There is no formulaic wedding budget calculator that can accurately assess what parts of the wedding should be funded in which way. A wedding is a personal event, and while one couple may wish to spend half their money on food, another may value the wedding gown the most. One feature that can be particularly useful in a wedding calculator is the ability to choose which features will be included under the budget, as some people have no need for a wedding site or flowers. In the very least, a good wedding budget calculator will provide a rough approximation of the amount of money that should be reserved for each aspect of the wedding. It should also take into account the number of people attending the wedding and how much money can be spent total.
There are many free wedding budget calculators available online. These often break the wedding experience down into component parts and use a mathematical formula to derive the amount that should be spent on each component from the total budget and the number of guests. In many cases, a wedding budget calculator that works this way will provide a rough outline, but the couple should be prepared to make allowances, as this is not a personalized budget. If the person planning the wedding has a rough idea of what is important to the couple, it may be possible to build a more personalized wedding budget calculator using other computer programs and simple math.
A wedding budget calculator does not predict the amount that a wedding will cost, but rather identifies how much should be spent in each subdivided area of the wedding. Therefore, the calculator is only as accurate as one makes it. The program is intended to help wedding planners plan ahead in order to avoid running out of money, but it is important to stay flexible for things that the couple finds particularly important.
It is very difficult to choose an accurate wedding budget calculator if one is having anything other than a traditional white wedding. Many couples choose to personalize the wedding experience with music from friends or quirky cakes, which throws off the basic calculator. Couples who are planning a wedding that differs greatly from the white wedding model, such as a traditional Indian wedding, may find that the calculator does not account for expenses unique to that experience. Accuracy is only achievable if one is willing to do research and come up with a calculator that fits one's actual wedding plan. Although this may require some math, it is better to plan ahead for a wonderful wedding than use an inaccurate device and be disappointed.
