The short answer
Start from what both families can spend, not from what things cost. Count guests for each function, because food is usually priced per plate. Split the total across categories, agree which side pays for each, hold some back as a buffer, and write down when every vendor advance falls due. Then record each payment against the plan.
What are the steps?
Seven, in this order. Each one is explained below.
- Agree one total, and who is putting in what.
- Count guests for each function.
- Split the total across categories.
- Decide which side pays for each category.
- Hold back a buffer.
- Write down every vendor’s advance, balance and due date.
- Record each payment as it happens, and check it against the plan.
The free wedding budget calculator does steps 3 to 5 for you, and downloads the sheet.
Where do you start?
With one number: the total the families can spend on the whole wedding. Start there, not with a list of prices, or the list will set the budget for you.
Write down where the money comes from: each parent, the couple, savings that mature before the date. Agree the total out loud, with everyone who is paying, before anyone books anything. A number one person carries in their head is the first thing to cause an argument later.
Decide also who keeps the accounts. One person should hold the record, even if many people pay. In Phere, every payment notes who paid and from which account, so the record stays clear when money comes from several places.
How do guests change the budget?
More than anything else. Catering is usually charged per plate, so the guest count multiplies the biggest cost. Count guests for each function, because the mehendi, sangeet, wedding and reception rarely have the same list.
Divide the total by the number of guests to see what you can spend on each person. In our example, ₹15,00,000 for 300 guests is ₹5,000 a guest, for everything: food, decoration, clothes, the lot. If a caterer quotes a per-plate price, you can see at once how much of that it takes.
Count households, not just people. Invitations, return gifts and RSVPs go to a family, and a family is how your guest list will grow.
How do you split the budget by category?
List every category the wedding will pay for and give each a share of the total. The shares should add up to exactly 100%, buffer included.
Phere starts every wedding with the 16 categories below. The shares are Phere’s starting split, a starting point to edit, not an average of real weddings. Change them to match your family.
| Category | Share | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Venue | 15% | ₹2,25,000 |
| Catering | 25% | ₹3,75,000 |
| Decoration | 8% | ₹1,20,000 |
| Photography and video | 7% | ₹1,05,000 |
| Clothes for the bride | 8% | ₹1,20,000 |
| Clothes for the groom | 3% | ₹45,000 |
| Jewellery | 10% | ₹1,50,000 |
| Invitations | 2% | ₹30,000 |
| Transport | 3% | ₹45,000 |
| Music, DJ and band | 3% | ₹45,000 |
| Mehendi | 1% | ₹15,000 |
| Sangeet and haldi | 3% | ₹45,000 |
| Priest and puja | 1% | ₹15,000 |
| Gifts and return gifts | 4% | ₹60,000 |
| Makeup | 2% | ₹30,000 |
| Miscellaneous (buffer) | 5% | ₹75,000 |
Include everything bought for the wedding, even when a relative pays for it directly, so the total is honest. Jewellery and clothes are easy to leave out because they are bought months early; leave them out and the budget looks healthier than it is.
Who pays for what between the bride’s and groom’s side?
There is no single rule. It differs by family, region and community. What matters is that both sides agree, category by category, before the first advance is paid.
Mark each category as the bride’s side, the groom’s side or shared. For a shared category, agree the split too: half each, or by the number of guests each side brings. Write it down where both families can see it.
The calculator shows each side’s total as you mark the rows. In Phere, both families work in one shared record, and each person sees only what you choose to show them.
How much should you keep as a buffer?
Keep a share of the total unallocated for what you have not thought of yet. The calculator’s starting split holds back 5%; many families keep more.
- Guest lists grow after the invitations go out.
- Prices can move between the day you book and the day you pay the balance.
- Small things add up: tips, extra transport, last-minute shopping.
Spend the buffer last. If it is gone before the wedding week, cut a category rather than going over.
When do vendor payments fall due?
Most vendors take an advance when you book and the balance before or on the day. Terms vary, so write down each vendor’s advance, balance and due date as soon as you book.
A budget that only tracks totals hides the balances still to pay. Keep a line for each vendor: what was agreed, what has been paid, what is still due and when. Put the due dates on one calendar, so the week before the wedding does not bring five balances at once.
Keep every receipt. A photo of the bill is enough; in Phere you can photograph the bill and it drafts the entry for you to check.
How do you keep the budget on track?
Record each payment when it happens, against its category, and look at what is left every week. A plan nobody updates is only a wish.
When a category runs over, move money from another one rather than raising the total. That keeps the conversation about choices, not about who spent too much.
In Phere, each category becomes a budget, and Phere warns the family at 80% of it and again at 100%. After the wedding, one summary both families can read makes settling up a single conversation.
First published . Facts are checked again by May 2027.
