Wedding budget planner
Start with your total and your guests. We suggest a split you can change, then you keep track of what's booked, paid and due, and who's paying.
What you can comfortably spend, together.
Everyone at the ceremony and wedding breakfast. A rough number is fine.
Guests invited to the evening only.
Wedding budget
Budget: No total yet · Booked: £0 · Paid: £0 · Still to pay: £0
The split
| Name | Plan | Quote or price | Paid | Supplier |
|---|
How to set a wedding budget in 4 steps
Agree on a number. Start with what you can comfortably spend, together, before you visit venues. Not sure yet? Use Help me estimate, or skip the total and just track.
Count your day and evening guests. Guests move the budget more than anything else. The wedding breakfast counts your day guests; evening food counts everyone who comes in the evening.
Split it, then make it yours. We suggest a split you can change. Rename, remove or add any line. Lines you type or lock stay put when the total changes.
Track what's booked and paid. Add deposits and balances with their due dates. They go on your checklist, and you can see who's paying for what.
A typical split
The venue and the wedding breakfast take about half of most UK budgets. This is where the planner starts, and every line can change.
| Line | Share |
|---|---|
| Venue hire | 26% |
| Wedding breakfast | 18% |
| Evening food | 4% |
| Drinks | 3% |
| Registrar or celebrant, and notice | 1% |
| Photography and video | 10% |
| Flowers and decor | 7% |
| Music and entertainment | 7% |
| Dress and accessories | 9% |
| Suits | 3% |
| Hair and make-up | 2% |
| Wedding rings | 5% |
| Stationery | 1% |
| Cake | 1% |
| Wedding cars | 2% |
| Favours | 1% |
What a wedding for 100 or 120 guests costs
Day guests move the budget more than anything else. Evening guests cost much less: they usually have the evening food and drinks only.
| Guests | Couples spent (Bridebook 2026) | Merriwell estimate |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | – | £15,200£12,100 to £18,200 |
| 100 | £22,510 | £22,900£18,300 to £27,500 |
| 120 or more | £26,000 | £26,000£20,800 to £31,200 |
The free spreadsheet
Prefer a spreadsheet? It has the same three parts: the budget, the payments and who's paying, in pounds.
Download the free wedding budget spreadsheet, in pounds (Excel or a printable PDF, no email needed).
Frequently asked questions
- How much does the average UK wedding cost?
- £20,604 on average, according to Bridebook's UK Wedding Report 2026 (7,000 couples), or £21,990 by Hitched's count of 2,020 couples married in 2025.
- What is a realistic budget for 100 guests?
- Bridebook's couples with about 100 guests spent £22,510, about £225 a guest (2026 report). Our planner's estimate for 100 day guests is about £22,900, before any evening-only guests.
- How should we split our budget?
- Bridebook's 2026 figures put about half on the venue and catering (51%) and about a fifth on outfits, hair and rings (19%). Our starting split follows those shares, with a little set aside for surprises, and every line can change.
- Who traditionally pays in the UK?
- There's no rule now. Many couples pay for most of it themselves, often with help from one or both families. Add each person under Who's paying, with what they've offered and what it's for.
- Do suppliers' quotes include VAT?
- Not always. Some smaller suppliers aren't VAT-registered, and others quote before VAT. If a quote says plus VAT, tick Plus VAT on that line and we add the standard 20%.
- How do we budget for evening guests?
- Cost them apart. Evening guests usually have evening food and drinks but not the wedding breakfast, so add them as evening guests and only the evening lines move. Bridebook's couples spent £2,002 on evening food on average (2026).
- How much are notice and registrar fees?
- In England and Wales, giving notice costs £46.50 each from 6 April 2026, at least 29 days before the wedding. Register office ceremonies have a set fee, and councils set their own prices for approved venues. In Scotland notice is £45 each (April 2026). In Northern Ireland it's £22 for each notice form and £36 for a registrar's ceremony.
- Can we have a lovely wedding for £10,000?
- Yes. A quarter of Bridebook's couples spent under £10,000 (2026). Fewer guests, a weekday or a quieter month, and a register office or a smaller venue make the biggest difference.
- Is there a free spreadsheet in pounds?
- Yes. Download our blank spreadsheet in pounds as Excel or a printable PDF, with no email needed. Or keep your budget here and download it as a CSV whenever you like.
- Is it free, and is our budget private?
- The planner, the tracker, payments and who's paying are free, with no account to start. With a free account your budget is private to the two of you: family or a planner you invite see nothing unless you choose to share it.
Related tools
- Wedding Guest ListFamilies, plus-ones, children, day and evening guests. Guests reply on a free private RSVP page, no account needed. Import a spreadsheet and collect postal addresses.
- Wedding ChecklistEnter your date and see every step in order, from the venue to giving notice at the register office. Tick things off, add your own, print it.