Wedding Budget Percentages for a Picture-Perfect Day

Have you set your total wedding budget but not sure HOW you should spend that money? This post will walk you through some suggested wedding budget percentages to help you break down your wedding budget.

When planning my own wedding, I remember being very confused on how much I should spend on each item. I knew our total budget but wasn’t sure how to allocate those funds. I finally sat down and started researching some suggested wedding budget percentages. This helped me FINALLY make progress with wedding planning.

Once you’ve set your total wedding budget, it’s important to break down that budget into smaller categories.

This will help you make smart financial decisions and prevent you from totally blowing your budget. It will also keep you focused on your priorities and help you narrow down your search.

However, if you’ve never planned a wedding before, it’s really difficult to know just how much you should spend in each category.

This post will walk you through a suggested wedding budget breakdown using percentages and teach you how to break down your wedding budget.

Step 1: Set Your Total Wedding Budget

Before we get into the budget breakdown, it’s important that you actually SET your budget. By this I mean determine the total price tag you are able and willing to spend on your wedding.

To do this, you’ll need to sit down with your fiancé and take a look at your finances. You should also talk to any members of the family who may be contributing to the wedding and calculate how much you can save before the wedding.

If you haven’t already set your wedding budget, check out this blog post all about how to set your wedding budget in 5 simple steps. It will walk you through exactly how I set my own wedding budget.

It you have your total budget, keep reading learn how to break it down!

Step 2: Download This Free Wedding Budget Breakdown Template

Once you’ve set your budget and you know EXACTLY how much you have to spend, you’ll want to think about how you will spend that money.

In the next section, I’ll walk you through a recommended breakdown based on my experience and some research. However, before we get into that, you’ll want to download my FREE wedding budget breakdown template below.

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This printable includes suggested wedding budget percentages for each category and will seriously help you map out your budget.

Simply fill in your total budget on the top line and use the suggested percentages to get an idea of how much you should spend in each category.

Keep in mind that these percentages are just suggestions! You should adjust the category percentages based on your wedding priorities.

Once you’ve downloaded and printed the template, keep reading to see what each category entails.

Step 3: Break Down Your Wedding Budget

This section explains each category of the FREE wedding budget breakdown template in more detail and offers budget tips and suggestions for each one.

Again, remember that this breakdown is just a suggestion. Your wedding budget should be built based on your unique priorities, so these percentages are meant to serve only as a starting point.

Venue – 10%

Whether you are booking two separate venues for your ceremony and reception or having both at the same location, your event fee should be around 10% of your total budget.

This is usually the first thing you book, so you want to make sure you budget accordingly.

Spending more than 10% could be justified if it includes other items, such rentals like tables and chairs, or is so pretty that you won’t need a lot of flowers or decor. Just make sure you don’t overspend from the beginning.

Catering – 25%

This category includes all food, desert, and rental items associated with catering services.

Typically, your catering quote will include the cost of plates, utensils, napkins, drinking glasses, tablecloths, and possibly other items like charger plates or centerpiece decor.

If it does not, you should consider spending less in this category since you will need more money to budget for those rental items.

Note that I am also including desert and your wedding cake in this category. A great way to save on desert is by having a personal wedding cake to cut and offering small deserts to guests.

Catering takes up a HUGE chunk of your wedding budget, which is why your guest list is the number one budget killer. The more people you invite, the more people you have to feed.

Bar – 4%

Plan on spending around 4% of your budget on the bar. This may be difficult if you are booking open bar service through a company.

You can save on your bar tab by offering a few signature cocktails instead of having an open bar or choosing to serve only beer and wine.

You’ll save the most money by buying your own alcohol and hiring a bartender to serve it. Bartenders are usually offered by catering companies.

Photography – 10%

I suggest allocating a good chunk of your budget to photography because you will look back on your wedding photos forever.

After spending hours planning your dream wedding, you want to make sure you have someone who can capture all of the special moments on your wedding day.

A huge regret couples have is not hiring a quality photographer. I’ve seen so many brides post about how they got their photos back and were disappointed or unhappy.

Make sure you find a photographer that fits your style with both the types of pictures they take and the way they edit.

videography – 6%

You’ve probably heard it a thousand times, but your wedding day goes by in the blink of an eye. Hiring a videographer can help you relive the day.

Pictures are amazing, but they don’t move. Video is able to capture so much more emotion which results in longer-lasting memories.

Again, find a videographer that fits your style. Personally, I’m a fan cinematic videos edited to music. If you wanted to see an example, check out or wedding video by Shutter & Sound.

Unfortunately, it can be difficult to make space in the budget for both a photographer AND videographer. If you choose to skip video, you can cut down on your total budget, or allocate those funds elsewhere. Many couples choose to put these funds toward hiring a better photographer.

coordinator – 3%

Based on the nature of this blog, I am going to assume that you are not budgeting for a full-service wedding planner. (If you are, you will definitely need to allocate more than 3% of your funds.)

While you probably aren’t hiring a planer, I STRONGLY encourage you to hire a wedding coordinator. A coordinator does not help with the planning process, but instead, executes your plans on the day of.

From building your timeline to coordinating with your vendors to setting up your decor, your coordinator runs the behind-the-scenes so that you can relax and enjoy the day.

If you choose not to hire a coordinator, make sure you designate somebody to be the point person on the day of your wedding. Try not to pick anyone in your bridal party as they will be busy for most of the day!

officiant – 2%

If you want your marriage to be official, this is one you can’t skip. Luckily, you can hire an officiant for a relatively low cost (a few hundred bucks).

You can also have a friend or family member marry you at no cost.

This is a pretty common choice for many couples as it saves them money AND makes the ceremony so much more special. Just make sure you double check marriage laws in your state well before the wedding day.

entertainment – 4%

From a photo booth to watercolor painter to string quartet to tattoo artist, this category includes any guest entertainment.

If you are looking for a way to save money within this category, I suggest hiring a DJ instead of a live musician or band. Bands can get pricey quickly and are usually more limited in their music, while a DJ can play any request you have.

Rentals- 6%

Rentals typically refer to items like tables, chairs, lighting, dance floor, tent, etc; however, some of these items may be included in other categories.

For example, some venues have tables and chairs that are included in the venue fee. Some caterers include plates, utensils, and glassware. You should aim for any remaining rentals to be under 6%.

Flowers – 6%

Your flower budget should include your wedding party bouquets and boutonnieres as well as any flowers used for decoration (centerpieces, welcome table, ceremony aisle and arbor, sweetheart table, etc.)

Hiring a florist can get very expensive very quickly; many couples are SHOCKED after receiving their floral quotes. If flowers are super important to you, I suggest planning to spend more than 6% from the beginning.

Luckily, there are a lot of ways to save on your flower budget, including choosing in-season flowers, opting for stems in bud vases instead of large arrangements, or even buying and arranging flowers yourself.

I opted for pre-arranged dried flowers which cut my floral budget down to 1%. Check out how I did my own florals in this blog post.

Decor – 3%

Besides rentals and flowers, you will probably still need to buy or rent other decor such as your centerpieces and any unique touches you may be planning.

Examples include table numbers, vases, lanterns, ceremony aisle decor, bar decor, easels for signs, etc.

A great way to save on decor is to go minimal, buy your own decor, and resell it after the wedding. If you want to read more about DIY decor, check out this blog post.

Transporation – 3%

This includes any guest or wedding party transportation that you plan on booking.

Maybe you want to rent a limo for your wedding party or plan on shuttling guests from the hotel to the venue. Research transportation options early on because they can also be expensive (like upwards of $1k).

Stationary – 2%

This includes anything that you will print for your wedding. While you may not have all of these, some examples include save the dates, invitations, welcome signs, seating charts, bar signs, programs, escort cards, menus, etc.

While you could spend way more than 2% on this category, most of these items will end up getting thrown away or recycled after the wedding. In my opinion, I would rather spend more in other areas. Luckily, there are a lot of ways to have beautiful stationary without spending an arm and a leg.

I love places like Etsy and Zazzle for stationary.

attire – 8%

This includes anything that will be worn on your wedding day, including a wedding dress and suit. Don’t forget about other items like shoes, undergarments, and jewelry.

Make sure you know your wedding dress budget before you go shopping, tell your consultant, and don’t even try on a dress if it’s out of budget! For more wedding dress shopping tips, check out this blog post.

hair & makeup – 2%

If you’re getting your hair and makeup done professionally, I suggest you aim to spend around 2% of your total budget. This may seem like a lot, but bridal beauty is expensive! Plus, you want to make sure you look and feel beautiful on your big day.

You’ll want to invest in a quality hair and makeup artist for the same reason I suggested investing in a quality photographer – you’ll be looking back on these photos forever.

If you hate the way your hair or makeup looks, chances are, you won’t like the photos.

For the same reason, I always suggest doing a hair and makeup trial. Some contracts will include a trial in the total cost, but you usually have to add this on at an additional charge. My advice? DO THE TRIAL!!

You can save money here by doing your own hair and makeup, but make sure you practice! One advantage of a professional artist is that they know how complete a photo-ready hair and makeup look that will last through the night.

rings – 2%

Some people don’t include rings in their wedding budget, but if you do, I recommend spending around 2% on your wedding bands. (Note that this does not include the engagement ring.)

There are a lot of online brands that make gorgeous and affordable bands for men and women.

gifts- 2%

If you are planning on providing wedding favors to your guests, creating bridesmaid proposal boxes, purchasing bachelorette or wedding party gifts, or giving your parents gifts on your wedding day, all of that will fall under this category.

Remember that gifts and favors aren’t necessary, but if you plan on buying them, make sure you budget for them!

Make sure you read my post about 9 wedding favors people actually want and exactly how I made my bridesmaid proposal boxes for more ideas!

MiscellanEOUS – 2%

DO NOT SKIP THIS CATEGORY. Having funds set aside in this category will give your budget a buffer and prepare you for inevitable unexpected expenses.

Set-up fees, tax, and vendor tips are just a few costs that couples typically forget to budget for. Always check your contract to see what is included and ask if any extra fees will be added on later.

This category is also great to give yourself some wiggle room in your other categories. Let’s say you reaaaaally love a photographer but they are on $300 over your photo budget. You can steal a bit from your miscellaneous category to help cover the difference.

Allocate at least 2% of your total budget to this cushion category.

Step 4: Adjust Your Budget Breakdown as Needed

Now that you know the major categories of items you will need to rent or purchase for your wedding and have an idea of how much you should spend in each category, you should adjust the budget to fit your needs and priorities.

Sit down with your fiancé and identify three categories that are major priorities to you.

For example, our priorities were the venue, photography, and bar. It was very important to us that all of our family and friends could hang out for the entire weekend, so we knew that we wanted to find a private venue with on-site accommodations. We also wanted to invest in a good photographer and wanted to provide a large selection of drinks to our guests for the entire weekend.

Once you have your top three priorities, do some research into the typical costs in your area. You may need to adjust your wedding budget percentages and allocate more funds to these categories.

As you start buying and booking things, make sure you track your spending and keep an eye on your budget breakdown. I highly suggest finding a good budget tracker to help keep you organized.

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Summary

It’s REALLY easy to get carried away with wedding planning and spend more than you intended. The goal is to have a beautiful and memorable day without breaking the bank.

The last thing you want is to start your marriage off with financial stress.

Breaking down your wedding budget using percentages will help you focus on priorities, track your spending, and keep you within your total wedding budget.