Estimate your wedding cost by style, guest count and location. See a category breakdown (venue, catering, photography, flowers, music) and how long it will take to save. Figures are rough planning estimates, not quotes.
As a rough guide, a US wedding with about 100 guests often costs somewhere around $30,000–$35,000. That is an estimate, not an official figure, and it masks enormous variation — a simple backyard wedding can be done for $5,000 while a luxury hotel ballroom event easily exceeds $80,000. The biggest driver: per-person catering cost, which scales directly with guest count.
| Category | Budget | Average | Upscale | % of Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | $3,000 | $6,500 | $12,000 | 20%–25% |
| Catering (food + bar) | $5,000 | $10,000 | $18,000 | 30%–35% |
| Photography + Video | $2,000 | $4,200 | $8,000 | 12%–15% |
| Flowers + Décor | $1,500 | $3,500 | $7,000 | 8%–12% |
| Music / DJ / Band | $1,000 | $2,200 | $6,000 | 6%–10% |
| Attire (dress, suit, accessories) | $1,000 | $2,800 | $5,500 | 6%–10% |
| Invitations + Stationery | $200 | $600 | $1,200 | 1%–2% |
| Transportation | $300 | $900 | $2,000 | 2%–4% |
| Officiant + Ceremony | $300 | $800 | $1,500 | 2%–3% |
| Hair + Makeup | $400 | $1,000 | $2,000 | 2%–4% |
| Honeymoon | $2,000 | $5,000 | $12,000 | Not typically in "wedding" budget |
The single most impactful way to reduce wedding costs: cut the guest list. Every additional guest can add roughly $150–$400 in catering alone. At those prices, cutting from 150 to 100 guests saves about $7,500–$20,000.