Guide · 6 min read · 2026-08-19
Your wedding budget in the first three months
A wedding budget is not one number. It is three numbers agreed early, and then a long list of small decisions that quietly add up.
Agree the total, then the split
Decide what you are spending overall before anything else, including whether families are contributing and on what terms. Then split it into venue and catering (usually around 40 per cent), photography and film (10 to 12 per cent), attire (8 per cent), flowers (8 per cent) and the rest across music, stationery, transport and cake.
Decide what you are spending overall before anything else, including whether families are contributing and on what terms. Then split it into venue and catering (usually around 40 per cent), photography and film (10 to 12 per cent), attire (8 per cent), flowers (8 per cent) and the rest across music, stationery, transport and cake.
Hold back ten per cent
Something will cost more than you expect: a marquee, a generator, an extra night of accommodation. A contingency of ten per cent is not pessimism, it is the difference between a decision and a panic in month nine.
Something will cost more than you expect: a marquee, a generator, an extra night of accommodation. A contingency of ten per cent is not pessimism, it is the difference between a decision and a panic in month nine.
Count the cost per guest, not per head
Catering, drinks, favours, stationery, chairs and transport all scale with the guest list. Dropping twenty guests from a 120-person wedding can free up several thousand pounds without touching a single supplier.
Catering, drinks, favours, stationery, chairs and transport all scale with the guest list. Dropping twenty guests from a 120-person wedding can free up several thousand pounds without touching a single supplier.
Write deposits into the calendar
Most suppliers take a deposit at booking and the balance two to four weeks before. A single spreadsheet of due dates is worth more than any app. Our budget tool tracks estimated, actual and paid in the same place.
Most suppliers take a deposit at booking and the balance two to four weeks before. A single spreadsheet of due dates is worth more than any app. Our budget tool tracks estimated, actual and paid in the same place.
Where a typical budget goes
Percentages travel better than pounds: they scale to whatever total you are working with.
| Area | Share of budget | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Venue & cateringTop pick | Around 40% | Hire, food, drink, service |
| Photography & film | 10–12% | Full-day coverage, album, second shooter |
| Attire & beauty | 8% | Outfits, alterations, hair and make-up |
| Flowers & styling | 8% | Bouquets, tables, ceremony flowers |
| Music & entertainment | 5–7% | Band or DJ, ceremony musicians |
| Everything else | Balance | Stationery, transport, cake, gifts |
| Contingency | 10% | Held back, not spent |
Questions
Written by WedHQ editorial
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