The detailed guide below is currently available in English.
A starting split that works
The default allocation — roughly 40% venue, 30% catering, then photos, attire, music, and flowers in descending slices — mirrors how couples' spending actually shakes out in industry surveys. Treat it as scaffolding rather than law: a city hall ceremony followed by a long restaurant dinner inverts the venue number entirely, and every category is editable in the more-options drawer. Whatever percentages you enter are normalized to 100%, so a quick "venue first" sketch rescales the rest automatically.
Per-guest math drives everything
The per-guest figure is the single most useful number in wedding planning because nearly every vendor quotes against it — plates, favors, invitations, and chair covers all multiply by heads. Trimming ten guests at a $150 plate saves $1,500, which is more than most people spend on flowers. Settle the headcount before signing venue contracts and the rest of the budget tends to fall into line.
Repères pour la France
Repères locaux pour la France, utiles dans les calculs du quotidien :
- TVA: 20 % en taux normal (5,5 % alimentaire, 10 % restauration) ; les prix sont TTC par loi.
- Monnaie & paiements: Euro (€) ; paiement sans contact et carte bancaire très répandus, virement SEPA instantané en développement.
- Unités & nombres: Système métrique ; virgule décimale et espace pour les milliers : 1 234,56 €.
- Santé: Carte Vitale ; l'Assurance Maladie rembourse en base ≈ 70 % des soins, le reste par mutuelle.
- Pourboire: Service compris : aucun pourboire obligatoire ; arrondir suffit.
Mis à jour : octobre 2026 · valeurs 2025, sources officielles ci-dessus.
Questions fréquentes
What does the average wedding cost?
Recent US surveys land around $30,000 including venue, catering, and photography, with wide swings by region — big-metro weddings routinely clear $40,000 while rural celebrations come in far lower. The calculator uses $30,000 as a neutral default.
Does the venue really take 40%?
It is the most common single slice, since venue fees often include staffing, furniture, and sometimes catering. If your venue is a public park or a family property, drag those percentage points toward catering or photography instead.
Do the percentages have to total 100?
No. They are normalized proportionally, so entering only venue 50 and catering 50 splits the budget exactly in half. That makes it easy to sketch priorities first and refine later.