The wedding planning documents every couple needs
Behind every calm wedding day is a small set of well-kept documents. These are the nine we build for every couple we plan for, and why each one matters.
A wedding involves dozens of suppliers, hundreds of decisions and, for a destination wedding, guests travelling from several countries. Keeping it all in your inbox does not work for long. What works is a handful of documents, each with one clear job, that you and your suppliers can rely on.
These are the nine we use for our own couples.
1. Budget tracker
Every cost in one place, from estimate to quote to paid, with a contingency line and alerts when you go over. For a destination wedding, track each quote in the currency the vendor invoices in.
2. Wedding itinerary
Your whole wedding week, day by day: every event with its time, place and dress code. Keep a private planner version with booking notes, and a clean guest version to share.
3. Running order
The minute-by-minute schedule your whole team works from. It shows what guests see on one side and what happens behind the scenes on the other, so everyone knows where to be.
4. Photography schedule
A brief your photographer will thank you for: key moments, family groupings with names, must-have shots and timings built around golden hour.
5. Travel planner
Flights, transfers and accommodation for you and your guests, with passport and visa expiry checked against your travel dates.
6. Vendor directory
Every supplier's contact details, on-site times and booking status, with contracts and insurance tracked. On the day it doubles as your call sheet.
7. Guest list, seating and dietary
Your guest list, RSVPs, seating plan and dietary needs, all connected, so your caterer's list updates as guests are seated.
8. Styling and floral moodboards
Palettes, the feeling behind each, and the flowers, props and table styling that bring them to life, checked against the season at your destination.
9. Tablescape and event design
Your inspiration in one place, section by section: ceremony, florals, fashion, cake and reception, with must-haves and please-avoids for your designer.
Start with three, or keep all nine
If you are planning most of it yourself, start with the budget tracker, the running order and the guest list. For the design side, the moodboards and tablescape design plus one more are a good start.
All nine are part of our Planning Suite: editable templates drawn from the documents we build for our full-service couples. Any three are €220 (A$360) and all nine are €680 (A$990). If you later book Remote or White-Glove Concierge within six months, your purchase is credited in full.