Events

Event Budget Calculator

Enter guest count plus per-guest spend or venue/food/drink/decor/other totals.

Event total
Per guest—
Line items sum—
From per-guest rate—
Planning estimate — quotes and deposits still rule.

What will an event cost?

Event costing either starts from guests × spend-per-guest or from known line items (venue, food, drink, decor, other). If any line items are entered, their sum becomes the total; otherwise the per-guest rate drives the estimate. Either way you see cost per guest so formats are comparable. Deposits, service charge and contingency are best included inside the lines you already know. For travel-style pots use holiday budget; for catering counts see cupcake quantity when dessert is separate from the main caterer.

Worked example

80 guests at £45/head → £3,600. Or venue £1,200 + food £2,000 + drink £800 + decor £300 + other £100 = £4,400 (£55/guest).

Limits and assumptions

Does not schedule cashflow or VAT separately. Zero line items fall back to per-guest mode intentionally.

Frequently asked questions

When should I use line items?

As soon as you have quotes — they beat a generic per-head guess.

Are staff meals included?

Add them under food or other so per-guest denominators stay guest-only.

How do I add contingency?

Put 5–10% in “other” or raise the per-guest rate.

Kids at half price?

Use an effective guest count (e.g. adults + 0.5× children) or split food lines.

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