Wedding Budget: Your Questions Answered
Clear, direct answers to the questions people ask most about the Wedding Budget — setup, categories, taxes, and automation — all in one place.
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Getting started
How do I set up the wedding budget template?
Copy the Google Sheet to your Drive, enter your total wedding budget and estimated guest count at the top, then set an estimated amount for each vendor category. As you book vendors, fill in the actual price and deposit. Setup takes about 15 minutes.
What should my total wedding budget be?
Set the number you can comfortably fund from savings, family contributions, and any monthly saving between now and the wedding — not a number you hope to hit. Enter that total at the top of the template and let every category estimate add up against it, so you see overspend before you commit.
How many vendor categories should I track?
Most weddings fit into 10–15 categories — venue, catering, photography, videography, attire, flowers, music/DJ, cake, rentals, stationery, hair and makeup, transport, and a contingency line. Start with those and add anything specific to your day.
Can I use it on my phone?
Yes. The Google Sheets mobile app opens the full template, so you can check what's left or log a deposit in about 30 seconds while you're at a venue tour or vendor meeting.
Estimating and tracking
How does estimated vs. actual vs. paid tracking work?
Each vendor row has three numbers — your estimate, the actual quoted price once you book, and the amount paid so far (deposit plus any balance). The template shows the gap between estimated and actual so you can rebalance, and the gap between actual and paid so you know exactly what's still owed.
How do I track deposits and final payments?
Log the deposit in the paid column when you book a vendor, then add the balance when you pay it off. The template subtracts paid from actual to show the outstanding amount per vendor, and a due-date column flags which final payments are coming up.
How does guest count affect the budget?
Catering, rentals, stationery, and favors scale with headcount. The template has a guest-count field and a per-head view for those categories, so when your list grows or shrinks you can see the dollar impact immediately instead of finding out at final billing.
Should I include a contingency line?
Yes. Set aside a contingency category for the costs that always appear late — overtime, vendor tips, alterations, and last-minute additions. Funding it from the start keeps a surprise from blowing the total budget.
Customizing it
Can I change the vendor categories?
Completely. Once the template is in your Drive it's yours — rename categories, add ones specific to your wedding, or delete what doesn't apply. The summary and totals update automatically.
Can I track contributions from family?
Yes. Add a contributions section at the top to list amounts from each side of the family alongside your own savings. The template totals all funding sources so your overall budget reflects everyone chipping in.
Can I plan in a currency other than USD?
The template is built in USD. You can change the currency formatting in Google Sheets, but the figures and any examples assume US dollars — adjust amounts to your own situation.
Automating with Avery
How does Avery keep the wedding budget updated?
For wedding spending paid from a connected account, Avery imports each transaction through a read-only bank link and uses AI to sort it into your vendor categories — so the paid column stays current without manual entry. You just review and confirm.
Is my financial data safe with Avery?
The template lives in your own Google Drive — you own it, not a third-party app. Avery's bank connections are read-only and bank-grade encrypted and can never move money. Two-factor authentication on your Google account adds another layer.
How much does Avery cost?
The template is free forever. Avery's automatic bank sync and AI categorization are a paid subscription with a free trial, so you can try the automated version before paying.
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