Wedding Planner Suite, Budget, Timeline, RSVP Tracker (Excel Google Sheets)

We planned our own wedding with spreadsheets, and it worked better than we expected.

When my wife and I planned our wedding, we didn't hire a planner. We built our own system in spreadsheets: what we could actually afford by category, which vendors were paid and when, who RSVP'd and what they were eating, and a real timeline for the day itself. It kept us from the two things that stress every couple out; losing track of a payment deadline, and realizing two weeks out that nobody actually confirmed the seating count. It worked well enough that we kept using pieces of it for a year after the wedding was over.

This is that system, rebuilt as a complete kit for anyone planning their own wedding.

What's inside? 7 tabs:
- Budget: 13 categories with typical industry benchmark percentages (e.g., ~45% venue & catering) as a starting-point guide, planned vs. actual tracking, an over-budget warning, and a spending breakdown chart.
- Payment Schedule: 20 vendor slots, up to 3 deposits plus a gratuity/tip line per vendor, due dates, and an automatic 14-day advance flag on anything coming due that isn't marked paid.
- Guest List & RSVP: clean, dedicated data entry for up to 500 guests: RSVP status, meal choice, table assignment.
- RSVP Summary: a live dashboard pulling from your guest list: response counts, meal-choice breakdown, and headcount charts, always visible above your guest table (not buried in it).
- Vendor Comparison: compare up to 3 quotes across 8 common vendor categories side by side before you commit.
- Day-Of Timeline: a pre-filled, fully editable sample wedding-day schedule with start time, end time, and buffer minutes built in.
- Wedding Checklist: a full to-do list organized by timeframe (12+ months out through the week before), with a status column and a live progress chart.

Who it's for: engaged couples planning their own wedding without a planner, or with a planner but who want their own source of truth for budget and guest tracking.

What's inside the download:
- 1 Excel file (.xlsx), fully formula-driven, clearly marked yellow input cells
- 1 Google Sheets–compatible copy
- 1 one-page PDF Quick-Start guide
- Instant digital download

Compatibility: Microsoft Excel (desktop or Microsoft 365) and Google Sheets (free, any browser). No macros, no add-ons, no subscription.

## FAQ

Do I need Excel to use this?
No, it works in both Excel and free Google Sheets, with a Sheets-ready copy and upload instructions included in the Quick-Start guide.

Will the guest list charts stay visible while I scroll through 500 rows?
Yes, the RSVP/meal charts live on their own dedicated Summary tab above the guest list, not floating over the table, so nothing scrolls out of view no matter how many guests you add.

Are the budget percentages (like 45% for venue & catering) exact for my wedding?
They're general industry-typical starting points to help you sanity-check a first draft budget, not a rule; every "Planned" cell is fully editable so you can set your own numbers once you have real quotes.

Is this a fillable template, or do I need to build formulas myself?
Fillable. You only touch the yellow input cells; every subtotal, flag, and chart runs automatically.

Can I use this for an engagement gift?
Yes, it's a popular gift for a newly engaged couple. (Digital delivery, so plan to send the download link or a printed gift card noting it's on the way, if it's a surprise.)

Do you offer refunds?
This is an instant digital download, so per Etsy's digital item policy I'm not able to offer refunds once it's delivered. If something isn't working as described, message me first and I'll fix it.

Will I get future updates?
Yes, meaningful updates go out free to past buyers. Message me and I'll send the new version.

A note on how this was made: the spreadsheet's structure, formulas, and layout were built by me using Claude, an AI assistant, as a drafting and testing tool under my direction; every formula was independently tested and verified for accuracy before this listing went live. The wedding-planning system and the experience behind it are ours. Disclosed per Etsy's AI-use policy.