How to Set and Split Your Wedding Budget: A Planner's Method

The budget conversation is the one most families put off, and the one that makes everything else easier once it is done. Without a number, every vendor meeting becomes a guessing game and every decision turns into a debate. With one, you can say yes to what matters and no to everything else without guilt. Here is the method we use with families at Shrim Events.

Step one: agree on a total, and on who is paying

Start with a single figure both families are comfortable with, then work out who is contributing what. In many North Indian weddings the bride's and groom's families each host certain functions; in others, the couple contributes too. There is no right model, but there is a wrong one: assuming, and discovering later that everyone assumed something different.

Be honest about where the money is coming from and when. Savings, a fixed deposit that matures in March, a loan: the timing of funds matters, because vendor payments follow a schedule.

Step two: fix your guest count

Nothing affects cost more than the number of guests. Food, venue size, décor scale, rooms, transport and return gifts all multiply by headcount. Here is a quick sum we share with every family: if the per-plate cost is ₹2,500 and you add 50 guests across three functions, that is ₹3,75,000 on food alone, before any extra seating, rooms or gifting.

So fix a realistic range first. If the budget is tight, trimming the list is almost always better value than trimming quality.

Step three: split it by category

Every wedding is different, but this is the rule of thumb we start from for a three- or four-function wedding in Dehradun or a nearby hill destination. Adjust it to your priorities.

• Venue and accommodation: 25 to 35 percent. Higher for destination weddings where you are covering guest rooms.
• Catering and bar: 20 to 25 percent. Food for every function, the tasting, service staff and beverages.
• Décor, lighting and production: 15 to 20 percent. Mandap, stages, florals, lighting, sound and power backup.
• Photography and videography: 7 to 10 percent. More for a pre-wedding shoot, a same-day edit or drone coverage.
• Entertainment: 4 to 6 percent. DJ, band, dhol, choreographer and performers.
• Invitations, hampers and gifting: 3 to 5 percent.
• Transport and logistics: 3 to 5 percent. Guest transfers, vendor transport and baraat vehicles.
• Planning and coordination: 5 to 10 percent. Your planner's management fee.
• Contingency: 8 to 10 percent. Non-negotiable. Something will cost more than expected.

Outfits and jewellery usually sit outside this budget, because families plan them separately and often over years. If you include them, they can add another 15 to 25 percent.

Every family has two or three things it will not compromise on. Name them early, fund them properly and be relaxed about the rest.

Step four: know what you are paying for

When a planner quotes, you will usually see two separate things: the management fee, which covers planning, vendor coordination and on-ground execution, and the production cost, which covers the physical build of décor, sound, lighting, tents and staging. Ask for both to be itemised, and ask which vendors are paid through the planner and which you pay directly.

Also watch for costs that hide in the fine print:

• GST on services and venue charges
• Outside-vendor fees charged by some venues
• Generator fuel, and overtime beyond the sound cut-off
• Travel and stay for vendors at a destination wedding
• Tips for service staff, drivers and crew
• Late changes to guest numbers

Step five: track it and protect it

Keep one shared spreadsheet listing every vendor, the quoted amount, what has been paid and when the next payment is due. Review it every month. When something goes over, decide straight away where you will take it back from, rather than hoping it balances out.

A few ways to stretch a budget without it showing:

1. Choose a weekday or an off-peak date; venues often offer meaningful discounts.
2. Use one décor structure for two functions and change the florals and lighting.
3. Pick seasonal, local flowers over imported ones.
4. Combine the mehendi and sangeet into a single evening.
5. Serve fewer, better dishes rather than an overwhelming buffet.

A clear budget is not about spending less. It is about spending deliberately, on the things that will still matter when you look back at the photographs in twenty years. If you would like help building a realistic budget for your wedding, whatever its size, sit down with us at Shrim Events. We will share honest numbers for Dehradun, Mussoorie and beyond, and help you decide where each rupee should go.