The Wedding Planner

The setup page for the whole wedding. It is deliberately designed so you can begin even when the date, venues or format are still undecided.

Enter the wedding date when known, ceremony and reception locations, whether they are in the same place, estimated guest count, target spend, optional family contributions, planning stage, wedding type, areas to watch, couple names, currency, date format, optional venue capacity and any extra events.

These choices feed the rest of the planner. Once a wedding date exists, countdowns and suggested timeline dates can populate; guest-count choices feed cost planning; optional extra-event names become available in RSVP and planning areas.

The main read-only dashboard. It is meant to answer: what deserves attention now?

Normally, you do not edit this page. Use it to check days to go, confirmed main-day guests, projected spend versus target, payments due in the next 30 days, the top current priorities, upcoming items and things worth checking.

Today updates from the other planning tabs. Task deadlines, RSVP progress, open vendor decisions, budget information and the wedding date are brought together so you do not have to search through the workbook for the next useful step.

The master guest list and RSVP tracker. One person gets one row, including plus-ones, so headcounts remain explicit.

Record household/group, guest name, invite status, main wedding-day RSVP, optional extra-event RSVPs, age group, plus-one relationship, meal choice, dietary needs, access/support notes, table assignment and general notes.

The summary counts invited/on-list, confirmed, waiting and declined guests. An RSVP cutoff can appear once a wedding date exists, and guest/catering information can feed the Wedding Day view.

The cost plan and payment control area. It lets an early estimate gradually become a quote and then an actual amount without losing the planning history.

For each category or service, enter the vendor/service, charging method, estimate, quote, actual cost, quantity or guest count where relevant, event and notes. Use the payment schedule lower in the sheet to track what has been or still needs to be paid.

The planner uses the most certain available amount to build projected spend, tracks paid-to-date and outstanding amounts, and can test a different guest count. Chosen vendor quotes can flow into matching budget items when they are recorded in Vendors & Decisions.

A comparison and decision log for suppliers and services, without assuming every wedding needs every starter row.

Set a decision status, compare up to three options and quotes, then record the selected supplier, selected quote, contact details, email/phone, contract or link, event and notes. Mark irrelevant services as Not needed.

Open, chosen/booked, still-comparing and not-needed counts update at the top. When a selected supplier and quote match a budget service, the selected quote can update the matching Budget item instead of making you enter the same number twice.

The working task list and date-driven planning timeline. The starter tasks are prompts, not rules.

For each task, use the suggested date as a guide or add your own real due date, then assign an owner/role, status, event, blocker/waiting-on item and notes. Mark tasks you do not need as Not needed.

Suggested due dates move with the wedding date. Your own due date takes priority when supplied, and Today uses the task dates and statuses to surface work that needs attention or is coming up.

The practical run-of-day page for the ceremony, transitions, reception and guest needs.

Add a couple photo if wanted, then build the real schedule using time, event/item, location/venue, people or vendors/contact and notes. Use the ceremony, transition and reception areas to describe how the day actually moves.

The wedding date and known locations can carry through from Start Here. Catering supplier information and guest catering/dietary needs can appear as vendor selections and RSVPs are completed.

A calm contingency page for the weather, supplier or logistics issues that genuinely need a backup.

For each risk worth planning for, record what needs a backup, the current plan, the alternative, the trigger for using it, current status and contact/notes.

This tab is intentionally simple rather than prediction-driven. It keeps the agreed fallback visible so the wedding-day plan does not depend on remembering it under pressure.