Ask ten couples what their wedding cost and you'll get ten different answers, mostly because they're not counting the same things. Here's a grounded breakdown by tier, not a single misleading average.
The three rough tiers
Most Bengaluru weddings we've planned fall into one of three bands, driven far more by guest count and venue category than by any single splurge item.
Intimate (50-150 guests)
A well-run banquet hall or garden venue, in-house catering, moderate décor. This is where most of the budget goes to venue and food, not extras.
Mid-scale (150-350 guests)
A premium venue or resort, outside catering with a few live counters, professional photography and videography, and a proper décor theme rather than default draping.
Large or destination (350+ guests, or multi-day)
Heritage or palace venues, guest travel and accommodation if it's a destination wedding, multiple functions each with their own décor and catering.
Where the money actually goes
Venue and catering together typically account for well over half the total budget, regardless of tier — this surprises most first-time planners, who tend to overestimate what décor and photography will cost relative to the basics. Décor, photography/videography, and entertainment usually split the remainder, with the exact ratio depending on how many functions (mehendi, sangeet, haldi, reception) you're running separately versus combining.
Where couples consistently underestimate
- Guest accommodation and travel for outstation family, even for a Bengaluru wedding
- Vendor tips and day-of incidentals — small but they add up across a multi-day event
- A second round of trials (makeup, menu tasting) when the first doesn't land
- GST and service charges that some vendor quotes don't include upfront
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 5-10% of budget a fair fee for a wedding planner?
It's a reasonable starting range for full-service planning in Bengaluru, though the exact percentage should come down as the total budget goes up — a planner doing 10% of a ₹15L wedding and 10% of a ₹1Cr wedding is doing very different amounts of proportional work.
Does a bigger guest list always mean a bigger budget?
Not linearly — catering and seating scale with guest count, but venue, photography, and décor costs are often closer to fixed. A 400-guest wedding usually costs less than double a 200-guest one.