Make a Wedding Budget Spreadsheet

with Rachel Edelman

Transcript: Make a Wedding Budget Spreadsheet

Hi, I am Rachel Edelman for About.com. One way to simplify your wedding planning is to keep a wedding budget spreadsheet. In this computer dependent world, it's key to have all of your wedding information and spending records in one place.

Save a Budget Spreadsheet

I like use a spreadsheet program like excel for this kind of note keeping. So, first thing to do is save the document on your computer in a safe place. I will just title it Wedding Budget.

Compile a List of Wedding Vendors

Next, set up the first column. This should be a list of your vendors. The main vendors that you will likely be starting with are:

• caterer reception
• ceremony
• band
• photographer
• videographer
• florist
• bakery
• clergy
• dresses
• invitations

There will certainly be other things that come up and this list will become more detailed as you get closer to your wedding. The better you can record all of your purchases, the less likely there will be any surprises when you have those final payments to make in the final days before your wedding.

Fill in Wedding Vendor Information

Then name each of the columns based on the kinds of information you will need on each vendor. Start with contact information like:

• company name
• address
• phone number
• contact name
• website
• email

You may also want to put in a column to use for any additional Notes. In the notes, you could put a brief description of your agreement with the vendor, or you could keep records of your recent phone calls.

Organize the Wedding Budget Details

Now fill the rest of the columns with the budget related items. Write in what the total cost will be, what kind of deposit is required and when the deposits are due. Next what the remainder will be and when that is due. Vendors like caterers and florists often need additionally information closer to the wedding that might affect your budget, like guest count and table count. Keep track of this here too. Finally, mark down who is paying each vendor. If you have multiple people helping to pay for your wedding, this column will help you keep track of multiple budgets.

Add in Your Wedding Budget Totals

If you have an idea of what you would like to try to spend on each of the big ticket items, fill in the Total Cost column so you can get an idea of how to break down your budget. Test a few different numbers so you can see what things you might want to spend more on, and where you want to be more thrifty.

Calculate the Wedding Budget Totals

The last thing that you want to set up on the spreadsheet is a calculation of your totals. The most important total is for the total cost. You can also keep track of how much each Payee is contributing. You could name these rows:

• Total Bride's Family
• Total Groom's Family
• Total Personal

I am going to hide some of the other rows to make it easier to see who is paying. Click on the cell next to total cost. Use the sum function to highlight the numbers that are needed to create the total. Total will be all of the rows. If you want to find the cost for just one side of the family press control and click on just their costs. The great thing about these formulas is that as your costs change, the totals are automatically updated.

Remember to Update the Budget Spreadsheet

As you start choosing vendors for your wedding, fill in as much information as you can. Do not forget to save your changes. Setting up the spreadsheet is the first step - adding to it doesn't end until after your wedding.

Hopefully this helps you get started keeping your information organized during this wonderful and busy time. Thanks for watching. To learn more, visit us on the Web at style.about.com.

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