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How to budget a wedding with a spreadsheet

A plain-English method for setting a wedding budget, tracking vendor payments and keeping the guest list in sync.

Short answer

Start with the total you can spend, split it into categories, subtract a buffer (many couples hold back 5 to 10 percent), then track every quote as committed and every payment as paid. Your guest count is the biggest lever, so keep it in the same file.

Step by step

1. Agree on a total with everyone contributing.
2. List categories: venue, catering, attire, photo and video, flowers, music, stationery, rings, extras.
3. Assign a target to each and leave a buffer.
4. Log every vendor with deposit and due dates.
5. Update committed vs paid after each booking.
6. Re-check per-guest cost whenever the guest list changes.

Our template

Wedding Budget Spreadsheet ($9.99): one .xlsx file for Excel or Google Sheets with a dashboard (total budget, committed, paid, remaining), a vendor and payment tracker and a guest list. Share it with your partner in Google Sheets.

Who it's for, and who it isn't

Good for couples planning themselves who want one shared file. If you've hired a full-service planner who already has their own system, you probably don't need it.

Pros and cons

Pros: one place for money and guests, editable categories, no subscription. Cons: no vendor marketplace or website builder like the big wedding apps; you enter data yourself.

Where to get it

Digital downloads, delivered instantly through Etsy. Nothing ships. Not affiliated with Microsoft or Google.

Written by Greenskeeper.studio about our own products. Updated October 2026.