Wedding Budget & Costs

Most wedding budget advice stops at a pie chart. Here we build the budget line by line: what each category costs at different totals, the costs couples forget (tips, alterations, postage, vendor meals, service fees and tax), and when each payment is due. Every figure comes with a source and an 'as of' date, because prices move. You'll find sample budgets at $5,000, $10,000, $15,000 and $30,000, cost per guest math, and honest trade-offs for cutting a budget without cutting what matters to you.