Planning A Wedding? Excel Can Help!

Planning a wedding is a huge task, and it's easy to become overwhelmed. Luckily, there are plenty of free Excel templates to help you stay organised and on top of the details. From managing your guest list and tracking RSVPs to budgeting and keeping on top of deposits, Excel wedding planner templates can help you plan the event of a lifetime.

Budgeting and expense tracking

Setting up your budget:

• Begin by setting up a basic spreadsheet with categories and estimated expenses. Categories might include venue, catering, attire, flowers, cake, photography, music/entertainment, stationery, and decorations.
• Include a “Budget %" column to indicate the percentage of your total budget you anticipate allocating to each category. This will help you visualize where most of your money is going.
• Use Excel's functions to calculate the total estimated expenses and ensure they don't exceed your overall budget.
• Leave some wiggle room in your budget for unexpected expenses or hidden fees, such as gratuity, taxes, and travel costs.

Tracking expenses:

• As you start booking vendors and making payments, update your spreadsheet with the actual costs.
• Use Excel's formulas to keep a running total of your expenses, so you always know how much of your budget has been spent.
• Consider adding a “Notes" column to keep track of vendor contact information, website links, and other important details. You can hide or unhide this column as needed.
• If you're managing multiple deposits and due dates, be sure to include these in your spreadsheet to stay organized and ensure timely payments.
• Compare your budget against the average cost of a wedding to identify areas where you might be overspending or have room to allocate more funds.

Tips for staying on budget:

• Start planning early. The more time you have, the better your chances of finding vendors that fit your budget and negotiating prices.
• Work with your preferred vendors whenever possible, and don't be afraid to negotiate.
• Get creative with decorations and food choices. DIY projects and simple, elegant dishes can help reduce costs without sacrificing style.
• Keep your guest list as concise as possible. This will reduce food, drink, and rental costs.
• Consider a wedding date that's not a Saturday. Fridays and Sundays are often cheaper, and off-season dates can also save you money.
• Opt for a wine and beer-only bar instead of a full liquor selection to reduce costs without compromising your guests' enjoyment.

Guest list management

Setting Up the Excel Sheet:

Start by creating columns for essential guest information. This includes the guest's name, street address, city, state, and zip code. Having separate columns for each part of the address ensures a clean layout and facilitates address printing for invitations. Don't forget to format the zip code column cells as "zip code" or "text" to prevent Excel from dropping the leading zero.

Tracking Invitations and RSVPs:

Create columns to track the number of guests invited and the number of guests attending. This is especially useful if you have limits on the number of guests per party. Additionally, include a separate column for the number of children attending if your wedding is kid-friendly. This information will be valuable when planning seating arrangements and meal options.

Managing Guest Details:

Use Excel to record dietary restrictions and meal preferences for each guest. This ensures that you can accommodate their needs and quickly pass this information to your caterer. You can also use Excel to keep track of gifts received, making it easier to send personalized thank-you notes later.

Creating Separate Sheets for Events:

If you have multiple wedding events, such as a rehearsal dinner or bridal shower, create separate sheets within your Excel workbook. This allows you to track attendance, gifts, and other details for each event. It also helps the hosts of these events, as they may need a guest list with contact information for invitations or other communications.

Sharing and Accessibility:

Convert your Excel sheet into a Google Sheet to easily share guest list details with your wedding planner, catering staff, or anyone else involved in the planning process. Google Sheets allow for real-time collaboration and accessibility from any device, ensuring that everyone is up to date.

Utilizing Templates:

Take advantage of the various free wedding guest list templates available online, specifically designed for Excel or Google Sheets. These templates provide a pre-formatted structure, including relevant columns and formulas, saving you time and effort in setting up your guest list management system.

Vendor contact lists

A wedding is a massive event and planning it requires project management skills. A vendor contact list is a crucial part of your wedding planning toolkit. It ensures that you have all the information you need about your vendors in one place, so that you can easily contact them and keep track of the details you've agreed upon.

A Practical Wedding has created a free vendor contact list template for you to fill out and pass on to a friend, family member, or wedding planner so that you don't have to be in charge of details like phone numbers on your wedding day. To access the template, you need to sign in to your Google account and make a copy of the spreadsheet to your own account.

The Knot also offers a free wedding planning Excel template that includes a vendor contact list. This template also includes a wedding budget planner, wedding planning timeline and checklist, guest list manager, wedding day schedule, and photography shot list.

If you're using Microsoft Excel, you can download a free wedding planning organiser from After the Wedding, which includes a wedding supplier organiser sheet to keep track of all your suppliers and potential suppliers.

Photography shot lists

A wedding photography shot list is a great way to ensure you and your photographer are aligned on what photos you want to be taken on your big day. It is important to meet with your photographer before the wedding to discuss your expectations and go through the shot list together.

Pre-Ceremony

• Bride and bridal party getting hair and makeup done
• Details and accessories
• Close-up of the wedding dress
• Hanging wedding dress
• Bride putting on her dress (helped by maid of honour/mother of the bride)
• Bride putting on shoes and jewellery
• Bridesmaids reacting to the bride in her dress
• Father of the bride's first look/reaction
• Bridesmaids together
• Bride and bridesmaids together
• Bridal party leaving the house
• Bride in the wedding car
• Groom and groomsmen getting ready
• Mother of the groom attaching the boutonniere
• Groom and groomsmen together
• First look (optional)

Ceremony

• Interior of the venue before guests arrive
• Arbour and furniture
• Groom and groomsmen arriving
• Groom and groomsmen waiting at the altar
• Bride and bridal party arriving in the wedding car
• Bride stepping out of the car
• Bridal party entrance
• Bride walking down the aisle
• Couple standing at the altar
• Other ceremony participants
• Flower girls/page boys
• Signing of the register
• Recessional/walking back down the aisle
• Confetti/rice throwing

Post-Ceremony

• Candid photos of newlyweds with guests
• Greeting/embracing guests after the ceremony
• Guests mixing and mingling
• Bride with immediate family
• Groom with immediate family
• Newlyweds with the bride's family
• Newlyweds with the groom's family
• Newlyweds with both sets of parents
• Other significant groups of family/friends
• Group photo of all guests
• Portraits of the bride and groom individually and together
• Bride with bridesmaids
• Groom with groomsmen
• Bride with groomsmen
• Groom with bridesmaids
• Wedding party together

Reception

• Venue interior without guests
• Bridal party entrance
• Signature drinks/cocktails
• Newlyweds sitting at the bridal table
• Newlyweds mingling with guests
• Guests mingling with each other
• Father-daughter dance
• Musician/entertainment performing
• Newlyweds dancing with guests
• Newlyweds leaving the reception

Other Ideas

• The dress before the bride wears it
• The veil
• The bride's and bridesmaids' bouquets
• The rings
• Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue
• The wedding invitations, programs, menus, signs, gifts, etc.
• The getaway car (if decorated)
• Venue shots before guests arrive
• Flowers
• Parents and grandparents entering
• Groom walking down the aisle
• Close-up of the bride just before she makes her entrance
• Exchanging of vows and rings
• The first kiss
• Signing the marriage certificate/wedding license
• The married couple outdoors after leaving the ceremony
• Close-up of the newlyweds immediately after the ceremony
• Bride and groom hugging family and friends
• Bride showing off her wedding ring to her bridesmaids
• Bride and groom leaving the ceremony site
• Decor shots (including table settings, place cards, menu cards, centrepieces, etc.)
• Wedding cake (before it's cut)
• Wedding favours
• Champagne glasses
• Hors d'oeuvres and specialty drinks
• Guests arriving and signing the guest book
• Grand entrance
• Toasts and speeches
• Cake cutting
• The first dance
• The bridal party dance
• The mother-son dance
• Guests dancing
• Musicians, singers, or DJ
• Bride and groom sipping champagne
• Retrieving and tossing the garter
• The bouquet toss
• Kids playing or dancing
• Bride and groom feeding each other cake
• Main course
• Dessert table
• Newlyweds' vehicle
• Grand exit

Wedding day schedules

A wedding day schedule is an important part of planning your wedding. It ensures that your wedding party, vendors, and family are all informed and that the festivities stay on track. Here is a suggested breakdown of your wedding day schedule, with a focus on the day-of timeline and tasks.

Morning of the Wedding

The morning of the wedding is a busy time, with final preparations and getting ready. Here is a suggested schedule:

• 8:00 am: Breakfast and bridal party preparations begin. The bride and bridesmaids can enjoy a leisurely morning, having hair and makeup done, and getting into their dresses.
• 9:00 am: Groom and groomsmen start their preparations, including getting dressed and any last-minute tasks.
• 10:00 am: Both parties should be ready and have something to eat. It's a long day, so keeping energy levels up is important.

Ceremony Set-Up

While the wedding party is getting ready, the venue should be prepared for the ceremony:

10:30 am: Final venue checks and set-up. Ensure the music is ready to go, all decorations are in place, and the aisle is prepared for the bridal party's entrance.

Guest Arrival and Ceremony Start

• 11:00 am: Guests start to arrive and are seated.
• 11:30 am: The ceremony begins.

Post-Ceremony

After the ceremony, there is usually a cocktail hour or a similar celebration:

• 12:30 pm: Guests are invited to enjoy drinks and canapes. This is a good time for the bridal party to take a moment to themselves before the reception.
• 1:30 pm: Guests start to be seated for the reception.

Reception

The reception is the main event, with food, drinks, and entertainment:

• 2:00 pm: The reception begins with the bridal party's grand entrance. This is followed by the first dance and the cutting of the cake.
• 3:00 pm: Dinner is served.
• 4:30 pm: Toasts and speeches begin.
• 5:30 pm: Dancing and music continue, with a break for the bouquet toss.
• 7:00 pm: Evening guests arrive (if applicable).
• 8:00 pm: Sunset photos of the happy couple.

Evening Celebrations

The evening celebrations continue with more food, drinks, and fun:

• 9:00 pm: Late-night snacks are served to keep energy levels up.
• 10:00 pm: The party is in full swing, with music and dancing.
• 11:30 pm: Last call for drinks.
• 12:00 am: The celebrations draw to a close, and guests start to depart.

Post-Reception Tasks

After the reception, there are a few final tasks to wrap up the wedding day:

• 12:30 am: The wedding party says their goodbyes, and the venue is cleaned and packed up. Any rentals should be returned, and all gifts and personal items should be loaded into vehicles.
• 1:30 am: Everyone heads home or to their accommodation.

This schedule provides a general overview of the wedding day timeline. It is important to note that timings may vary depending on personal preferences and cultural traditions.

To make this schedule more comprehensive, you can add details such as the specific tasks for each member of the bridal party, vendor information, and any unique elements you plan to include in your wedding.

Using Excel or Google Sheets, you can easily create a wedding day schedule that suits your needs and keeps everyone informed.

Frequently asked questions