Guide
Indian Wedding Budget Breakdown: How Our Estimator Splits It
With its default settings (a metro city, 350 guests and the Grand Traditional style), our Shaadi Budget Estimator puts an Indian wedding at about Rs 26,27,920. That is a formula output, not a surveyed average. Change the city tier, style and guest count, then replace its figures with your vendors' quotes.
Planning this yourself? Start with the free 58-task checklist, or see the All-in-one Wedding Planner Kit.
. By The Wedding Store.
How much does an Indian wedding cost? The estimator's default split
Example split, change it for your wedding. This table is what the Shaadi Budget Estimator shows with its starting choices: a metro city, 350 guests and the Grand Traditional style. The amounts come from formulas inside our estimator. They are not quotes, and they are not averages measured from real weddings.
| Line | How the estimator works it out | Example amount | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue & Lawns | Guests x Rs 1,200 x city factor x style factor, with a floor of Rs 3,50,000 | Rs 5,25,000 | 20% |
| Catering & Bar | Guests x plate rate for the city tier x style factor | Rs 6,30,000 | 24% |
| Decor, Mandap & Florals | Rs 3,00,000 x city factor x style factor | Rs 3,75,000 | 14% |
| Photography & Cinema | Rs 2,20,000 x city factor x 0.9 x style factor | Rs 2,47,500 | 9% |
| Outfits & Trousseau | Rs 2,50,000 x style factor | Rs 2,50,000 | 10% |
| DJ, Sound & Sangeet | Rs 90,000 x city factor x style factor | Rs 1,12,500 | 4% |
| GST (18%) and contingency reserve | 18% GST on about 60% of the subtotal, plus a 12% reserve on the subtotal | Rs 4,87,920 | 19% |
Example total with these defaults: Rs 26,27,920.
What changes the split
| Input | Choices in the estimator |
|---|---|
| City tier | Metro (factor 1.25, plate rate Rs 1,800), Tier 2 (factor 1.0, Rs 1,300) or Destination (factor 1.6, Rs 2,800). |
| Style | Classic & Elegant (factor 0.85), Grand Traditional (1.0) or Royal Extravaganza (1.45). |
| Guest count | Drives the catering line directly and the venue line unless the floor applies. |
| Family split | 50 / 50 shared, bride 60% / groom 40%, or ceremony-wise custom. |
Change the inputs in the estimator and the table above moves with them. It is a starting point for the first family conversation, before any quote exists.
Who pays for what
Agreeing the split early avoids arguments later. The Who pays for what tool lets you assign each expense to the bride's family, the groom's family or the couple, splitting by guest share or 50/50, and export the result to WhatsApp. In the Wedding Budget Tracker each budget line has a Paid by column, and the Dashboard totals estimated, total with GST, paid and balance due for each side. For the three common ways to split shared costs, with a worked rupee example, read who pays for what at an Indian wedding.
Contingency and GST
The estimator reserves 12% of its subtotal as contingency and estimates 18% GST on about 60% of the subtotal. The Wedding Budget Tracker uses a 10% buffer and 18% GST per line by default, and you can change both. GST rates differ by service and by vendor, so confirm them with your vendor or CA. These are planning tools, not tax advice.
From estimate to a tracked budget
Once quotes arrive, move from estimates to real numbers. The Wedding Budget Tracker records the estimate, the quote, GST, what you have paid and the balance for each line, and shows what is left after contingency.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does an Indian wedding cost?
- There is no single figure. With the estimator's defaults (a metro city, 350 guests and the Grand Traditional style) the total comes to about Rs 26,27,920. That number comes from formulas, not from surveyed weddings, and it moves a lot with city, style and guest count. Use it to start the family conversation, then replace it with real quotes.
- What is the biggest cost in an Indian wedding budget?
- In the estimator's default split, Catering & Bar and Venue & Lawns are the two largest lines, and catering scales directly with guest count. Your own quotes may rank them differently.
- How much should I keep as a contingency for a wedding?
- The estimator reserves 12% of its subtotal as contingency, and the Wedding Budget Tracker uses a 10% buffer by default. Both can be changed to suit your wedding.
- Who pays for what in an Indian wedding?
- It varies by family and community, so agree the split early. The free Who pays for what tool lets you assign each expense to the bride's family, the groom's family or the couple, by guest share or 50/50.
The All-in-one Planner Kit
Your whole shaadi, in one workbook
This guide is free, and so is the checklist. If you would rather not build the sheets yourself, the Kit is ready-made: the formulas, GST lines and lakh and crore formatting are already set up, and you enter your own numbers. It works in Google Sheets and Excel, and you can share the sheet with both families.
- Budget with installments, a who-pays split, and GST and contingency lines
- Guest list with RSVPs and headcount for every function
- Vendors compared side by side, then tracked against the budget
- A minute-by-minute itinerary, seating chart and outstation stay planner
- A 58-task checklist dated from your wedding date, on one dashboard
₹1,499 ₹2,999 Launch price · Instant access
One payment, no subscription. After you pay, your files arrive by email within a minute. If a formula does not work and we cannot fix it within 24 hours of your message, you get a full refund (see the refund policy).
Related tools and pages
- Shaadi budget estimator
Free. Change city, style, guest count and split, and see the numbers move.
- Who pays for what
Free. Split costs between the families and the couple.
- Wedding Budget Tracker
Track real quotes, payments and balances once you have them.
- Cost per plate guide
The method for the catering line.
More in all guides: When to Book Wedding Vendors in India, How to Track Shagun and Gifts, Mumbai Wedding Cost Per Plate, How to Plan an Indian Wedding, Planner Sheets vs a Wedding Planner, Indian Wedding Guest List Guide, Indian Wedding Day Timeline, Track Wedding Vendor Payments, Outstation Guest Accommodation, Indian Wedding Functions List, in Order, Shukra Asta 2027 and 2028 Dates, Wedding Trousseau Planning India, Who Pays for What at an Indian Wedding, Wedding Planner: Sheets vs Etsy vs App.