● Money & small business
A $30,000 wedding for 110 guests: the budget breakdown, per-guest costs and payment timeline
Wedding budgets usually start as one number and a guest count. Here's how a $30,000, 110-guest wedding breaks down, from a tested planner, including the part most budgets skip: when the money is actually due.
The breakdown
| Category | How it's priced | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Venue | quote | $7,800 |
| Catering (food & drink) | $68 per guest × 110 | $7,480 |
| Photography & video | quote | $3,200 |
| Flowers & decor | 8% of budget | $2,400 |
| Attire & beauty | 6% of budget | $1,800 |
| Music / DJ | quote | $1,400 |
| Rentals (tables, chairs, linens) | $12 per guest × 110 | $1,320 |
| Rings, stationery, cake, transport, officiant, favors, contingency | shares and per-guest prices | $4,315 |
| Total | $29,715, $285 under budget |
That's $270 per guest. Venue and catering alone are half the budget.
The guest count moves more than you think
Three categories here are priced per guest: catering at $68, rentals at $12 and stationery at $6.50, which is $86.50 per head together. Ten more guests add $865 before anything else changes, more if cake and favors are priced per head too. Cutting guests is usually the single biggest lever on a wedding budget.
When the money is due
Deposits are spread over the year, but final balances cluster in the last month: the venue's final third, the photographer's balance, and the caterer's final payment once the headcount is confirmed. In this example, over $10,000 falls due in the last few weeks. A month-by-month payment plan shows that early, while there's still time to save for it.
Checklist
- Get real quotes for the big fixed items (venue, photography, music) first. They replace the typical shares.
- Price per-guest items per head, so the budget updates when the list changes.
- Keep a contingency of about 3%. Overtime, extra headcount and taxes on vendor bills add up.
- Track every deposit with its due date, and plan for the final-month balances.