Think of your wedding budget as a way to decide which items that cost money are important on your special day. You can fill out this Wedding Budget Tool in about seven minutes – and before you know it, you'll have a handle on your wedding budget!

There are no right or wrong answers. Feel free to guess or leave blank any answer you're not sure about.

Ingredients for your wedding day are listed in the order in which the you will use them – not in the order in which you visit a wedding business or place an order. For a planner, see our Wedding How–To Checklist.

We also offer a printable wedding budget with high and low ranges of many expenditures. Or you can download a spreadsheet version to adapt to your own needs.

If you're looking towards a more lavish affair, you may want to see our complete Wedding Budget Tool.

Having consistent numbers to work with throughout this will make it easier to give you a wedding budget estimate. Give us your best guesstimates below:

  • You expect    guests at your wedding
  • Rehearsal dinner usually includes the bride & groom, your parents, bridal party & other close family – about people
  • You'll have bridesmaids, including your maid-of-honor
  • There may be groomsmen, including his best man

Invitations

What sort of wedding invitations do you wish to send out? Pick that, and we'll calculate the cost of printing invitations & postage.

  • Engraved on quality paper
  • Standardized printed invitations
  • Home-printed invitations

Marriage License

In Westmoreland County, a marriage license costs $45.

$.00

Appearance

Every woman wants to sparkle on her wedding day. You may want to visit a local spa or salon before the wedding ceremony.

  • Day of pampering at a spa
  • Hair & nails at a salon
  • Hair only by a professional stylist
  • A relative or friend will do the bride's hair at home

Rehearsal Dinner

Rehearsal dinner will be:

  • Held at an upscale restaurant
  • Eaten at a casual restaurant
  • Enjoyed at home
  • Someone other than the bride or groom foots the bill

Bridal Gown

The average wedding gown price tag is $1,025. Tell us about your likely gown choice:

  • A fantasy dress
  • A designer gown
  • An off-the-rack bridal gown
  • A discounted wedding dress
  • A family heirloom bride's dress (add $100 for alterations)

Do you want us to add $500 to cover veil, shoes, jewelry, garters, gloves, handbag & other accessories?

  • Yes, there will be bridal accessories at the ceremony
  • Don't add accessories to this budget

Groom's Tuxedo

Tell us how your fiancé will appear on your wedding day:

  • Your groom will wear an excellent rented tux
  • He will rent a basic wool tuxedo
  • His tux rental is free with the groomsmen's rentals, he already owns a tux or he'll wear his best suit

Tuxedos may need accessories. Do you want us to add $150 to cover accessories for the groom's attire?

  • Yes, there will be groom accessories at the ceremony
  • Don't add accessories to this budget

Chapel

If you're being married in your home church, the use of the building for your service may be free. However, in other cases, there may be a cost to use the building.

  • You found a really cool location for your ceremony
  • You're having a church wedding but paying for the chapel
  • You're being married in our home church
  • You're being married at home or in another private setting

Officiant

Your wedding ceremony officiant may have a get–acqainted meeting, answer questions by email, arrive early for your service & handle any situations.

  • Your officiant expects a decent fee
  • You'll slip your minister an honorarium
  • Chapel fees include the officiant

Ceremony Programs

Ceremony programs are a convenient way for guests to follow along with your wedding and identify your officiant, attendants, musician & singer.

  • A custom design will be engraved on high quality paper
  • You'll use a great local printer
  • You'll print from a free online template

Flowers

Price of flowers for the bridal party, church and reception will vary based on the number of guests, size of the bridal party & types of flowers.

  • A large bridal party and a lot of guests
  • A mid-sized bridal party and guest list
  • A small bridal party and a few guests
  • You'll decorate with artificial flowers

Other Accesories

While no list can be complete, we can include the price of an aisle runner, ring pillow, unity candle & other accesories by adding $250 to the budget.

  • Yes, there will be other accessories at the wedding ceremony
  • Don't add accessories to this budget

Photographer

Are you looking to keep a DVD record of your wedding day, keep a photo album on your coffee table, give photos to relatives?

  • Photo album with pictures for family
  • Photo album
  • DVD at the end of the reception
  • Friends will take pictures for you without charge

Videographer

The cost of videography can vary based on the number of cameras and videographers, professional experience, how many hours are involved & the final product.

  • Multiple cameras & videographers with a dazzling dvd
  • One camera, one videographer, a great dvd
  • A friend of the family will do it for free
  • There will not be a video memory of The Day

Wedding Bands

Wedding bands range from under $100 to more than $8,000. Generally re-sizing is included.

  • You prefer exclusive designer wedding bands
  • Wide wedding bands with diamonds make the right statement
  • Wedding bands in the middle range will look great!
  • You want a simple statement of the lifetime commitment between you
  • Wedding bands were included with the price of rings

Reception Venue

Your venue sets the tone for your entire event. Tell us about the style of reception site & we'll estimate a price based on how many guests you expect. We assume that the reception site & caterer will be contracted separately (although in many instances, you purchase both together).

  • You'll book the ballroom of a major hotel
  • A fancy, stand-alone catering site works best for you
  • You need a large, private room at an upscale restaurant
  • You'll use a local fire hall, VFW, church or similar hall
  • The wedding reception will be held at home

Caterer

Caterer expenses vary based on whether it's served or buffet style, and what the food is. We'll add a $150 cake cutting fee – but have not included overtime, gratuity or taxes.

  • Your wedding dinner will be served in the ballroom
  • Food will be set out buffet style at an upscale restaurant
  • Buffet style food will be ready at a standalone location
  • Your wedding reception will be held at home

Wedding Cake

The common standard seems to be to charge by the slice.

  • Gourmet cake with flavored fillings will be served
  • Your guests will see a 3-tier cake with buttercream icing
  • A standard sheet cake does fine

Cookies

What's a wedding reception without cookies?

  • You're going all out with cookies
  • A nice selection of cookies is part of the total package
  • You family & friends are wedding cookie specialists

Alcohol

Many people expect alcohol to be served at your wedding party. Here are several possible ways to structure the price.

  • An open bar will feature premium liquors
  • There will be a nice open bar
  • All the free beer your guests can drink
  • You're abstinent

Party & Decorating Supplies

Reception decorations, along with your venue & flowers, implement your theme. You'll have:

  • Ice sculptures, candelabras & more
  • Candles & other basic items
  • You'll be decorating your home
  • The decor is well-established without adding decorations

Wedding Favors

You can spend as little as 40-cents or more than $10 per guest. The possibilities for favors are endless!

  • There will be elegant favors
  • You'll supply basic favors
  • You'll make the favors at home
  • You will not be supplying wedding favors

Entertainment

  • A live band
  • A professional DJ
  • A friend of the family will play tunes

Gifting

Presents for the wedding party, parents & each other help to mark your special occasion. Let's begin with gifts to be presented to your maid-of-honor and bridesmaids the morning of the wedding.

  • Spa treatment or something similar
  • Silk pajamas, nice gold necklace or similar gift
  • A picture frame or a DVD

His best man and groomsmen may receive:

  • Cigars, tickets to a game or a similar present
  • A iPod, Zippo lighter or something similar
  • A money clip or DVD

Gifts can be presented to parents of the bride and groom at the rehearsal dinner. For the purposes of this budget, we'll assume that four gifts will be given.

  • Spa treatment, cigars or similar gifts
  • Cuff links, a shirt or something similar
  • A DVD or CD

Honeymoon

Where to go on your honeymoon, which is usally funded by the bride & groom, can vary widely. You're looking forward to:

  • An international fantasy honeymoon
  • A week of luxury in America
  • A cool honeymoon you'll treasure
  • You'll book it carefully from online sources
  • You're going away for the weekend
  • You're going to have your honeymoon later

Thank You Notes & Postage

We figure that the number of thank you notes you'll send will equal half the number of guests, plus postage. You'll send:

  • Engraved thank you cards on quality paper
  • Standardized thank you cards
  • Store–bought thank you cards
  • You'll print thank you cards on your computer




Once you have a total wedding budget you may want to go back and recalculate your wedding budget. Once it feels right, print out the final version.