How much of a wedding budget goes to photography?

Across the weddings we have worked on, photography and film come to about ten percent of the total budget. With The Big Day by Chai, most quotations land between ₹3 lakh and ₹6 lakh.

What is the biggest expense in an Indian wedding?

The venue, at about 28% of the budget, followed by food and drink at about 24%. Together they are roughly half of the total.

Is jewellery part of the wedding budget?

Most families keep jewellery outside the wedding budget, because gold is an asset rather than a spend. Clothes are usually included.

How much buffer should we keep in a wedding budget?

Keep about ten percent of the total unallocated. Almost every wedding spends more than planned, usually in the last week.

What should we book first?

The venue. It decides the guest count, the catering and the decor, so the other lines are easier to plan once it is fixed.

Where the wedding money goes, line by line.

By The Big Day by Chai · Last updated 24 October 2026

In short

How an Indian wedding budget splits, from venue and food to decor and photography, based on 500 weddings: the percentages, an example, and what to plan for.

How the money splits across five hundred weddings, an example worked out in rupees, and three things the percentages don't show.

Most families start with one number and no idea how it will split. Across five hundred weddings, the pattern is steadier than you might expect.

How a wedding budget splits

Venue: 28%. The hall, the rooms and the mandapam space. The biggest single line.
Food and drink: 24%. Across all the events, not just the wedding meal.
Decor: 14%. The mandapam, the stage and the entrance.
Clothes: 12%. Pattu sarees, the sherwani and every outfit change. Jewellery is not counted here.
Photography and film: 10%. That is us, and studios like us.
Invitations, gifts and travel: 6%. Return gifts and family travel.
Makeup and hair: 3%. For the bride, the mothers and the sisters.
Music and entertainment: 3%. The band, the DJ and the choreographer.

An example: a ₹30 lakh wedding

Applied to a total of ₹30 lakh, those shares come to about ₹8.4 lakh for the venue, ₹7.2 lakh for food and drink, ₹4.2 lakh for decor, ₹3.6 lakh for clothes, ₹3 lakh for photography and film, ₹1.8 lakh for invitations, gifts and travel, and about ₹90,000 each for makeup and for music. This is an illustration, not a quotation; your venue and guest count move every line.

Three things the percentages don't show

Jewellery sits outside. Most families don't count gold in the wedding budget. It is an asset, not a spend, so this split leaves it out.
The venue decides the rest. Pick the venue first and the catering, decor and guest count fall into place. Pick the decor first and you will fight the venue for a year.
Keep ten percent loose. Every wedding we have shot spent more than it planned, usually in the last week. Keep a tenth of the total unallocated and you won't feel it.

Common questions

How much of a wedding budget goes to photography?: Across the weddings we have worked on, photography and film come to about ten percent of the total budget. With The Big Day by Chai, most quotations land between ₹3 lakh and ₹6 lakh.
What is the biggest expense in an Indian wedding?: The venue, at about 28% of the budget, followed by food and drink at about 24%. Together they are roughly half of the total.
Is jewellery part of the wedding budget?: Most families keep jewellery outside the wedding budget, because gold is an asset rather than a spend. Clothes are usually included.
How much buffer should we keep in a wedding budget?: Keep about ten percent of the total unallocated. Almost every wedding spends more than planned, usually in the last week.
What should we book first?: The venue. It decides the guest count, the catering and the decor, so the other lines are easier to plan once it is fixed.