Wedding budget breakdown: where the money actually goes

Whatever your total budget, the proportions tend to hold. Knowing roughly how a Filipino wedding budget splits up before you start booking keeps you from overspending early and scrambling later. Here is a realistic breakdown to plan against — adjust the totals to your number, but keep the shape.

The big three (about 60–70%)

Venue, catering, and your photo-and-video team almost always take the largest share. Decide these first; everything else fits around what is left.

• Reception venue: roughly 20–25% (often bundled with catering).
• Catering and beverage: roughly 25–35% — it scales straight with your headcount, so the guest list is really a budget lever.
• Photo and video: roughly 10–15% — the one spend that outlives the day.

The middle tier (about 20–25%)

• Attire (gown, suit, entourage): 5–10%.
• Florals, styling, and decor: 8–12%.
• Hair and makeup: 3–5%.
• Music and entertainment: 3–6%.

The smaller line items — and the buffer

Stationery, the cake, the host, transportation, the marriage licence and church fees, and gifts for sponsors round out the rest. Whatever your total, set aside a 10–15% contingency. Overtime, corkage, extra hours, and last-minute additions are not "if" — they are "when".