Is Your Wedding Budget Actually On Track?
Venue. Catering. Photography. Florist. Tips. Most budget spreadsheets tell you what to spend once, then go stale the second you book anything.
We built one that keeps up.
Most wedding budget calculators hand you a percentage breakdown and wish you luck. This one tracks a book-by date for all 27 vendor categories, flags the ones you’re cutting it close on, and automatically recalculates what’s actually left the moment you book something real — whether it came in under budget or blew right past what we suggested. Enter your date, guest count, and budget below and build your plan.
Budget & Timeline Planner
Enter your date, guest count, and total budget. This tool suggests what to spend on each vendor and when to have it booked by — then tracks it against what you actually spend as you go.
Start here
| Vendor Category | Book By | Suggested % | Suggested Budget | Booked / Ready Date | Actual Spent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Totals | 0% | $0 | $0 | — |
Buffer isn’t something you set — it auto-adjusts every time you fill in an actual booked price. Come in under a suggested budget and Buffer grows; come in over and Buffer shrinks (it’ll show red if you go over your total budget). That keeps the plan honestly at 100% allocated at all times. Gratuities is a cash-on-hand line, not a vendor booking — its date is when your tip envelopes should be filled and ready, not a contract deadline. The Knot recommends budgeting at least $800–$1,000 for tips regardless of overall budget size; this tool defaults to 2% of your total.
Why a photographer built a budget tool
I’ll be honest about why I built this one: logistics geek me out. Book-by windows, dependencies, the quiet math of who gets paid and when — twenty-five years of wedding days has taught me that the couples who feel calm on their wedding day are almost always the ones who had a real plan for their money months earlier, not the ones who got lucky.
I watch couples make the same mistakes on repeat: they book vendors in the wrong order, they spend the venue-and-catering money before they’ve priced out gratuities, and they don’t realize they’re behind on booking a photographer until the good dates are already gone. This tool tracks the same book-by windows I use with my own clients, then does the real math every time you book something — so you’re never guessing whether you’re actually on track or just hoping you are. It’s the same planning instinct I bring to every wedding day, just handed to you before you’ve booked anyon
Still thinking? That's what the consultation is for.
Every MDKauffmann commission starts with a conversation — not a sales pitch. We talk about your day, your priorities, and what "forever" looks like for your family. If we're the right fit, you'll know. If we're not, I'll tell you honestly.
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