Wedding Budget Calculator
A wedding budget from the guest count and per-head catering and drinks, plus the fixed costs — venue, photography, attire, rings, flowers, music and the rest — with the cost per guest.
Catering and drinks scale with the guest list: per-head price × guests each.
| Catering | $12,500.00 |
|---|---|
| Venue hire | $6,000.00 |
| Drinks | $4,000.00 |
| Photography + video | $3,500.00 |
| Attire (dress + suit) | $3,500.00 |
| Rings | $3,000.00 |
| Flowers | $2,000.00 |
How the wedding budget calculator works
Catering and drinks scale with the guest list: per-head price × guests each. Everything else is a fixed amount whatever the numbers. Total = catering + drinks + fixed costs; cost per guest = total ÷ guests. The chart shows the seven largest lines.
Formula: Total = guests × (catering + drinks per head) + Σ fixed costs · per guest = total ÷ guests
How the wedding total is worked out
Fixed costs plus per-guest costs
The total is two parts added together. The fixed costs — venue hire, photography and video, attire, rings, flowers, music, celebrant, stationery, transport, cake, hair and makeup, and a misc/contingency line — don't change with the guest list. The per-guest costs — catering and drinks — are multiplied by the number of guests. So the formula is simply fixed costs + (catering + drinks) × guests. Venue and catering together typically come to about half the whole budget.
Worked examples
With the default lines — about $25,100 in fixed costs and $165 per guest (catering $125 + drinks $40) — a 100-guest wedding comes to about $41,600, or roughly $416 per guest. Drop to 80 guests and it's about $38,300 — right on the national average. Notice the cost per guest rises as numbers fall, because the fixed costs are shared among fewer people. Every line is editable, so swap in your own quotes.
The categoriesWhere a wedding budget actually goes
Australian weddings cluster their spend into a handful of big lines and a long tail of smaller ones:
- Venue & catering — about half the budget. The venue is a large fixed cost and catering scales with every guest, so together they dominate. Catering runs around $125 a head, drinks another $40.
- Photography & video — around $3,500. One of the top few lines, and a fixed cost that doesn't move with guest numbers.
- Attire and rings — roughly $3,500 and $3,000. Dress, suit and the rings are one-off costs you can scale to taste.
- Flowers and music — about $2,000 each. Both flex a lot: a DJ costs less than a band, and seasonal flowers cost less than imported blooms.
- The smaller lines — celebrant, stationery, transport, cake, hair and makeup. Individually a few hundred dollars each, but they add up, so keep a misc/contingency line (about $1,500) for the surprises.
Because the biggest lines are venue and catering, that's where the decisions that move the total live — the guest count and the venue choice matter more than trimming any single small category.
Where to saveHow to bring the budget down
The guest list is the biggest lever
Because catering and drinks are charged per head and the fixed costs are shared across everyone, the guest count pulls the total in two directions at once. Trimming from 120 to 80 guests saves roughly $6,600 in catering and drinks alone — before any effect on venue size — and it's the single most powerful thing you can change.
Then the date and the venue
An off-peak date (winter, a weekday, or outside spring/autumn peak) unlocks lower venue and supplier prices. A venue that includes catering often beats hiring a bare space plus a caterer once you count staff and hire. Keep flowers seasonal, keep stationery digital where you can, and pick a DJ over a band if the music budget is tight.
Keep a real contingency
Weddings overrun on the small stuff — extra hire items, a final headcount that creeps up, day-of tips. A misc/contingency line of about $1,500 (roughly 4% of a $38,000 budget) absorbs the surprises so they don't blow the plan. Edit every line in the calculator to see which trade-offs actually move the total.
Frequently asked Frequently asked questions
Where these figures come from
There's no single official price for a wedding — it depends on your guest count, city, season and suppliers. The figures below are 2026 ranges drawn from typical Australian wedding pricing and industry surveys; they are approximate and vary from one supplier to the next, so treat them as a planning guide and use your own quotes.
- Average total — about $38,000 for roughly 80 guests (Easy Weddings 2026 survey). Venue and catering together are about half the budget.
- Per-guest costs — catering around $125 a head and drinks around $40, so each guest adds about $165.
- Fixed lines — venue ~$6,000, photography and video ~$3,500, attire ~$3,500, rings ~$3,000, flowers and music ~$2,000 each, with smaller lines (celebrant, stationery, transport, cake, hair and makeup) a few hundred dollars each.
- Contingency — keep about $1,500 (roughly 4%) for surprises.
- Further guidance — MoneySmart (ASIC) — budgeting and cost guidance.
Last checked: July 2026. All prices are indicative and vary by guest count, city, season and supplier. This is a planning estimate — get current quotes from your own suppliers before you commit.
Understanding your resultSelect the question that matches where you are right now.
The headline number is your estimated total: fixed category costs plus per-guest catering and drinks × the guest count. The breakdown shows where each dollar goes, and the cost per guest tells you what each head really costs once the fixed lines are shared out.
What to do with itUse it to set a realistic budget and to sanity-check supplier quotes. If a caterer's quote is well above $165 a head, ask what's included; if the venue quote is high, weigh it against the whole ~50% that venue and catering usually take.
What it is notIt's not a fixed quote. It doesn't price a specific venue, a designer dress, or day-of extras, and it can't know your city's peak-season loading. Suppliers set their own prices and minimums.
Cost per guestThe per-guest figure is the whole total divided by the guest count — so it's higher than the $165 marginal cost, because it includes each guest's share of the fixed costs.
Four things move the total the most: the guest count, the venue, the catering standard, and the date.
Guest countEvery guest adds catering and drinks, and a bigger list can force a larger, dearer venue. It's the single most powerful number on the page.
Venue & cateringTogether about half the budget. A venue that includes catering, or an off-peak date, can shift the total more than any small line.
Standard & datePlated vs shared, band vs DJ, imported vs seasonal flowers — each choice scales a line up or down. Peak season and Saturday dates cost the most; a weekday or winter wedding costs less across nearly every supplier.
A few decisions cut the bill without cutting the day short.
Trim the guest listFewer guests cuts per-head catering and drinks and can drop you into a smaller venue. It's the biggest saving available and it's fully in your control.
Pick an off-peak dateA weekday or winter wedding unlocks lower venue and supplier prices across the board — often 10–20% on the big lines.
Scale the flex linesSeasonal flowers, a DJ over a band, digital stationery and a simpler cake each shave a line without touching the parts of the day guests remember.
A wedding is one line in a bigger life budget. Price the rest of the plan too.
Saving for the dayWork out the monthly amount to hit your budget by the date.
Savings goal → Starting a familyIf a baby is next, price the first-year cost.
Baby cost → The bigger pictureSee how the plan fits your household outgoings.
Cost of living → Related calculators 🎯Savings GoalSave by the date 🍼Baby CostFirst-year budget 🛟Emergency FundBuffer to build 🧾Cost of LivingHousehold running costs 📈Compound InterestGrow the savings 🏦Borrowing CapacityWhat you can borrow 🎂Birthday Party CostThe cost of a birthday party You might also be interested in 🎯Savings GoalSave by the date 🍼Baby CostFirst-year budget 🧾Cost of LivingBudget the whole home 🛟Emergency FundBuffer to build 📈Compound InterestGrow the savings 🏦Borrowing CapacityWhat you can borrow Rate this calculatorQuick answers
The average Australian wedding ≈ $38,000 for ~80 guests
The average Australian wedding costs about $38,000 in 2026 (Easy Weddings' national survey), for an average of around 80 guests — though couples typically spend about 23% more than their starting budget. Venue and catering together eat roughly half the total. This calculator reproduces that average: at the default per-guest and fixed costs, 80 guests comes to about $38,300. Every line is editable to match your own quotes and priorities.
| National average | ≈$38,000 |
|---|---|
| Average guests | ~80 |
| Over budget by | ~23% |
- Venue + catering ~50% of total
- Start high Budgets creep
Cost per guest 100 guests ≈ $416 each
At 100 guests the default budget is about $41,600 — roughly $416 per guest. But per-guest cost isn't fixed: it's the total divided by heads, and fixed costs (photography, attire, rings, flowers) don't shrink when the list does. So a 50-guest wedding works out to about $667 per guest even though it's cheaper overall ($33,350). The per-head figure is most useful for deciding whether adding another table is worth it.
| 100 guests | $416/guest |
|---|---|
| 50 guests | $667/guest |
| Total (100) | ≈$41,600 |
- Fewer guests Higher per head
- Marginal guest ~$165 (food+drink)
How guest count drives the total Each guest ≈ $165 more
Guests are the biggest variable you control. Each additional guest adds only the per-head costs — catering (~$125) plus drinks (~$40), about $165 — while the fixed costs stay put. So going from 100 to 150 guests adds about $8,250 (50 × $165), taking the total from $41,600 to about $49,850. Trimming the list is the fastest way to cut a wedding budget without sacrificing the photographer, the dress or the rings.
| Per extra guest | ≈$165 |
|---|---|
| 100 guests | ≈$41,600 |
| 150 guests | ≈$49,850 |
- Cut the list Fastest saving
- Fixed costs Stay the same
Venue & catering — the big half ~50% of the budget
Venue hire plus catering is consistently the largest slice of an Australian wedding — around half the total. In the defaults, venue ($6,000) plus catering ($125 × 100 = $12,500) is $18,500 of a $41,600 wedding, about 45%. Because catering scales with guests, it's where guest-count decisions bite hardest. Cocktail-style or buffet service, a weekday or off-season date, and a venue that lets you bring your own drinks are the classic levers here.
| Venue + catering | ~45–50% |
|---|---|
| At 100 guests | ≈$18,500 |
| Catering/head | ~$125 |
- Weekday/off-season Big discounts
- Cocktail style Cheaper than plated
What photography costs ≈ $3,500 photo + video
Photography (and video) averages around $3,500 in Australia — one of the biggest fixed costs and, many couples find, one of the few things you can't redo. Photography alone often runs $3,000–$4,000 and videography a similar amount if added. Unlike catering it doesn't scale with guests, so it's the same whether you invite 40 or 200. It's a common place couples choose to spend up, since the photos outlast every other part of the day.
| Photo + video | ≈$3,500 |
|---|---|
| Photo alone | $3,000–$4,000 |
| Scales with guests? | No — fixed |
- Can't redo Worth prioritising
- Video Adds ~$3,000+
Where couples save most Guests, date, drinks
The three biggest levers are guest count (each head ≈ $165), the date (a Friday, Sunday or off-season wedding can cut venue and catering 20–40%), and drinks (BYO or a limited bar versus open bar). Trimming a guest list from 120 to 80 saves about $6,600 in food and drink alone. After that, DIY flowers and stationery, a daytime reception, and borrowing or renting attire chip away at the fixed costs. Set your must-haves first, then flex the rest.
| Each guest cut | Saves ~$165 |
|---|---|
| Off-peak date | −20–40% venue |
| 120 → 80 guests | −~$6,600 |
- Set Must-haves first
- Flex Everything else
Worked examples
| Inputs | Total wedding budget | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 100 guests at $125 catering and $40 drinks a head | $41,600 | $41,600, $416 a guest |
| Sixty guests, the same fixed costs | $35,000 | $35,000 — the fixed $25,100 does not shrink |
| A registry office and a restaurant | $9,800 | $9,800 |
FAQFrequently asked questions
How much does a wedding cost in Australia?
The average Australian wedding costs roughly $38,000 for about 80 guests, according to Easy Weddings' 2026 survey. Venue and catering together make up around half of that, with photography, attire and rings the next biggest lines. The total splits into fixed costs — venue, photography, attire, rings, flowers, music and the rest — plus per-guest costs (catering and drinks) that scale with the guest list. Every figure here is an editable estimate, so replace our defaults with your own quotes.
How much per guest for a wedding?
Each additional guest typically adds about $165 — roughly $125 for catering and $40 for drinks. But the total cost per guest is higher than that, because the fixed costs (venue, photographer, attire) are spread across everyone: at 100 guests a $41,600 wedding works out to about $416 per guest, and that figure rises as the guest list shrinks because the fixed costs are shared among fewer people. Trimming the guest list is the single biggest lever on the total.
What is the biggest wedding expense?
Venue and catering are the biggest expense by a wide margin — together they usually account for about half of the total wedding budget, because the venue is a large fixed cost and catering scales with every guest. Photography and video, attire and rings are the next biggest lines. Because venue and catering dominate, choosing a cost-effective venue and a shorter guest list moves the total more than trimming any of the smaller categories.
How can I reduce my wedding budget?
The most powerful lever is the guest list: because catering and drinks are per-head and the fixed costs are shared, fewer guests cuts both the per-guest total and the cost per head. After that, choose an off-peak date or a venue that includes catering, keep flowers and stationery lean, and set a realistic misc/contingency line (about $1,500) so surprises don't blow the budget. Edit every line in the calculator to see which trade-offs move the total most.
How much should I budget for photography?
Budget around $3,500 for combined photography and video at an Australian wedding, though experienced photographers in the capital cities can run higher and shorter coverage runs less. It's usually one of the top three or four categories after venue and catering. Because it's a fixed cost rather than a per-guest one, it doesn't change with the guest list — so it becomes a larger share of the total on a smaller wedding. Sources
The sources behind this calculator
- American Association of Feline Practitioners — Feline Life Stage Guidelines — the six feline life stages the cat-age page uses
- Wang et al. 2020, Cell Systems — Quantitative translation of dog-to-human aging by conserved remodeling of the DNA methylome — the 16·ln(age)+31 epigenetic formula on the dog-age page
- Fair Work Ombudsman — sets hospitality award wages — why tipping is optional in Australia
Last checked: July 2026. Where a page states a convention (a tipping custom, a pet life stage), the page names the body it follows.