Planning a shaadi in Pakistan starts with one big question: where will the money go? This free wedding budget planner splits your total budget, or a budget built from guests times per-head catering, across the five big wedding cost groups, with an editable contingency buffer on top. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is stored or sent anywhere. Please treat every figure as an estimate: actual costs depend on your venue, city and vendors, and no vendor was contacted for a current quote.
Enter a total budget, or build one from guests times per-head catering. Choose your events, city and tier, then adjust the category percentages until the plan looks right. The rupee amounts always add up to your budget exactly.
The default 32 / 22 / 18 / 16 / 12 split is an illustrative mid-range example. If your percentages do not add to 100, the planner scales them proportionally so the rupees still reconcile.
How the contingency works
The contingency is a safety buffer added on top of your budget – it is not taken out of the category amounts. With the default 5% contingency on a Rs 40,00,000 budget, the plan shows Rs 2,00,000 contingency and a total of Rs 42,00,000.
How to use this wedding budget planner
- Pick a starting point: enter your total budget, or switch to Guests times per-head and enter your guest count and the caterer's per-head rate.
- Tick the events you are holding. Mehndi, Baraat and Valima can each be switched on or off, and the plan still reconciles.
- Choose your city and tier. The tier fills in a typical per-head rate from Shehnai 2026's published ranges - you can overwrite it with your own quote.
- Adjust the category percentages. The default 32 / 22 / 18 / 16 / 12 split is an illustrative mid-range example, and the planner rescales automatically if your percentages do not add to 100.
- Set a contingency between 5% and 10%. It is added on top of your budget as a safety buffer.
- Press Plan my budget. Every category shows its rupee amount, and the amounts add up to your budget exactly.
Worked example: Rs 40,00,000 mid-range budget
With the default split, a Rs 40,00,000 budget divides as follows:
- Venue and catering - 32% - Rs 12,80,000
- Outfits and jewellery - 22% - Rs 8,80,000
- Photo and video - 18% - Rs 7,20,000
- Decor and stage - 16% - Rs 6,40,000
- Everything else - 12% - Rs 4,80,000
These five amounts add to Rs 40,00,000 exactly - your full budget, before contingency. The planner adds the contingency on top: at the default 5% that is Rs 2,00,000, for a total of Rs 42,00,000 with contingency. Try it above: enter 4000000 and press Plan my budget to see the same figures.
Sanity check: what do Pakistani weddings actually cost?
The ranges below are published figures from named sources - not quotes and not guarantees. They do not always agree with each other, and that disagreement is shown honestly. Actual costs depend on venue, city and vendors; no vendor was contacted for a current quote.
Shadiyana survey of 500 couples (married 2023-2025; Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad)
- Mehndi: Rs 6-15 lakh
- Baraat: Rs 12-30 lakh
- Valima: Rs 5-12 lakh
- All three events together - budget: Rs 15-25 lakh; mid-range: Rs 30-55 lakh; luxury: Rs 60 lakh-1.5 crore+
Shehnai 2026
- Budget / simple wedding: Rs 8-15 lakh
- Mid-range: Rs 20-35 lakh for 300-400 guests
- Luxury: Rs 50 lakh-1 crore+
- Per-head venue and food - budget: Rs 1,200-1,800; mid-range: Rs 2,200-3,500; luxury: Rs 4,500-8,000+
Catering per-head: the published ranges conflict
Per-head catering ranges conflict across sources because bundling differs (venue-only, food-only and full-service packages are mixed together). They are shown side by side as published ranges, not as one settled figure:
- Shehnai 2026 (mid-range): Rs 1,200-3,500 per head
- BaraatPlan: basic Rs 2,500-4,000; mid Rs 4,000-7,000; premium Rs 7,000-12,000+ per head
- Asian Events Lahore menus: Rs 3,000-10,000 per head
Timing context: peak wedding season in Pakistan runs from November to February, when venues and vendors book out early. All figures above are estimates for planning only.
Frequently asked questions
Is this wedding budget planner free?
Yes. It is free, needs no sign-up, and runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere.
How does the contingency work?
The contingency defaults to 5% and can be set between 5% and 10%. It is added on top of your budget as a safety buffer - it is never taken out of the category amounts. On a Rs 40,00,000 budget with 5% contingency, the plan shows Rs 2,00,000 contingency and a total of Rs 42,00,000.
What if I am only holding two events?
Untick any event - Mehndi, Baraat and Valima each switch on and off independently. The category amounts always reconcile to your entered budget, and the events you chose are listed in your plan summary.
Why do catering per-head rates differ so much between sources?
Because bundling differs: some published rates cover food only, others bundle venue, food and service. This page shows the published ranges side by side instead of pretending they agree. Always use your own caterer's written quote for the real figure.
Is this a quote from a wedding vendor?
No. This is a planning estimate only. No vendor was contacted for a current quote, and the published ranges above are survey and media figures, not offers.
Does the planner store my budget or personal details?
No. The calculation happens in your own browser, and nothing is saved or sent to any server.
Please note: estimates, not quotes
This planner gives planning estimates, not vendor quotes. The default 32 / 22 / 18 / 16 / 12 split is an illustrative mid-range example - change it to match your priorities. The published cost ranges on this page come from the named surveys and outlets above and were not verified with any vendor. Peak season (November-February) usually costs more than off-season dates. Always confirm prices with your own venue and vendors before committing.
Also try another free PakPro tool: if jewellery is a big line in your budget, use the Gold Value Calculator Pakistan to check what your gold is worth at today's Sarafa rate.