How to build a wedding budget you can use
Start with the amount you can afford, then decide what it needs to cover. A category plan helps you compare quotes without mistaking a small deposit for a small bill.
Your starting checklist
- Count available money, realistic savings, and confirmed contributions. Keep uncertain help out of booking decisions.
- Estimate your guest count before choosing a venue or catering package.
- Set category limits and leave room for costs you have not priced.
- Record full vendor commitments, then their payment dates separately.
A $40,000 ceiling, with and without a reserve
In this fictional USD example, $14,000 saved + ($1,500 saved each month for 12 months) + an $8,000 confirmed contribution = $40,000. Without that contribution, the ceiling would be $32,000.
The following starting allocation uses all $40,000. It is an example, not a recommended percentage split.
On a small screen, swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Category | $40,000 example | Approx. share | What to check before booking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue and ceremony | $11,000 | 27.5% | Rental time, cleanup, chairs, required vendors, overtime rules |
| Catering and drinks | $13,000 | 32.5% | Guest count, food, drinks, tax, service charge, rentals |
| Photography | $4,000 | 10% | Coverage hours, second shooter, albums, delivery timeline |
| Decor and flowers | $4,000 | 10% | Setup, delivery, teardown, seasonal flowers, rentals |
| Entertainment | $3,500 | 8.75% | DJ or band, sound system, ceremony audio, overtime |
| Attire, beauty, and accessories | $3,000 | 7.5% | Alterations, shoes, hair trial, makeup trial, accessories |
| Transportation | $1,500 | 3.75% | Couple transport, family transport, shuttle, parking |
The download also includes a version with $5,000 assigned to Other as a reserve. Both columns total $40,000. Reduce other limits to fund that reserve; assigning money to Other does not automatically prevent you from spending it.
You can open the CSV in Google Sheets or another spreadsheet app. It is a reference worksheet, not a Planner backup to restore.
Use it in your planner
- Set your total in Budget and review each category. Fresh quick setup scales the starting examples to your total; later total changes do not automatically rescale them.
- Adjust the limits to your quotes and priorities, then choose Confirm category limits. You cannot confirm while the limits exceed the total.
- Compare quotes in Vendors, select one commitment per category, and enter its deposit and balance dates in Payments.
More detail when you need it
Open the questions that apply to your plans.
What do the different totals mean?
Planned amounts are limits, not bills. These calculations keep payments from being counted a second time:
- Category available = planned limit minus selected commitments and separate expenses in that category.
- Overall uncommitted = total budget minus selected commitments and all separate expenses.
- Payment progress compares recorded paid payments with selected commitments. Historical payments can remain after a vendor is unselected, so review any warning.
- Allocation check = total budget minus all category limits.
A large uncommitted amount can still need to cover vendors you have not booked. Do not treat it as spare cash.
What if a quote is higher than the estimate?
On a small screen, swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Item | Estimated | Actual quote | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | $11,000 | $12,800 | Check whether catering, cleanup, or rental rules caused the increase. |
| Catering | $13,000 | $15,400 | Review guest count, service charge, bar package, and rentals. |
| Photography | $4,000 | $3,600 | Move the savings to buffer or another priority category. |
Keep the category limit as your plan and the full quote as the possible commitment. Check inclusions before cutting another category. Guest count can change food, drinks, capacity, rentals, favors, stationery, transport, and staffing together. A 50-person event may need a different plan from a 150-person one.
What should I record for each payment?
Keep the vendor and category, full contract total, amount paid, each remaining balance and due date, plus the invoice or receipt. Check taxes, service charges, gratuity, delivery, setup, overtime, cancellation, refunds, and guest-count terms in the written agreement.
Record deposits in Payments. Use Budget's Actual expenses only for costs outside the selected vendor quote and its payments. Entering the same deposit in both places counts it twice.
When should we pause upgrades?
Pause if large quotes are still incomplete or the reserve is disappearing. Watch for venue bookings made before catering is priced, sample averages treated as local quotes, uncertain family contributions, and forgotten balances. Tax, tips, delivery, and overtime can use up money that looked available.
There is no single reserve amount that fits every plan. Keep enough room for the uncertainty in your own quotes and guest list.
How do we keep a copy of the plan?
Reports provides the PDF/print view, Excel workbook, and focused CSV exports. My Data provides a complete planner backup for restoring your saved records in another browser. A report is for reviewing numbers; the planner backup is for restoring them. Keep a copy before clearing browser data.