MEGAN SHAGAM
PRODUCT ↗
THE KNOT · BUDGET ADVISOR
Making wedding costs easier to understand—and act on.
Real pricing data, translated into realistic budgets and useful next steps.
MY ROLE
Content design · Product strategy
PRODUCT
Budget Advisor
FOCUS
Financial guidance · Personalization
SYSTEM
Local pricing · Categories · Recommendations
FROM $ TO PLAN
A budget should help someone make the next decision.
01 · WHAT I SAW
A total without context wasn’t a plan.
Couples needed localized pricing context and a clearer view of how category choices affected the whole budget.
02 · WHAT I DECIDED
Turn pricing data into guidance.
Estimates needed to show their logic, support customization and avoid implying false precision.
03 · WHAT I BUILT
One system from estimate to action.
The hierarchy connected local estimates, category budgets, comparisons and vendor recommendations.
THE EXPERIENCE
Start with reality. Make it personal. Connect it to action.
The journey moved from a useful estimate to editable category choices and relevant next steps.
LOCALIZED ESTIMATE · CATEGORY BREAKDOWN
ESTIMATE · CUSTOMIZE · COMPARE · EXPLORE
BUDGETING INSIDE THE PLANNING ECOSYSTEM
04 · THE RESULT
A budget that could guide the next decision.
An explainable planning experience moved couples from a daunting total toward category choices and concrete actions.
MEGAN SHAGAM
PRODUCT ↗
THE KNOT · BUDGET ADVISOR
Making wedding costs easier to understand—and act on.
Real pricing data, translated into realistic budgets and useful next steps.
MY ROLE
Content design · Product strategy
PRODUCT
Budget Advisor
FOCUS
Financial guidance · Personalization
SYSTEM
Local pricing · Categories · Recommendations
FROM $ TO PLAN
A budget should help someone make the next decision.
01 · WHAT I SAW
A total without context wasn’t a plan.
Couples needed localized pricing context and a clearer view of how category choices affected the whole budget.
02 · WHAT I DECIDED
Turn pricing data into guidance.
Estimates needed to show their logic, support customization and avoid implying false precision.
03 · WHAT I BUILT
One system from estimate to action.
The hierarchy connected local estimates, category budgets, comparisons and vendor recommendations.
THE EXPERIENCE
Start with reality. Make it personal. Connect it to action.
The journey moved from a useful estimate to editable category choices and relevant next steps.
LOCALIZED ESTIMATE · CATEGORY BREAKDOWN
ESTIMATE · CUSTOMIZE · COMPARE · EXPLORE
BUDGETING INSIDE THE PLANNING ECOSYSTEM
04 · THE RESULT
A budget that could guide the next decision.
An explainable planning experience moved couples from a daunting total toward category choices and concrete actions.
MEGAN SHAGAM
PRODUCT ↗
THE KNOT · BUDGET ADVISOR
Making wedding costs easier to understand—and act on.
A personalized planning tool that translated real pricing data into clearer choices, realistic category budgets and useful next steps.
MY ROLE
Content design · Product strategy
PRODUCT
Budget Advisor
FOCUS
Financial guidance · Personalization
SYSTEM
Local pricing · Categories · Recommendations
$ → PLAN
A budget is only useful if it helps someone make the next decision.
01 · WHAT I SAW
A total without context wasn’t a plan.
Wedding costs vary dramatically by location, category and priorities. Couples needed more than a generic number—they needed to understand what people near them typically spend and how individual choices affect the whole budget.
02 · WHAT I DECIDED
Turn pricing data into guidance, not a warning.
The experience would begin with a useful estimate, reveal how it was calculated and let couples adjust the categories that mattered to them. Every number needed enough context to support a choice without implying false precision.
03 · WHAT I BUILT
One decision system from estimate to action.
I helped shape the content hierarchy across localized estimates, category selection, custom amounts, spending ranges, comparisons and vendor recommendations—so each step answered the next question a couple was likely to have.
THE EXPERIENCE
Start with reality. Make it personal. Connect it to action.
The system moved from a location-based estimate to editable category budgets, then connected those decisions to relevant vendors and broader planning tools.
LOCALIZED ESTIMATE · CATEGORY BREAKDOWN · EDIT SELECTIONS
ESTIMATE · CUSTOMIZE · COMPARE · EXPLORE
BUDGETING INSIDE THE PLANNING ECOSYSTEM
A budgeting tool connected to the rest of the wedding journey.
Category budgets led naturally into vendor discovery, while the broader planning experience kept budget alongside guests, vision, tasks and other major decisions.
04 · THE RESULT
A budget that could guide the next decision.
The result was not simply a calculator. It was an explainable planning experience that helped couples move from an intimidating total toward category-level choices and concrete actions.