Your guest budget
A "day guest" is with you for the ceremony, wedding breakfast and the evening. An "evening-only guest" just joins the party later — so they usually cost less per head. Adjust the per-head costs to match your own venue quote.
How many can you invite?
Cost breakdown
Evening numbers make the party
A brilliant DJ can only do so much with a half-empty room — it's the evening headcount that fills the dance floor and keeps the energy up. If your evening numbers are looking light, a few extra evening-only invites (family friends, work colleagues, plus-ones) go a long way for relatively little extra spend.
See Wedding DJ Hire packagesQuick guide
How to split your day and evening guests
- Enter your total guest budget and the number of day guests you want.
- Add the cost per day guest and cost per evening guest from your venue quote.
- Press Work out my evening numbers, then move the slider to try different evening numbers.
- Use Copy my numbers or Print to keep the result.
What it does
- Budget-based day and evening guest split
- Your own per-head costs
- Live slider for evening-only guests
- Cost breakdown and dancefloor guide
- Copy or print your numbers
Use it with
- Guest List & RSVP Tracker – track wedding guests, day or evening invitations, RSVPs, plus-ones and dietary needs in one list that saves automatically in your browser
- Children at the Wedding Planner – enter how many children are coming by age group and the length of the meal and speeches to get activity ideas, a timeline and a kit list
- Guest Accommodation Finder – search for hotels and B&Bs near your wedding venue, keep a shortlist to share with guests and work through a group rate booking checklist
- Late-Night Taxi & Minibus Planner – work out how many taxis or minibuses your guests need after the party, when to pre-book, and how pickups line up with your finish time
Questions
Day vs Evening Guest Helper: common questions
What does this guest split helper work out?
It shows how many evening-only guests you can afford once your day guests are paid for, using your own budget and per-head costs. A day guest attends the ceremony, wedding breakfast and evening, while an evening guest joins later. You then get a cost breakdown, a total for the dancefloor and a slider to try different evening numbers.
Where do I get the per-head costs from?
Use the figures from your venue or caterer's quote. The day guest cost should cover the meal, drinks package and any favours, and the evening guest cost should cover evening food and drink only. The budget box is meant for catering and drinks, not the whole wedding, so leave out costs such as the dress, photographer and entertainment.
Are my budget figures stored or shared?
No. The figures are worked out in your browser and are not saved or sent to a server, so they disappear when you close or reload the page. The optional Send this to Tim link opens your own email app with a draft addressed to Mobile Disco Network, and it is only sent if you choose to send it.
How many evening guests make a good party?
It depends on the room, but a dancefloor feels best when the room is comfortably full rather than half empty. If your evening numbers look light, the page suggests that a few extra evening-only invitations, such as family friends, colleagues or plus-ones, can add a lot of atmosphere for a smaller cost per head than day guests.
Tim’s tip
Plan the evening food for a little after the evening guests arrive, not the moment they walk in. That keeps people in the room for the first dance and the start of the party rather than queuing at the buffet.
Made by Tim Daymond (Tinsel Tim). Tim has been a DJ since 1976 and has run Mobile Disco Network since 2013. He plays weddings and parties across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire. He is a Norfolk County Council Trading Standards Trusted Trader (ID 0000457), a member of the NADJ and the winner of 23 independent awards.
Why choose Tim · Awards · Reviews
Your privacy: this tool runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to Mobile Disco Network or stored on a server. Nothing is saved once you close the page. Email buttons only open your own email app, and nothing is sent until you press send.
Free to use, no sign-up. Last reviewed 11 October 2026.
Evening guests arriving?
Start the party as they walk in
Tim sets the evening going as your evening guests arrive, so the room fills and the dancing starts on time. Book Tinsel Tim across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire.
Rather talk it through? Call Tim on 07796 565918 or 01760 722283, or message him on WhatsApp.
Planning the big day? Check Tinsel Tim is free on your wedding date. Check your date → WhatsApp Tim