Weddings · 4 min read
How do you choose and keep track of your wedding vendors?
Picking wedding vendors is not just about who you like. You are comparing quotes that never quite match, then tracking deposits, due dates and signed contracts across a dozen suppliers, often over many months. This post walks through how to shortlist, compare quotes on equal terms, and set up the admin so a payment or a signature does not slip. We will point to where the Wedding Planner app holds it all in one place.
Start with a shortlist that fits your date and headcount
Before you contact anyone, write down what you actually need: your date, your rough guest count, and a budget for that category. Venue and catering are usually the biggest costs and both scale with the headcount, so settle those numbers early.
Then shortlist two or three options per category rather than chasing every name you find. A shorter list is quicker to compare and easier to follow up on.
Compare quotes on what is included, not just the total
Two quotes at the same price can include very different things. Before you compare totals, break each one down: what hours are covered, how many staff, what counts as extra, what travel or setup fees apply. Ask every supplier of the same type the same questions so their answers line up.
The app has preloaded questions for venues, photographers, caterers, florists and music. You tick each one as it is answered and add notes against it, which keeps your comparison on equal terms.
Track each vendor so nothing slips
Once you start booking, the admin is what trips people up. For every supplier, record the status, the agreed quote, the deposit, the final-payment due date, and whether the contract is signed. Keeping those five things in one row per vendor means you can see at a glance who is confirmed and who is still open.
In the app, the Vendors section holds exactly these fields per supplier and lets you compare quotes side by side.
Line up deposits and final payments
Deposits and final payments rarely fall on tidy dates. A deposit might be due on booking, with the balance a week or two before the day. Put every one of them on a single timeline so nothing arrives as a surprise.
The Budget & Payments section has a payment timeline for deposits and finals, and it flags when your actual spend runs over the estimate you set for a category.
The app that helps
Wedding Planner
Everything you need to plan your wedding, in one place.
- A Vendors section that holds status, quote, deposit, final-payment due date and contract-signed for each supplier, and compares quotes side by side.
- A payment timeline in Budget & Payments that lays out deposits and final payments so you can see what is due and when.
- Preloaded questions for venues, photographers, caterers, florists and music, so quotes are compared on the same terms.
Common questions
What should I record for each vendor?
At a minimum: the status, the agreed quote, the deposit, the final-payment due date, and whether the contract is signed. The Vendors section keeps these together for each supplier so you can check them at a glance.
How do I compare two quotes that include different things?
List line by line what each one includes and excludes, such as hours, staff, travel and setup, then compare like for like rather than by the headline total. Asking every supplier the same set of questions makes their quotes line up.
A quick note
This is based on our own wedding and what worked for us, shared as general information rather than professional advice. Costs and customs vary a lot by location and vendor, so treat any numbers as a starting point and get your own quotes.