Marriage Cost Calculator India – Wedding Budget Planner

How This Marriage Cost Calculator Works

This calculator has two parts: estimating your future wedding cost after inflation, and calculating the monthly SIP needed to build that corpus on time. Here is how each input affects the result:

Step 1: Today's Wedding Budget

Enter what your wedding would cost in today's prices. Do not try to guess the future cost — the calculator handles that automatically using the inflation rate. For example, if you would spend Rs 20 lakhs on a wedding today, enter Rs 20 lakhs. The Wedding Scale tabs (Budget / Mid-Range / Premium / Luxury) are for reference only and do not change the calculation — they help you benchmark your budget against typical Indian wedding costs.

Step 2: Years to Wedding

Enter how many years away the wedding is. The further away the wedding, the more inflation compounds — and the more time your SIP has to grow. Starting early dramatically reduces the monthly SIP needed. For example, a Rs 20 lakh wedding 10 years away requires roughly half the monthly SIP compared to the same wedding 5 years away.

Step 3: Wedding Inflation Rate

This is the annual rate at which wedding costs rise. The default is 8%, which reflects the historical inflation rate for Indian wedding expenses (venue, catering, jewellery and photography costs all inflate faster than general CPI). You can adjust this — use 6% if you expect to have a simple celebration, or 10-12% for a premium or destination wedding where costs tend to rise faster.

Step 4: Expected Return on SIP

This is the annual return you expect from your investments. The default is 12%, appropriate for a long-term equity mutual fund SIP (5+ years). For shorter horizons, reduce this: use 8-9% for debt mutual funds (2-3 years) or 5-6% for liquid funds (under 2 years). A higher expected return means you need a lower monthly SIP to reach the same goal.

Step 5: Current Wedding Savings

If you have already set aside some money specifically for the wedding, enter it here. The calculator grows this amount at your expected return rate and deducts it from the target, so your monthly SIP is calculated only on the remaining gap. If you have nothing saved yet, leave it at zero.

Reading the Results

The calculator shows four key outputs: Today's Wedding Cost (your input), Future Wedding Cost (inflation-adjusted target you actually need to save), Still to Save (gap after your current savings), and Monthly SIP Needed (the exact amount to invest every month to reach the future cost). The category breakdown shows how a typical Indian wedding budget splits across venue, catering, jewellery and other categories — helping you identify where to cut if needed. The marriage investment plan shows the total you will invest vs the returns your investments earn, making clear how much of your corpus comes from compounding rather than your own contributions.

How Much Does an Indian Wedding Cost in 2026?

The average Indian wedding cost in 2026 ranges from Rs 10 lakhs for a budget celebration to Rs 50 lakhs or more for a mid-to-large scale event. Destination weddings and luxury celebrations can easily cross Rs 1 crore. According to WeddingWire India data, the average wedding budget is now around Rs 29-30 lakhs, with nearly 30% of couples spending over Rs 30 lakhs.

The most important factor that determines your total wedding expenses in India is guest count. Venue and catering costs scale directly with the number of guests. A 200-guest wedding will cost roughly 2.5-3x a 100-guest wedding, even with the same quality of vendors. For goal-based financial planning, our Life Goals Calculators cover all major milestones including marriage.

Wedding Cost Inflation in India

Wedding cost inflation in India runs at 8-10% per year, significantly faster than general CPI inflation of 5-6%. Venue costs, catering rates and jewellery prices have all risen sharply in recent years. This means a wedding budgeted at Rs 20 lakhs today will cost approximately Rs 29-32 lakhs in 5 years if you do not account for inflation. To understand how inflation impacts your investment returns and erodes your savings, and the difference between nominal vs real returns when planning for a long-term goal like a wedding, read these guides. Our calculator uses 8% as the default wedding inflation rate, which is conservative. To see the broader picture, use our Inflation Calculator and Real Return Calculator.

How to Save for a Wedding in India: The SIP Approach

The best approach to marriage budget planning is a dedicated SIP (Systematic Investment Plan) started well in advance. If the wedding is 5 or more years away, equity mutual funds targeting 10-12% returns are appropriate. For a 2-3 year horizon, shift to a mix of debt mutual funds and recurring deposits. Note that FDs consistently fail to beat inflation over the long term, making them a poor choice for a 5-year wedding savings goal. For a full comparison of asset classes, read our guide on gold vs FD vs equity — especially relevant since jewellery is a major wedding expense that can be accumulated via Sovereign Gold Bonds. For guidance on SIP vs lumpsum investing for this goal, our detailed comparison covers exactly when each approach wins. Use our SIP Calculator to model different scenarios, our step-up SIP guide to increase savings annually, or a Step-Up SIP Calculator to run the numbers. If you have delayed starting, our Cost of Delay Calculator shows exactly how much the wait has cost you.

Average Indian Wedding Cost by Scale in 2026

Use this as a reference when setting your wedding budget. All figures are for 2026 and include all major expense categories.

Wedding Expenses Breakdown by Category in India

Understanding how wedding budgets are typically allocated helps you prioritise where to spend and where to save. These percentages are based on average Indian wedding spending patterns.

Monthly SIP Needed to Build Your Wedding Corpus

This table shows the monthly SIP amount needed to build a specific wedding corpus based on years available, assuming 12% annual returns and 8% wedding inflation. Use the calculator above for your exact numbers.

Assumes 8% wedding inflation and 12% SIP returns. Use the calculator above for your exact inputs. Consider a Step-Up SIP to reduce initial burden.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Calculators

Plan every financial milestone alongside your wedding with these tools.