How should I break down my wedding budget?
The average US wedding costs $34,200 for 117 guests, about $292 per guest, according to The Knot’s 2026 Real Weddings Study. A common split puts roughly 40% toward venue and catering, 14% toward photo and video, 9% toward flowers and 5% toward a buffer. Enter your numbers below.
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Budget breakdown
Questions planners ask
What’s the average wedding cost?
The Knot’s 2026 Real Weddings Study, which surveyed more than 10,000 US couples married in 2025, puts the average wedding at $34,200 for 117 guests. That works out to about $292 per guest. Big-city weddings run well above that, so treat it as a national midpoint, not a target.
How should you split a wedding budget?
A common rule of thumb is about 40% for venue and catering (guides range from 30% to 50%), 10–15% for photo and video, 8–15% for flowers and decor, and 5–10% for a planner, with smaller slices for attire, music and stationery. Hold back 5–10% as a buffer, then shift percentages toward what the couple cares about most.
How do you work out cost per guest?
Divide the total budget by the guest count. At the national average that’s roughly $292 a head. Cost per guest is the quickest way to see the trade-off between a bigger list and a nicer experience: every extra guest adds catering, rentals, stationery and favors, so trimming the list often frees more money than cutting a vendor.
How much should you budget for a wedding planner?
The Knot’s 2026 study puts the average planner spend at about $2,100, and Zola’s cost index puts a planner at roughly 5–8% of the total budget. Full-service planning sits at the top of that range; month-of coordination costs less. Planners: share this breakdown with your couple to set expectations early.