SeatChartBaseWedding cost calculator
A wedding cost calculator is for people who searched cost instead of budget — same math family. Enter your total, tweak category percentages, read venue / food / photo in dollars. Optional per-guest sanity check. National average videos are entertainment. Your number is the input.
Reception budget
…
Seating tools help you arrange guests — not a venue floor-plan CAD service or a wedding planner contract.
When to use — and when not to
When to use
You think in cost language; a quote landed high; you want category caps before the next tour.
When not to
You want journalism about average US wedding cost only → skim, then come back with your total. Seating → seating tools.
Assumptions
Same default % table as other budget pages (asOf 2026-07). Estimate only — not a vendor quote.
Worked examples
Input: $28,000 total; 100 guests → $280 / guest before category nuance.
Output: category dollars under defaults.
Per-guest is a sanity check, not the catering invoice.
Input: raise catering to 35%, cut decor to 5% on $28k.
Output: rebalanced caps.
Say the trade out loud before booking both at default levels.
How it works
dollars_i = total_budget × percent_i; optional per_guest = total / guest_count
- Enter total cost you can stand.
- Optional guest count for per-person read.
- Adjust category %.
- Export CSV; replace rows when real quotes arrive.
Common traps
- Cost calculator results with two decimals are still guesses.
- Vendor minimums beat your percentages.
- Tax and tip often hide in Other — do not zero the buffer.
- Average cost articles are not your quote.
Compare
Related on this site: Wedding budget calculator · Average wedding budget · Wedding budget spreadsheet.
FAQ
Same family of tools. Cost wording vs budget wording — pick either.