This free Indian wedding budget calculator estimates real costs for every event in a South Asian wedding — Mehndi, Haldi, Sangeet, the main ceremony (Viddhi, Anand Karaj, or Nikah), and the reception. It's built specifically for Indian-American couples planning multi-day weddings in the US, where a single weekend can involve 3–5 separate events across different venues.
To use it: enter your estimated guest count, select your city, and check the events you're planning. The calculator produces a per-category breakdown — venue, catering, decor, photography, DJ, coordinator, and invitations — with low and high estimates based on real market rates. Every number comes from actual vendor quotes collected through our vendor directory, not generic online averages.
Most Indian wedding budgets are underestimated because couples price out the reception and forget about the pre-events. A Sangeet for 250 people is its own venue and catering bill. The Mehndi function adds another afternoon of setup, food, and entertainment. The calculator accounts for each event separately so your total reflects what you're actually planning — not a stripped-down version of it.
Catering is typically the largest single line item, usually 30–40% of the total budget. For a deeper look at what caterers charge by city and menu type, see our catering cost guide. Once you have your estimate, use it as the baseline for vendor conversations — knowing your per-category ceiling before you take the first sales call changes the entire dynamic.
Typically $300–$600 per guest across all events combined. The per-person cost drops as guest count increases because many costs — photographer, DJ, mandap — are fixed regardless of headcount.
$40,000–$80,000 for a 150–250 guest middle-class wedding across 2–3 events. $100,000–$180,000 for 250–350 guests in a hotel ballroom setting. Costs vary by city — Dallas and Atlanta run lower than Chicago or New York for equivalent quality.
Start with guest count and city — these drive 60–70% of total cost. Then list every event you're planning and get per-category estimates for each. The calculator above handles this automatically and outputs a full breakdown in under a minute.