Budget, guests, suppliers and 12 months of preparation, whatever your tradition.
A printable wedding planner, and a wedding budget spreadsheet that does the maths
- Everything in one place, on paper and on screen: the planner holds the lists, the questions to ask and the running order of the day; the workbook does the totals. The 55 timeline tasks are the same in both files.
- Know where the money stands: for each item, the planned amount, the chosen quote, what is paid, what is left to pay and the difference. The dashboard shows the next 5 due dates. The workbook does not tell you how much to spend: it adds up what you enter.
- Know who is coming, and what to serve: one row per household, with reply, table and accommodation. Meals per dietary choice (Halal, Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-free, Lactose-free, Children’s menu) are counted for the caterer, and allergies are noted for them.
- Forget nothing: enter the wedding date, and each of the 55 tasks, from 12 months to 1 month before, gets its target date. Then the last week, the day before, the wedding-day bag and who does what.
- Two families, one plan: rename Side A and Side B with your names or your families; one page records who contributes to the budget; the seating plan can separate spaces if that is your custom.
- Paper or tablet: A4 or US Letter, readable in black and white; a tablet version with a clickable contents page, tabs and links from each tradition to the timeline and the budget.
- Protected calculations (no password): you type in the yellow cells; the white calculation cells are locked. In Google Sheets this protection may disappear: rely on the colours.
Your traditions, with no hierarchy
12 one-page modules to tick or leave aside. None is imposed and none comes before the others. Each one covers the organisation (who, what, where, when), never the rules, which stay those of your families. First in this edition: Civil ceremony, Religious ceremony (all faiths), Engagement and formal family meeting (roka, nişan, pedida de mano), Henna night (mehndi), Customary wedding and marriage gifts (introduction, knocking, lobola). Then: Kına gecesi, Negafa and outfit changes, Pre-wedding party (sangeet, Polterabend, chá de panela), Religious contract (katb al-kitab, nikah), Separate receptions, Tea ceremony, Welcome games (vykup). Celebrating two traditions? Tick both.
Exactly what you get
- 4 files: the planner as an A4 PDF, a US Letter PDF and a tablet PDF (portrait 3:4, with links), and the workbook (.xlsx).
- The planner: 43 pages, that is 40 pages of content plus the cover, instructions and contents page. Our essentials (3 pages); Timeline (8 pages, from 12 months before to the day before); Budget (3 pages: by item, deposits and balances, who contributes); Guests (4 pages: list, replies and meals, seating plan, accommodation and transport); Suppliers (4 pages: compare three quotes, supplier record, questions to ask before signing, contacts); The wedding day (4 pages: running order, who does what, wedding-day bag, contacts); After the wedding (2 pages: gifts and thank-yous, what we take away); Our traditions (12 pages). No dates or times are printed: you write them in.
- The workbook, 10 sheets: Start here, Settings, Dashboard, Budget (31 suggested lines and 20 blank ones), Payments, Guests (400 rows), Seating plan (up to 60 tables), Suppliers, Timeline (55 tasks), Gifts.
- No macros, no external links, no subscription. Tested in LibreOffice, compatible with Excel 2016+ and Google Sheets.
- Default currency GBP, which you can change in Settings (USD, EUR, INR, NGN or any other). Dates use DD/MM/YYYY; change the cell format if you prefer MM/DD/YYYY.
Who it is for
For two people getting married in 6 to 18 months who are organising it themselves, often with their families. For a wedding of 50 to 500 guests, over one or several events: engagement, mehndi, ceremony, reception. For couples celebrating one tradition, two, or none. All you need is to be able to type a number into a cell.
Who it is not for
Not for a professional planner running several weddings: one file is one wedding. Not for sending invitations, building a wedding website or using an app. Not for anyone expecting the legal steps, documents or deadlines of their country, a recommended budget split, or a lobola, marriage-gift or mahr amount.
Frequently asked questions
There are free templates. Why this one? If a free template is enough for you, keep it. This one combines a planner and a workbook that share the same tasks, counts meals per dietary choice, tracks deposits and balances, and has a page for each of 12 traditions.
Our tradition is not on the list. Every module has 2 blank lines, and the Our traditions page leaves room for your own.
Does it tell us which formalities to complete? No. It reminds you to check with your registry office, city hall or the relevant local authority, and leaves blank fields to note what they tell you.
Does it suggest a lobola, marriage-gift or mahr amount? No. A field for what the families have agreed is all there is: that choice is yours.
I can’t write formulas. You won’t write any: just type in the yellow cells. The Start here sheet explains everything in 6 steps.
Google Sheets? Mac? The workbook was tested in LibreOffice, which is free. It is compatible with Excel 2016+ on Windows and Mac, and with Google Sheets (File > Import; cell protection may disappear, so rely on the colours). Numbers has not been tested.
Which tablet app? Any PDF annotation app that follows internal links.
Do we have to print everything? No: only the pages you need, on A4 or US Letter, in black and white if you like. Some pages are designed to be printed several times.
Our wedding is less than 12 months away. Start with the earliest tasks still to do; overdue tasks show in red.
What about drinks? The Drinks column is set to No alcohol. A With alcohol choice can be added in Settings if you would like to offer it.
Will it make our wedding cheaper? Nothing is promised. The workbook shows what is planned, committed and paid; the decisions stay yours.
Does our data go anywhere? No: no macros, no external links. The file stays with you, or in your Google account if you import it.
We don’t follow any particular tradition. Is it for us? Yes: 28 of the 40 pages work for any wedding (essentials, timeline, budget, guests, suppliers, the day itself, afterwards). The 12 modules are optional.
What about 300 guests? The workbook has 400 rows (one per household) and up to 60 tables. In the planner, the guest list pages can be printed as many times as you need.
Our currency isn’t pounds sterling. Type yours in Settings (USD, INR, NGN, EUR…): all amounts are shown in that currency. Nothing is converted.
Is it available in other languages? Yes: French, Spanish, German, Dutch, Brazilian Portuguese, Italian, Turkish, Russian, Arabic and Chinese. Each purchase includes one language.
Can we share it? The licence is personal: the file is for your own wedding. You can print it as often as you need and share it with family helping you plan, but you may not resell or distribute it.
Important
This organiser is a planning tool. It gives no legal, religious, financial or medical advice. For the formalities and documents for your wedding, check with your registry office, city hall or the relevant local authority and, for a religious ceremony, with your place of worship. Amounts and calculations depend on what you enter: check them before you pay.