Wedding Budget Calculator

The most recent big survey is from WedMeGood, a wedding planning platform. Its survey of about 2,000 couples marrying between April 2025 and March 2026 put the average wedding budget at ₹39.5 lakh, up 8% from the year before (WedMeGood, reported by PTI, December 2025).

WeddingWire India, another planning platform, asked more than 1,500 newlyweds about their 2024 weddings. It found an average of ₹29.6 lakh, with an average of about ₹6 lakh spent on the venue (WeddingWire India, 2025).

Averages hide a lot. In WedMeGood's 2024 survey of 3,500 couples, the average was ₹36.5 lakh, yet around 40% of couples spent less than ₹15 lakh (Outlook Money, December 2024). A further 23% spent ₹15 to 25 lakh. At the top, 9% spent ₹50 lakh to ₹1 crore and 9% spent more than ₹1 crore. Those big weddings pull the average up, so a typical wedding costs much less than the average.

City averages from the same WedMeGood 2025 survey: Jaipur ₹73 lakh, Delhi ₹38 lakh, Bengaluru ₹37 lakh, Hyderabad ₹37 lakh and Mumbai ₹35 lakh (Curly Tales, December 2025). Jaipur's figure is likely high because many destination weddings are held there.

Before you use these numbers:

• They come from users of wedding planning platforms, who tend to live in cities and spend more than most families.
• They are what couples reported, not checked bills.
• Most don't say clearly whether jewellery is included. Our calculator keeps jewellery out of the split unless you switch it on.
• In the 2024 WedMeGood survey, 82% of weddings were paid for from personal or family savings and about 12% of couples took loans (Outlook Money, December 2024). Plan a total you can pay without strain.

The useful number is your own. Start from what your families can spend, then split it.

In the US, The Knot's 2026 Real Weddings Study asked 10,474 couples who married in 2025. The average wedding cost $34,200, not counting the engagement ring, with 117 guests and about $292 per guest (The Knot, 2026).

Zola's 2026 First Look Report, a survey of more than 11,500 couples marrying in 2026, puts the average at $36,000, the same as the year before (Zola, 2026). Zola asks couples about weddings they are still planning, so its figure is closer to a planned budget than a final bill.

City matters as much in the US as in India. The Knot's 2026 averages: New York City $88,000, Chicago $54,000, San Francisco $51,000, Boston $51,000, Los Angeles $45,000 and Washington, D.C. $42,000 (The Knot via WTOP, August 2026).

We don't show a UK or UAE average here because we couldn't find a recent survey we trust. You can still plan in £, €, AED or $: pick your currency at the top of the tool.

There is no correct split. Published shares describe what couples spent on average, and your wedding will be different. A good split is a starting point you change once real quotes arrive. The calculator gives you three.

Indian wedding split (our estimate). No large survey publishes how Indian couples divide their budget, so this split is our own. We set each share inside the ranges Indian planners commonly use, and we keep 9% as money kept aside for surprises. Jewellery stays outside, because it can cost more than the whole event.

Western-style split (based on The Knot 2026). The Knot published how couples in its 2026 study spent their budgets: venue 29%, catering, cake and drinks 24%, photography and video 10%, floral and decor 9%, music 6%, attire and beauty 6%, rings 5%, planner 5%, guest entertainment 3%, transport 2%, stationery 1% and officiant 1% (The Knot via WTOP, August 2026). Those shares keep nothing aside for surprises. Our Western split keeps 10% aside for surprises and shares the other 90% in the same proportions: venue 26%, catering 21%, photos and video 9%, decor 8%, music and entertainment 8%, attire and beauty 5%, rings 5%, planner 4%, transport 2%, stationery 1%, officiant 1%.

Destination split (our estimate). A rough start: venue and guest rooms 25%, food 25%, travel 12%, decor 10%, outfits 8%, entertainment 7%, photos and video 5%, invitations and gifts 2%, rituals 1% and 5% kept aside for surprises. Destination costs vary the most, so change it freely.

What matters most to you? In "Make it yours", tap a card once for up to three things you care about most, and twice for up to two you're happy to spend less on. Each priority gets 3% more, taken from the "spend less" areas or, if you pick none, from the rest. The money kept aside for surprises never moves. This is our own rule of thumb, not a published figure. Use it to get started, then adjust.

Tips for a split that works

• Fix the two biggest lines first: venue and food together take about half of the Indian split.
• Count guests before you count rupees. Every extra guest adds a plate at every function they attend.
• Keep the money aside for surprises. If you never touch it, it pays for the honeymoon or a first home.

An Indian wedding is several events, each with its own guests, food and decor. WeddingWire India found that 34.5% of couples married in 2024 had a three-day wedding (WeddingWire India, 2025). Budgeting by function shows where the money really goes. Set the guests at each function in the tool, and the food money follows the plates.

• Roka and engagement. Usually smaller, with close family. The main costs are food, a venue or home setup, gifts and sweets.
• Haldi. Turmeric paste is applied to the bride and groom for blessings, often at home. Keep it simple: flowers, yellow decor, a light meal.
• Mehndi. Henna for the bride, often for guests too. Budget for the mehndi artist and their team. Charges usually depend on how many people get mehndi, so ask how the artist prices it.
• Sangeet. An evening of songs and dances. Often the biggest pre-wedding party: DJ or band, stage, lights, a choreographer and dinner.
• Baraat. The groom's procession, often with the groom on a ghodi (a horse), a band and dhol. These costs sit with the baraat. The guests are fed at the wedding meal, so the baraat has no plates of its own.
• Wedding ceremony. The mandap, flowers, varmala (the garlands the couple exchange), the pandit's dakshina (the fee or offering to the priest) and the puja samagri (ritual items). For Sikh, Muslim and Christian weddings, the tool lists the gurdwara offering, the qazi or imam, or church fees instead.
• Reception. Often the largest guest list, so often the largest food bill. Many couples spend the most here on decor and lighting too.

Ways to keep functions in check: invite fewer people to the smaller functions, combine haldi and mehndi on one day, use one decor team for every function, and ask the venue whether decor from one function can stay for the next.

A wedding expenses list helps you see what's coming before the quotes arrive. These are the lines the calculator lists for you, grouped the way the tool groups them. Lines that don't fit your type of wedding are hidden, and you can add your own anywhere.

• Venue & stay: venue hire for each function, tent, pandal or shamiana, guest rooms, getting-ready rooms, generator and power backup.
• Food & drinks: food for each function, live counters, the bar, the wedding cake, meals for vendor teams and drivers.
• Decor, flowers & lighting: decor for each function, the mandap, flowers and garlands, bouquets, lighting and sound.
• Outfits, makeup & grooming: the bride's and groom's outfits, outfits for close family, bridal makeup and hair, makeup for family, the groom's grooming, sehra and safas, the mehndi artist, fittings and alterations.
• Photos & video: photographer and videographer, pre-wedding shoot, album and prints, drone shots.
• Music & entertainment: DJ and sound, dhol, baraat band, sangeet choreographer, nadaswaram and thavil players, live band or singers, an anchor or MC.
• Invitations, gifts & favours: cards and e-invites, card delivery, return gifts, mithai boxes, thamboolam bags, shagun and gifts for family, favours, tips and thank-you gifts, welcome kits.
• Travel & transport: the ghodi, the wedding car, cars and buses for guests, family travel, pick-ups, travel for vendors you bring.
• Rituals & ceremony: the pandit's dakshina and puja samagri, the gurdwara offering, the qazi or imam, church fees and choir, an officiant, marriage registration.
• Planner & coordination: a wedding planner, an on-the-day coordinator, a local coordinator for a destination wedding.
• Wedding rings, mainly for Christian and Western weddings.
• Kept aside for surprises: about 10%.
• Outside the split: the bride's jewellery, jewellery gifts for family, and the trousseau. Turn on "Count jewellery in my budget" if you want them counted.

Not on the list: the honeymoon. Many couples budget it separately. If you'd like it in, add it as your own line.

Food is usually priced per plate: the price of one guest's meal. Your caterer's total is the plate rate × the number of plates, for each function.

Why we don't fill in a plate rate. Published plate prices for Indian weddings disagree with each other by five to ten times, depending on the city, the venue and the menu. None comes from a survey we trust. So the tool asks for your caterer's quote. Ask two or three caterers for the same menu, then use the one you like.

Questions to ask your caterer:

• Is the rate before or after GST?
• Is there a minimum plate guarantee? Many venues charge for at least an agreed number of plates, even if fewer guests come. Enter it in the tool and it uses the bigger number.
• What is the price for veg and non-veg? The tool handles mixed menus: tell it how many non-veg plates you expect.
• What's included: live counters, desserts, waiters, crockery, service charge?
• How are extra plates on the day charged?

How GST works on wedding catering in India

GST is the goods and services tax. The rate depends on who supplies the food and where:

• 5% for catering at functions by most caterers and banquet halls, and for a hall hired together with catering, when the supplier is not a hotel with expensive rooms. The caterer can't claim input tax credit at this rate.
• 18% for catering by a hotel, or at a hotel, whose rooms cost more than ₹7,500 a night. The government calls these "specified premises".

These rates come from the government's GST rate notifications, checked on 31 October 2026. Rules can change, and some venues bill parts of a package differently. Always check the rate on your caterer's quote or bill, then pick the same rate in the tool, or type it in.

Per plate in your budget. Once you've entered rates, the tool shows your food cost per plate across all functions. If your food comes to more than its share of the split, the tool shows you how much, and the money kept aside for surprises covers it, or you lower another category.

These are examples, made with the calculator's own Indian split and example guest counts. They show how the split works. They are not what a wedding "should" cost. Your city, venue and guest list will change every line.

How to read it:

• "Food budget per plate" is the Food & drinks share divided by every plate across the functions. If your caterer quotes more, either move % from another category, cut guests at the smaller functions, or raise the total.
• "Cost per guest" is the total divided by the biggest single function. Guests at several functions count once here.
• ₹5 lakh: two small events, with haldi and mehndi at home, keep the plate count low. A court or temple wedding with a lunch can stretch it further.
• ₹10 lakh: one pre-wedding function and one main day. The ₹2.5 lakh food share covers about 280 plates at under ₹900 a plate.
• ₹25 lakh: five functions and 1,150 plates bring the food share down to about ₹540 a plate. Many couples at this budget trim the guest list at the smaller functions, or move a few % from decor or outfits to food.
• ₹50 lakh: more room per plate and per guest, plus space for a planner or a bigger sangeet. Add a planner line if you hire one.

Try your own in the tool above: answer three quick questions, and the split, cost per guest and food per plate update as you change things.

WedMeGood's Destination Wedding Report 2026 found that about one in four Indian weddings is now a destination wedding, with an average budget of ₹58 lakh in India (WedMeGood, July 2026). International destination weddings for Indian couples averaged over ₹1.5 crore (WedMeGood, 2025–26). As with every average, these come from platform users and lean towards bigger weddings.

What changes in a destination budget:

• Guest rooms become one of the biggest lines. Count rooms × nights, and check the hotel's minimum stay and its rules on unused rooms.
• Travel for family, and often for guests: flights, trains and airport pick-ups. The Destination split gives travel 12%.
• Vendors you bring need travel, rooms and meals. Local vendors can cost less overall.
• A local coordinator who knows the vendors, permits and weather is often worth the fee.
• Fewer guests, more days. A smaller list can offset the extra nights.

Turn on "Destination wedding" in "Change guests for each function" to add these lines and switch to the Destination split.

These are the lines that turn up late. Most are already in the tool's lists.

• GST and service charges on food, venues and other services. Ask whether every quote is before or after tax.
• Minimum plate guarantees and extra plates on the day.
• Overtime for the venue, photographers, DJ or makeup artist when functions run late.
• Generator and power backup, especially for lawns and tents.
• Meals for vendor teams and drivers.
• Fittings and alterations for outfits.
• Card delivery, by courier or by hand.
• Shagun (cash gifts in envelopes) and gifts for family, which add up across functions.
• Tips and thank-you gifts for staff, drivers and helpers.
• Permissions where needed, such as for music or serving alcohol. Rules differ by state, so ask the venue.
• Deposits for damage or cleaning, and the cost of taking decor down.

The 9% kept aside for surprises in the Indian split is there for exactly these.

• Trim the guest list at the smaller functions. Each guest you remove saves a plate at every function they'd attend.
• Pick a quieter date. November and December were the busiest months for 2024 weddings in WeddingWire India's survey, with 18.5% and 17.2% of weddings (WeddingWire India, 2025). Venues often charge more on popular muhurat (auspicious date) days. Off-season and weekday dates can be easier to negotiate.
• Combine functions. Haldi and mehndi on the same day share one setup.
• Book packages, then compare. A venue's own catering and decor can cost less than three separate vendors, but compare the line-by-line prices.
• Send e-invites to most guests, and print cards only for elders.
• Choose flowers in season, and reuse decor between functions.
• Rent or re-wear outfits for the smaller functions.
• Get every quote in writing, including tax, overtime and what happens if numbers change.
• Keep money aside for surprises. Cutting it feels like saving, but it's the line that saves you later.

A budget is most useful after the bookings start. Most vendors ask for an advance to hold the date, then more payments before and after the wedding. It's easy to lose track across ten or twenty vendors and two families.

In "Track payments", the tool keeps four amounts and one date for each line:

• Estimate: what you expect, from the first quote.
• Actual: the final bill, once you know it.
• Paid: everything paid so far. Use "Add a payment" each time you pay, and the tool adds it up.
• Still to pay: what's left, worked out for you.
• Due date: when the next payment is due.

The tiles at the top show your budget, what's paid, what's still to pay and the next payment. "Due soon" lists payments due in the next 30 days, and "Overdue" shows anything past its date with money still owed. When a category goes over its target, the tool tells you by how much and how much is still kept aside for surprises.

If two families are sharing the costs, turn on "Show who pays" and mark each line for the bride's side, the groom's side, the couple or shared. You'll see a total for each, which makes the money talk simpler. Keep receipts and the vendor's details in each line's notes, so everything is in one place on the wedding week.

You can print your wedding budget, save it as a PDF or download it as a spreadsheet, with no email or sign-up.

1. Make your budget in the tool above.
2. Tap Print / PDF for a one-page summary or every line, or Spreadsheet (CSV) for a file that opens in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers.
3. To save a PDF, pick Save as PDF as the printer.

The spreadsheet has one row per line, with the target, estimate, actual, paid, balance and due date, plus totals for each category. It's a free wedding budget template you can keep editing. For WhatsApp, use Copy as text or Share link.

Planning the to-dos as well? Our free wedding planning checklist turns your wedding date into a month-by-month list. Looking for vendors? Browse the wedding vendor directory for venues, photographers and makeup artists by city.