Split the budget by what matters
Set your total, then dial up the parts you care about and down the parts you don't. The allocation shifts to match your priorities — no two weddings weight it the same.
How this is calculated
Each category gets a share of the total in proportion to its weight: budget × (weight ÷ sum of weights). Set a category to zero and it drops out, and its share spreads across everything else. There's no "correct" split baked in — the starting weights are just a common shape you should overwrite. This is aplanning estimate, not a quote.
Venue and catering usually take the biggest bite, which is why they start weighted highest — but if the photography matters more to you, weight it up and watch the rest give way. For the trade-offs behind each line,how to budget an event is the fuller guide, and thewedding planner cost guide covers when a coordinator earns its place in the split.