Starter
$49one-time
For collecting every original
Unlimited photos, videos & guests
Original quality (no compression)
No app for guests, QR + browser upload
6 months storage + ZIP download
Free wedding planning tool
AI Wedding Planner: your budget and timeline in a minute
Tell the planner how long you have, how many guests, your budget, style and setting. It splits the budget into 8 categories in dollars, builds a month-by-month checklist and lists what to book first. Free, no sign-up.
5Inputs
8Budget categories
6Priorities for your style
$0No sign-up
Or pick your date below and we will calculate it
01The short answer
How do you start planning a wedding?
Answer
Set the total budget first, then the guest count and the date. With those three fixed, book the venue, then the photographer and caterer, ideally 9 to 12 months out. The planner above does the first pass for you: a dollar budget split, a month-by-month checklist and the priorities for your style.
- 1Enter how many months you have until the wedding, or pick the date and the planner counts the months for you.
- 2Add your guest count and your total budget in dollars.
- 3Choose a style (classic, rustic, modern, boho, glam or micro) and a setting (indoor venue, outdoor, destination or backyard).
- 4Tap Generate My Wedding Plan to get your budget split, a month-by-month checklist and your priorities, then email the plan to yourself.
Example planClassic, indoor, 100 guests$30,000 budget, 9 months out
Venue$9,900
Catering and bar$8,400
Photography and video$3,000
Attire and beauty$2,100
Flowers and decor$2,100
Music and entertainment$1,800
Stationery$900
Rentals and misc$1,800
Total$30,000
SEE IT IN ACTION
Plan the day.
Then plan how you will get every photo.
Every plan has a photographer line. Few plan for the hundreds of photos guests take on their phones. Watch a guest scan the table card QR code and add photos from the browser, no app and no account, straight into the couple's album.
Emma & DanielScan to add your photos
9:41
WEDDING ALBUM
Emma & Daniel
Example album
AllCeremonyParty
Add your photosNo app needed
02How the planner thinks
Where your money goes, and why
No black box. The planner starts from the split below, nudges it for your style and setting, rescales it to 100% and rounds to whole dollars that add up to your exact budget. The example column is a $30,000 classic wedding at an indoor venue.
| Category | Starting share | On $30,000 | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | 33% | $9,900 | Often the first booking. Ask what is included (tables, chairs, linens) before you price rentals. |
| Catering and bar | 28% | $8,400 | Scales with every guest you add, so it moves the most when the list grows. |
| Photography and video | 10% | $3,000 | The planner raises this share for micro weddings, where the photos carry the day. |
| Attire and beauty | 7% | $2,100 | Includes alterations, hair and makeup trials. |
| Flowers and decor | 7% | $2,100 | Boho weddings get a bigger share for floral installs. |
| Music and entertainment | 6% | $1,800 | Band, DJ or ceremony musicians. |
| Stationery | 3% | $900 | Save-the-dates, invitations, signage. |
| Rentals and misc | 6% | $1,800 | Grows for outdoor, destination and backyard weddings, where you rent what a venue would supply. |
Venue
Starting share33%
On $30,000$9,900
What to knowOften the first booking. Ask what is included (tables, chairs, linens) before you price rentals.
Catering and bar
Starting share28%
On $30,000$8,400
What to knowScales with every guest you add, so it moves the most when the list grows.
Photography and video
Starting share10%
On $30,000$3,000
What to knowThe planner raises this share for micro weddings, where the photos carry the day.
Attire and beauty
Starting share7%
On $30,000$2,100
What to knowIncludes alterations, hair and makeup trials.
Flowers and decor
Starting share7%
On $30,000$2,100
What to knowBoho weddings get a bigger share for floral installs.
Music and entertainment
Starting share6%
On $30,000$1,800
What to knowBand, DJ or ceremony musicians.
Stationery
Starting share3%
On $30,000$900
What to knowSave-the-dates, invitations, signage.
Rentals and misc
Starting share6%
On $30,000$1,800
What to knowGrows for outdoor, destination and backyard weddings, where you rent what a venue would supply.
How style and setting move the numbers (percentage points)
RusticVenue -4, flowers +1, rentals and misc +3Barns and farms cost less to book but often need more rentals and DIY decor.
ModernVenue -3, photography +2, stationery +1Clean, editorial photos and a consistent printed look matter more than a grand room.
BohoVenue -2, flowers +4, attire -1, misc -1Floral installations are the visual anchor of the style.
GlamAttire +3, photography +2, venue +2, catering -2, misc -4, stationery -1Hair, makeup, lighting and a dramatic room take the budget.
Micro or intimateVenue -6, catering -4, photography +6, attire +3, misc +1Fewer guests frees money for photos and outfits.
Outdoor settingVenue -3, rentals and misc +3A tent or backup plan, restrooms and power add rental costs.
Destination settingVenue -8, rentals and misc +8Travel, local fees and shipping land in misc.
Backyard settingVenue -14, rentals and misc +14The space is free, but tables, chairs, tent, lighting and a generator are not.
The starting split is our planning baseline, not a survey result. No category drops below 2%, and the catering line divided by your guest count is shown as a per-guest figure so you can compare it with real quotes. Want to set every slider yourself? Use the wedding budget allocator.
03The numbers
What a wedding costs in 2026
Before you type a budget into the planner, it helps to know where the average lands. These figures come from The Knot's 2026 Real Weddings Study, which surveyed 10,474 US couples married in 2025.
36%Share of engaged couples surveyed who use AI in planning, nearly double the year before.Source: The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study
Averages hide a wide range. A courthouse wedding and a 200-guest ballroom wedding both count toward the same number. Use the wedding cost calculator to see a state or city estimate, then put that figure into the planner as your budget.
04Guests drive the budget
Wedding cost by guest count
Multiply your guest count by the $292 national average per guest and you get a quick reality check for the budget you type in. This is arithmetic on one average, not a quote, but it shows why the list matters more than almost any other choice.
| Guests | At $292 per guest | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | $11,680 | Micro wedding range. A private dining room or restaurant buyout often fits. |
| 75 | $21,900 | Small wedding. Many venues have a lower minimum on weekdays or off-season dates. |
| 100 | $29,200 | Round number most couples start from, and the planner's default. |
| 117 | $34,164 | The 2025 US average guest count in The Knot's study. |
| 150 | $43,800 | Catering becomes the biggest swing item. Ask for per-head pricing in writing. |
| 200 | $58,400 | Large wedding. Plan for a bigger venue, more staff and more rentals. |
40 guests
At $292 per guest$11,680
What it meansMicro wedding range. A private dining room or restaurant buyout often fits.
75 guests
At $292 per guest$21,900
What it meansSmall wedding. Many venues have a lower minimum on weekdays or off-season dates.
100 guests
At $292 per guest$29,200
What it meansRound number most couples start from, and the planner's default.
117 guests
At $292 per guest$34,164
What it meansThe 2025 US average guest count in The Knot's study.
150 guests
At $292 per guest$43,800
What it meansCatering becomes the biggest swing item. Ask for per-head pricing in writing.
200 guests
At $292 per guest$58,400
What it meansLarge wedding. Plan for a bigger venue, more staff and more rentals.
Per-guest figure from The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study. Totals are rounded multiplication, checked October 2026. Trim the list with the wedding guest list manager.
05Month by month
The planning timeline the planner follows
With 5 or more months to go, the planner gives you this full timeline. With 2 to 4 months it compresses the same tasks into a few blocks, and with under 2 months it switches to a fast-track list of essentials.
| Before the wedding | Key tasks | Decided by the end |
|---|---|---|
| 9 to 12+ months | Set the total budget and who contributes, draft the headcount, book the venue and lock the date, start researching photographers. | Budget, guest range, date, venue |
| 7 to 9 months | Book photographer, caterer and florist, choose the wedding party, start dress or suit shopping, book the band or DJ. | Core vendors |
| 5 to 6 months | Send save-the-dates, book a hair and makeup trial, order invitations, plan the rehearsal dinner. | Guest communication starts |
| 3 to 4 months | Mail invitations, finalize the menu and do the cake tasting, buy rings, book hotel blocks. | Menu, rings, travel |
| 6 to 8 weeks | Track RSVPs, draft the seating chart, apply for the marriage license (check your state's waiting period), confirm a headcount range. | Final guest list |
| 2 to 3 weeks | Give the caterer and venue the final headcount, confirm the timeline with every vendor, final fitting. | Numbers and timings |
| 1 week | Confirm arrival times with every vendor, pack for the honeymoon, delegate day-of tasks to the wedding party, prep an emergency kit. | Who does what on the day |
| Wedding week | Pick up attire and rings, give the officiant the final vows, set up your QR code photo sharing station, get some sleep. | Nothing new. Only confirmations. |
9 to 12+ months
Key tasksSet the total budget and who contributes, draft the headcount, book the venue and lock the date, start researching photographers.
Decided by the endBudget, guest range, date, venue
7 to 9 months
Key tasksBook photographer, caterer and florist, choose the wedding party, start dress or suit shopping, book the band or DJ.
Decided by the endCore vendors
5 to 6 months
Key tasksSend save-the-dates, book a hair and makeup trial, order invitations, plan the rehearsal dinner.
Decided by the endGuest communication starts
3 to 4 months
Key tasksMail invitations, finalize the menu and do the cake tasting, buy rings, book hotel blocks.
Decided by the endMenu, rings, travel
6 to 8 weeks
Key tasksTrack RSVPs, draft the seating chart, apply for the marriage license (check your state's waiting period), confirm a headcount range.
Decided by the endFinal guest list
2 to 3 weeks
Key tasksGive the caterer and venue the final headcount, confirm the timeline with every vendor, final fitting.
Decided by the endNumbers and timings
1 week
Key tasksConfirm arrival times with every vendor, pack for the honeymoon, delegate day-of tasks to the wedding party, prep an emergency kit.
Decided by the endWho does what on the day
Wedding week
Key tasksPick up attire and rings, give the officiant the final vows, set up your QR code photo sharing station, get some sleep.
Decided by the endNothing new. Only confirmations.
Booking windows line up with Zola's wedding planning checklist, which puts the venue at about 11 months out and photographers and caterers at 9 to 12 months, checked October 2026. Keep the full list with the wedding planning checklist, and plan the day itself hour by hour with the wedding day timeline builder.
First dance
You guys!!
Your plan has a photographer line. Add one for your guests.
Set it up while the plan is fresh. One QR code on the tables, guests upload from the phone browser, and you keep every photo and video in one album. Start free with 20 uploads, no card.
From Mom
Point your camera
Scan to join the album
No app, no account
9:41
UPLOADING
Saving your moment
9:41
THE ALBUM
Emma & Daniel
June 21, 2026
647 photos · 95 guests
AllMomentsMine
★
Add photosShare your moments
SCAN TO TRY
pix.wedding/
your-wedding
IF YOU ADD THE GUEST ALBUM
Two plans, one payment, no subscription
Prices show in your local currency. Start free with 20 uploads and no card, then pick a plan before the wedding. Pro, with AI selfie search for big guest lists, is on the full pricing.
Standard
$59one-time
For the reception slideshow and guestbook
Everything in Starter
Live slideshow at the reception
Audio guestbook & guest names
6 months upload, 1 year storage
One-time payment, no subscription
One payment. Yours to keep. No subscription. No renewals. No surprise charges.
Secure checkout. Polar, Apple Pay, Google Pay.
Money-back guarantee: if your guests never upload a single photo, you get 100% back. See how it works
06AI, honestly
What AI does well in wedding planning, and where it trips
AI is great at structure and drafts and weak on anything local or legal. Wedding writer Kat at Rock n Roll Bride put it simply: use it for inspiration, not gospel.
Use AI for
- Turning a budget and a guest count into a starting split you can argue with.
- Building a checklist and putting tasks in order by month.
- Drafting vendor emails, thank-you notes and the first pass of vows or a speech you then rewrite in your own words.
- Explaining a contract clause in plain English before you ask the vendor about it.
- Comparing two quotes line by line once you paste them in.
Check it yourself
- Real local prices. A chatbot can state a confident number that is years out of date.
- Vendor recommendations. Businesses close, move or stop doing weddings.
- Legal rules like marriage license waiting periods, which differ by state and change.
- Knowing your family. Who sits where and who pays for what is your call.
- Replacing the people you hire. Use AI images as a mood board for your florist, not a substitute.
Planning Collective on YouTube
Using ChatGPT for wedding planning, without the mistakes
A wedding planning podcast episode on the smart ways to use ChatGPT for budgets, timelines, vows and emails, and what goes wrong when you do not give it the right context.
Watch on YouTube (19 min)Source, checked October 2026: Rock n Roll Bride, Using AI to Help You Plan Your Wedding (In An Ethical Way), June 2025.
07Take the plan further
Four prompts to paste after you generate your plan
Copy your plan from the results (or the email), paste it into the chatbot you already use with one of these prompts and fill in the brackets. You get answers built on your real numbers instead of a generic list.
Check the split for your city
Here is my wedding budget split: [paste the Budget Breakdown]. We are getting married in [city] with [guests] guests. Which categories look low for this area? List the questions I should ask vendors to check real prices.
Turn the checklist into a calendar
Here is my month-by-month wedding checklist: [paste the timeline]. Our date is [date]. Put every task on a real week, flag anything that is already overdue and tell me which three to do this week.
Write the vendor inquiry
Write a short, friendly inquiry email to a wedding [photographer/caterer/venue]. Date: [date]. Guests: [number]. Budget for this category: [amount from the plan]. Ask about availability, what the price includes and the deposit.
Find cuts without losing the day
Our plan comes to [total] but we need to save [amount]. Here is the split: [paste]. Suggest five cuts that guests would not notice, and say which category each one comes from.
Writing words instead of numbers? The AI wedding vow generator and the AI wedding speech generator are built for exactly that.
08Your options
Free online planner, chatbot, planning app or a human planner?
They solve different problems, and most couples end up using two of them. Account-based AI planning apps have grown fast, from free retailer tools such as David's Bridal's Pearl Planner (launched August 2025 with more than 100 guided tasks) to paid planning bots.
| Option | Cost | Account | What you get | Knows local prices | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This free planner | Free | No | Budget split in dollars, month-by-month checklist, 6 priorities, same answer every time for the same inputs | No, it does not know local prices | A first plan in a minute |
| General chatbot | Free or paid plans | Usually | Anything you ask, in conversation | Not reliably. Verify every price and rule | Drafting emails, vows and next steps from your plan |
| AI planning app | Free to paid, varies by app | Yes | Task boards, timelines, vendor search, guest tools in one account | Some show vendor listings. Prices still come from vendors | Running the whole engagement in one place |
| Human planner | Paid, quoted per wedding | Contract | Vendor contacts, negotiation, day-of coordination | Yes, from local experience | Busy couples, big guest lists, destination weddings |
This free planner
CostFree
AccountNo
What you getBudget split in dollars, month-by-month checklist, 6 priorities, same answer every time for the same inputs
Knows local pricesNo, it does not know local prices
Best forA first plan in a minute
General chatbot
CostFree or paid plans
AccountUsually
What you getAnything you ask, in conversation
Knows local pricesNot reliably. Verify every price and rule
Best forDrafting emails, vows and next steps from your plan
AI planning app
CostFree to paid, varies by app
AccountYes
What you getTask boards, timelines, vendor search, guest tools in one account
Knows local pricesSome show vendor listings. Prices still come from vendors
Best forRunning the whole engagement in one place
Human planner
CostPaid, quoted per wedding
AccountContract
What you getVendor contacts, negotiation, day-of coordination
Knows local pricesYes, from local experience
Best forBusy couples, big guest lists, destination weddings
Sources, checked October 2026: Retail Dive on David's Bridal Pearl Planner (August 2025); SheerLuxe, 8 AI-Powered Platforms All Brides Need To Know (December 2025). App features and prices change often, so check each one before you sign up. Comparing planning apps? See our best wedding planning apps guide.
09Avoid these
Eight planning mistakes a good plan prevents
Booking before the budget
Couples fall for a venue and then build the budget around it. Set the total first, then let the venue take its share.
Guessing the guest count
Catering is priced per head, so a list that grows from 100 to 130 changes the whole plan. Draft the list before you sign anything.
Treating the split as a quote
The percentages are a starting point. Your city, season and day of the week move real prices a lot.
Trusting a chatbot's numbers
AI tools can sound sure about prices and rules that are wrong or old. Ask vendors and check official sites.
No buffer
Fees, tips, delivery and overtime show up late. Keep part of the misc line free for the surprises.
Forgetting the license
Waiting periods and validity windows differ by state. Look up your county clerk's rules a few months out.
Leaving photos to chance
The photographer covers the big moments. Guests capture the rest on their phones, and those shots get lost unless you plan how to collect them.
Planning alone
Share the plan with your partner and whoever is contributing money, so everyone argues about the same numbers.
10Glossary
Planning terms in one sentence each
Budget splitHow the total budget divides across categories, shown as a percent and a dollar amount.
Cost per guestTotal wedding cost divided by the number of guests. The Knot put it at $292 for 2025 US weddings.
Food and beverage minimumThe least a venue requires you to spend on catering and bar, whatever your headcount.
Final headcountThe number you give the caterer and venue, usually a couple of weeks before the wedding, that you pay for.
Save-the-dateAn early notice of the date and place, sent months before the formal invitation.
Hotel blockA set of rooms a hotel holds for your guests at a group rate until a cutoff date.
Day-of coordinatorA person who runs the timeline on the day so the couple and family do not have to.
Micro weddingA small wedding, often under about 50 guests, where the money goes into fewer, bigger choices.
The line most plans miss
Your photographer gets the big moments. Your guests get the rest.
Put a Pix Wedding QR code on the tables. Guests add photos and videos from the phone browser, no app and no account, and you keep every shot in one album.
Point your camera
Scan to join the album
No app, no account
9:41
UPLOADING
Saving your moment
9:41
THE ALBUM
Emma & Daniel
June 21, 2026
647 photos · 95 guests
AllMomentsMine
★
Add photosShare your moments
11Sources
Where the numbers come from
Every outside figure on this page links to its source. We checked each one in October 2026.
Average cost, cost per guest, guest count, AI adoptionThe Knot Worldwide, 2026 Real Weddings Study press releaseCost detail by category and stateThe Knot, The Average Wedding CostBooking windows for venue, photographer and catererZola, Your Ultimate Wedding Planning ChecklistWhat AI is good and bad atRock n Roll Bride, Using AI to Help You Plan Your WeddingAI planning app exampleRetail Dive, David's Bridal Pearl PlannerAI planning app landscapeSheerLuxe, 8 AI-Powered Platforms All Brides Need To Know
Couple reviews
Rated 4.9 by couples who used Pix Wedding
4.9
out of 5 · Based on 289 reviews
Three day wedding weekend, welcome dinner Friday, ceremony Saturday, brunch Sunday. We split it into sub-albums per day and the whole thing feels like a documentary now. Best money we spent on the entire wedding and trust me we spent alot
Devin S. · Sonoma, CAVerified couple · April 2026
Second line parade through the French Quarter, guests with their phones out the entire time. Pix caught every angle of that walk, videos from the front, middle and back. No way to recreate that any other way
Jordan M. · New Orleans, LAVerified couple · October 2025
sooo many photos we would never have seen otherwise
Amanda J. · Charlotte, NCVerified couple · March 2026
Planner Help
AI Wedding Planner FAQ
What couples ask before they trust a plan: is it free, how the budget is split, whether ChatGPT can do it and how much a wedding costs in 2026.
Yes. The planner on this page is free and needs no account. Enter months to go, guest count, budget, style and setting, and it returns a budget split across 8 categories, a month-by-month checklist and 6 priorities for your style and setting. You can email the plan to yourself.
It runs in the browser on a phone or computer, with nothing to download and no account. Nothing is saved to an account, so email the plan to yourself from the results. If you want an app that tracks tasks for months, our best wedding planning apps guide compares the options.
It starts from a base split (venue 33%, catering and bar 28%, photography and video 10%, attire 7%, flowers 7%, music 6%, stationery 3%, rentals and misc 6%), shifts it for your style and setting, then rescales it to 100% and converts it to dollars that add up to your exact budget.
It can help with drafts, checklists and ordering tasks, but do not trust it for local prices, vendor names or legal rules like marriage license waiting periods. Use a planner like this one for the structure, then check every number with vendors and official sites.
About 12 months is a comfortable runway. Book the venue first, then the photographer and caterer, which Zola suggests booking 9 to 12 months ahead. Shorter engagements work too: with under 5 months the planner switches to a compressed timeline, and under 2 months to a fast-track one.
The Knot's 2026 Real Weddings Study, based on 10,474 US couples married in 2025, puts the average at $34,200, or about $292 per guest with an average of 117 guests. Your total depends heavily on your city, season and guest count.
Yes. Choose Micro/Intimate as the style and the planner moves money from venue and catering into photography and attire. Choose Backyard as the setting and it moves venue money into rentals, since tables, chairs, a tent and lighting replace what a venue would provide.