Wedding & Event Budget Planner (Excel)
Set a total budget, list every expense under a category, and the workbook tells you where the money is going: estimated against actual cost, how much advance you have paid each vendor, the balance still due and the next payment date. A summary by category shows the share of the budget each part takes, the cost per guest and whether you are over or under, with a chart you can show the family.
Free · no sign-up · opens in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice and WPS Office. Files contain no macros.
Preview
Real view of the file with its sample data (yellow cells are where you type).
| Category | Item / details | Vendor | Estimated (₹) | Actual (₹) | Advance paid (₹) | Expected cost (₹) | Balance due (₹) | Next due date | Status |
| Venue & hall | Banquet lawn, 2 days (sangeet + wedding) | Green Meadows Resort | 4,50,000 | 4,80,000 | 1,50,000 | 4,80,000 | 3,30,000 | 22-11-2026 | Booked |
| Catering & food | Wedding dinner, 350 plates at 1,100 | Shree Caterers | 3,85,000 | 50,000 | 3,85,000 | 3,35,000 | 12-12-2026 | Booked | |
| Catering & food | Sangeet snacks and dinner, 200 plates | Shree Caterers | 1,60,000 | 1,60,000 | 1,60,000 | Estimate | |||
| Decoration & flowers | Mandap, stage, entrance and lights | Bloom Decorators | 2,20,000 | 2,40,000 | 60,000 | 2,40,000 | 1,80,000 | 07-11-2026 | Due soon |
| Photography & video | Photos, video, highlights film, album | Pixel Stories | 1,80,000 | 1,75,000 | 50,000 | 1,75,000 | 1,25,000 | 30-10-2026 | Overdue |
| Attire & jewellery (bride) | Wedding lehenga and reception saree | 2,50,000 | 2,35,000 | 2,35,000 | 2,35,000 | 0 | Paid | ||
| Attire (groom) | Sherwani, safa and reception suit | 90,000 | 90,000 | 90,000 | Estimate | ||||
| Makeup, hair & mehndi | Bridal makeup (3 looks) + mehndi artist | Glam by Neha | 75,000 | 72,000 | 20,000 | 72,000 | 52,000 | Booked |
What's inside
- Settings: event name, date, total budget, expected guests, currency, number style (Indian 12,34,567 or international 1,234,567) and date style
- Budget sheet with 200 lines: category, item, vendor, estimated cost, actual cost, advance paid, balance due, next due date and status
- 16 ready categories from venue and catering to attire, jewellery, mehndi and makeup, photography, music, decoration, invitations, gifts, travel, stay and rituals; rename them to suit your event
- Summary sheet: estimated, actual, paid and balance per category, share of budget, over/under and a bar chart
- Budget left, cost per guest and a red warning when the expected cost goes over the total budget
- Sample lines for a mid-size wedding so you can see how it works
How to use it
- Open the Settings sheet and type the event name, date, total budget and number of guests. Pick your currency, number style and date style.
- Go to the Budget sheet and delete the sample lines (select the yellow cells and press Delete).
- Add one line for every expense: pick a category, describe the item, write the vendor and type the estimated cost from the quote.
- When you book, type the final (actual) cost. When you pay an advance, add it to the Advance paid cell, for example =50000+25000 for two payments.
- Type the date of the next payment so the Status column can warn you when it is close or past.
- Open the Summary sheet to see each category against the budget and the money still to pay.
Tips
- Keep 10 percent of the budget aside on a "Contingency" line: last-minute guests, extra transport and tips always come up.
- The expected cost of a line is the actual cost once you type it, otherwise the estimate. So the total is always your best guess of the final bill.
- Ask every vendor whether the quote includes tax (GST, VAT or sales tax) and service charges, and write the full amount.
- Write the vendor's name exactly as in the Vendor Tracker workbook if you use both; then the two files tell the same story.
Questions and answers
Can I use it for events other than weddings?
Yes. Rename the categories on the Settings sheet: for a conference you might use Venue, Catering, AV and stage, Speakers, Printing, Travel, Stay, Giveaways and Contingency. Everything else works the same.
How is the balance due worked out?
Balance due = expected cost minus advance paid, where the expected cost is the actual cost if you have typed it, or the estimate if you have not.
Can I use dollars, euros or dirhams?
Yes. Pick the currency on the Settings sheet; it shows in every heading and total. Choose the international number style for 1,234,567 or the Indian style for 12,34,567.
Does it split costs between the two families?
Add "Bride side", "Groom side" or "Shared" in the Notes column and use Data › Filter to see each family's lines; the filter status bar shows the totals.