Wedding Cost & Budget Calculator

It depends heavily on your state. In Mississippi, a 100-person wedding costs roughly $24,500 ($8,000 fixed + $165/guest). In New York, that same wedding runs about $69,500 ($28,000 fixed + $415/guest). The US national average is around $35,500. Use the state dropdown above to see your specific estimate.

The national average cost per wedding guest is approximately $235, according to The Knot’s 2025 Real Weddings Study. This covers catering, bar, place settings, favors, and per-head stationery. In high-cost states like New York or Massachusetts, expect $385–$415 per guest. Budget-friendly states like Mississippi or Arkansas can be as low as $165–$170 per guest.

Start with the total you can realistically spend. Then use this calculator to see how many guests that budget supports. The formula is: Total = Fixed Costs + (Per-Guest Cost × Guest Count). Because per-guest costs scale instantly, the absolute best way to protect your budget is to set a strict guest limit before you send save-the-dates. (Tip: iDoTogether lets you set a hard cap on your guest list so you literally cannot over-invite).

Yes - cutting your guest list is the single most effective way to reduce wedding costs. Unlike fixed costs (photographer, DJ, officiant), per-guest expenses scale linearly. At the national average, every guest you remove saves $235. Cutting 20 guests saves nearly $4,700. The key is knowing who’s actually coming - which is why confirmed RSVPs matter more than estimates.

To stay under $20,000, focus on three levers: (1) Keep your guest list under 80 people - this is the biggest cost driver. (2) Choose a budget-friendly state or venue type: think backyard, public parks, or off-peak dates (Fridays, Sundays, winter). (3) Choose buffet service over plated to save up to 12% on per-guest catering costs. At $165/guest with $8,000 in fixed costs, 70 guests lands at $19,550.

Off-peak timing can significantly reduce costs. A Friday wedding typically saves 8% compared to Saturday, Sunday saves 10%, and a weekday wedding saves up to 18%. Seasonally, fall weddings save about 5% and winter weddings save up to 12% vs. peak summer rates. Combine a Friday in winter and you could save up to 30% on both fixed and per-guest costs - that’s over $10,000 on a $35,000 wedding.

A common starting split is venue 27 percent, catering 23 percent, photography 10 percent, then music, flowers, planner and attire at 5 to 6 percent each, with decor, rings, beauty, stationery, transport and officiant making up the rest. Treat those as targets, not rules. Set your total above and the calculator splits it across all fourteen categories, then you adjust each one until the balance matches what you actually care about.

They are regional benchmarks compiled from published wedding cost surveys, market price sheets and what couples using iDoTogether enter in their own budgets. Accurate enough to plan around, and no substitute for a quote. A real contract from a venue in your city beats any average, which is why you can enter your own per guest number and the calculator will use it instead of ours. The methodology page lists what goes into every figure and when it was last reviewed.

The ones that catch couples out are attire alterations ($300 to $800), vendor meals ($150 to $400), overtime charges ($500 to $1,500), the marriage license ($30 to $100), beauty and hair trials ($200 to $500), and thank you card postage ($100 to $300). Gratuities are the big one: budget 15 to 20 percent of the vendor fees where a service charge is not already written into the contract, and check each contract, because plenty of venues and caterers include it. Together these usually add 10 to 15 percent. Rather than bolt a second estimate onto your first, set a buffer in the planner above. It holds a share of your total back as a Contingency line, so the money is already inside the budget instead of arriving as a surprise.

The old split gave the bride's family the ceremony, reception, flowers and photography, the groom's family the rehearsal dinner, officiant fee and honeymoon, and the couple the rings. Almost nobody follows it now. Recent surveys put the couple at roughly half the total, with parents covering most of the rest and a small share coming from other family. Treat tradition as a starting point for the conversation, not a rule, and use the funding section above to write down what each side has actually committed.

The three splits couples land on are an even share between both families and the couple, a proportional share where each side gives what it can, or a category split where each side takes whole line items such as the bar or the flowers. Whichever you choose, get the amount, the timing and any conditions in writing before that money is promised to a vendor. Contributions that are agreed verbally and then reduced after deposits are paid are one of the most common sources of wedding budget stress.