Wedding budget template (free PDF)
Most weddings don't blow the budget on one big line — they blow it on ten small ones nobody counted: corkage, the VAT that was quoted separately, tips, extra transport, the late-night snack.
This template gives you a guideline split by category, a comparator to weigh vendors cold, and the list of sub-costs that sneak into every optimistic budget. The full breakdown is below; the PDF adds the printable tables to fill in.
What's in the PDF
- Main table with 12 categories and guideline %
- Four columns: Estimated, Actual, Paid and Outstanding
- Contributions table (who puts in what)
- The forgotten sub-costs of each category
- Vendor comparator A / B / C
- A4 printable, 8 pages
Wedding budget template
Plan and track every cost with no last-minute surprises.
How is a wedding budget split?
A guideline split for a typical Spanish wedding. Adjust to your priorities: if food matters more than flowers, move points across.
| Category | Guideline % | What it usually covers |
|---|---|---|
| Catering and drinks | 30% | Menus, cocktail hour, open bar, staff, cake |
| Venue | 15% | Hire, deposit, cleaning, furniture, lighting |
| Photography and video | 12% | Coverage, album, highlights film |
| Flowers and décor | 10% | Bouquet, centrepieces, ceremony arch, candles |
| Music / DJ | 8% | DJ, ceremony PA, live music |
| Attire and beauty | 8% | Dress, alterations, suit, hair and makeup |
| Contingency | 5% | The buffer that saves the budget |
| Invitations and stationery | 3% | Save the dates, invitations, menus, signage |
| Transport | 3% | Couple car, guest coaches |
| Guest favours | 3% | Gifts, seating plan, photo booth |
| Rings | 3% | Bands and engraving |
Guideline percentages, not a rule. The one line you should not cut is contingency.
- Corkage, if you bring your own wine or cava
- VAT, when the vendor quotes it separately
- Tips and day-of envelopes
- Late-night snack and dessert table (rarely in the base menu)
- Public liability insurance for the venue
- Overtime for the DJ and the photographer
- Trials: menu, hair and makeup
- Extra album copies for the parents
Frequently asked questions
How much does a wedding cost in Spain?
The usual range is €18,000 to €25,000 for around 100 guests, though it varies a lot by region and venue type. As a quick reference, catering usually runs €90 to €160 per guest, and that line alone takes close to a third of the total.
How do you split a wedding budget?
As a guideline: 30% catering, 15% venue, 12% photo and video, 10% flowers and décor, 8% music, 8% attire and beauty, and the rest across stationery, transport, favours, rings and contingency. What matters is not hitting the percentages but deciding your three priorities before looking at prices.
How much should you set aside for contingency?
Between 5% and 10%. If this is your first wedding or you are not naturally organised, go with 10%: tips, last-minute alterations, extra transport and separately-quoted VAT always show up.
Can I use the template in Excel or Notion?
The PDF is built to print and fill in by hand, but the tables copy across cleanly to Excel, Google Sheets or Notion. If you would rather it calculated itself and connected to your guest list and seating, you can run the budget inside weddings.help.
What if you did not have to print anything?
Guests, seating, budget, tasks, vendors and your wedding website, all connected and updating themselves. Try it for 7 full days, no card needed.
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