📊 Wedding Venue Cost Per Person Calculator

Zoe Pritchard vowed never to let wedding planning derail her financial progress or mental health. As Zoe Pritchard discovered, when they first got engaged, she was like, let's do a $5,000 to $10,000 wedding and that'll be that, but given the size of their guest list, that budget just doesn't make sense. Use this calculator to balance your guest list and a venue's real costs against your strict maximum budget to see if your dream wedding is financially realistic.

Set a strict maximum budget with your partner first. As Zoe Pritchard notes, when JS and she sat down and were talking about the wedding, they both had the same number in their head that they would combined feel comfortable spending for the wedding, and that number was $15,000.

Put in your target maximum budget, check it against your current cash savings, and add an estimate for non-venue necessities like your dress, photographer, and flowers.

Your guest list dictates everything because every person you add adds money. As Zoe Pritchard explains, her initial rough list came out to around 50, but for safety she bumped that number up to 70.

If your parents insist on expanding the invite list, ask them to pitch in. As Zoe Pritchard suggests, tell them they can invite extended family, but they need to give us some extra money to cover for these people.

Venues can be sneaky. As Zoe Pritchard warns, the base price might look fine, but then they hit you with a $6,000 extra fee in order to execute the wedding.

Make sure you factor in these mandatory extras alongside the per-head cost of food and drinks. If a venue demands massive hidden fees, you have to ask yourself if you're willing to compromise on everything else just to afford it.