandap, florals, lighting | % | ₹1,80,000 |
| Photo & videoPhotography, film, album | % | ₹1,50,000 |
| Attire & jewelleryOutfits for the main functions | % | ₹2,25,000 |
| Makeup & mehendiArtists across the functions | % | ₹60,000 |
| Music & entertainmentDJ, band, dhol, choreography | % | ₹75,000 |
| Invitations & giftingCards, favours, shagun trays | % | ₹60,000 |
| Travel & logisticsTransport, guest pickups, baraat | % | ₹75,000 |
| Allocated | 100% | ₹15,00,000 |
At this split, catering works out to ₹1,250 per plate. The usual planning band for this kind of city is ₹1,200–₹2,500.
Inside the usual band for this kind of city. Compare it against real quotes next.
The per-plate bands are planning ranges for sanity-checking a split, not survey data. Catering quotes swing with the menu, the number of live counters, the day of the week and the season, so replace these with real quotes as soon as you have two or three. The category percentages are a common starting split, not a rule — every row is editable because families weight these very differently.
How to use this calculator
- Enter the total you can spend, including everything your family counts as a wedding cost.
- Use the guest count for your largest function — usually the reception. That is what catering and venue are priced against.
- Pick the city type. It only changes the per-plate band used to sanity-check your catering share.
- Adjust the percentages until the split matches your priorities. Watch the allocated row — if it reads more than 100%, you have over-committed.
- Compare the per-plate number against real quotes. If your split cannot pay for the menu you want, either the guest count or the total has to move.
What actually moves the total
Three levers do most of the work, and only one of them is about taste.
Guest count
The largest lever by a distance. Catering is per plate, and venue size, seating, transport and often decor follow the headcount. Cutting a hundred guests changes the budget more than any negotiation will.
Number of functions
A mehendi, haldi, sangeet, wedding and reception each need a venue, food, decor and often a separate set of outfits. Hosting five functions instead of three is close to a proportional increase in several categories at once.
Date and city
Peak muhurat dates in the November-to-February season and Saturday evenings in metros are the most expensive slots vendors sell. A weekday or an off-peak month is often the single largest discount available, and it costs you nothing but flexibility.
Frequently asked
How should I split a wedding budget across categories?
Venue and catering together usually take the largest share because both scale with the guest count. Decor, photography and attire follow. The calculator starts from a common split and lets you change every percentage, because the right answer depends on how many functions you are hosting and what your family considers non-negotiable.
What is a realistic per-plate catering cost?
It depends heavily on the city and the menu, which is why this page shows a band rather than a number. Use the band to sanity-check the share you have given catering, then replace it with the actual quotes you collect — a caterer will quote per plate, so the comparison is direct.
Should jewellery be inside the wedding budget?
Families differ. Many treat jewellery as a separate family expense rather than a wedding cost, which makes published wedding budgets look smaller than they are. Decide once, be consistent, and set the attire and jewellery percentage to zero if you are keeping it outside.
How much contingency should I keep?
Around 10% of the total, untouched. Late additions to the guest list, a second round of decor changes and last-minute transport are the usual causes, and they arrive together.
Can I track the real budget somewhere after this?
Yes. The free budget planner in shaadi.diy holds the same categories and then tracks what you have allocated to each vendor, what you have paid, and what is still outstanding.
Keep reading
A split is a plan. Payments are the reality.
Move this budget into shaadi.diy and track what each vendor is committed to, what you have paid, and what is still due.
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