Your whole wedding plan, in two tidy spreadsheets

Most couples end up with one file for the budget, another for the guest list, and notes on their phone for everything else. This puts them together.

Type your date, total budget and currency once. The Budget tab already lists about 60 common wedding costs in 16 categories, so you are not starting from a blank page. Add estimates, then actual prices when you book. Log each deposit and instalment on the Payments tab, and the Budget tab shows what is paid, what is still owed and which final payments are overdue.

The Guest List has room for 300 guests, with drop-downs for side, group, RSVP, meal choice and age group. The RSVP Summary counts who is coming, your reply rate, meal choices for the caterer, and totals by side and group. Seating shows how full each table is and flags any table that is over. The Dashboard shows days to go, committed and paid totals, what is left, and a planned vs committed chart by category.

It works in Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets, with plain formulas and no macros or add-ons. A printable guide explains every tab and includes budget, payment, guest list and RSVP tally pages for planning on paper.

A checklist is only useful if you know what is due this month. Enter your wedding date and every task gets a real due date, from twelve months out to the thank-you cards. Mark tasks as you go and the Dashboard shows what is overdue, what is due in the next 30 days and the next ten tasks in order.

The Day-of Timeline takes your ceremony start time and the length of each part of the day, then works out every start and end time. Everything before the ceremony is worked back from it, and everything after rolls forward. Change one duration and the rest of the day moves with it.

The Vendors tab keeps each vendor's contact details, status, quote, deposit, balance, due dates, contract and arrival time in one row. Overdue payments turn red. The Compare tab lets you weigh up to four photographers, venues or bands side by side, with weights for what matters to you.

Plain formulas, no macros. Works in Excel and Google Sheets. The PDF guide includes a printable checklist, a blank day-of timeline, a vendor contact sheet for the person running the day, and a comparison page with questions to ask.