BY THE WEDLEY TEAM · PRACTICAL PLANNING GUIDANCE · UPDATED
The short answer
Keep one record for each supplier’s agreed total and separate records for each payment. A deposit reduces the balance you owe; it does not increase the total cost of the booking. Use the dates in your actual agreement, not a generic wedding countdown.
Start with three different numbers
An estimate is your working allowance before you agree a price. Confirmed cost is the whole agreed amount. Paid so far is the sum of payments you have actually made and recorded. Keeping those labels separate prevents an impressive-looking budget from hiding an unpaid balance.
Imagine a venue costs £4,800. You pay a £1,000 deposit and later a £1,800 instalment. The confirmed cost stays £4,800, paid so far becomes £2,800 and the balance is £2,000. These are fictional figures, not average wedding costs.
| Stage | Confirmed cost | Paid so far | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agreement signed | £4,800 | £0 | £4,800 |
| Deposit paid | £4,800 | £1,000 | £3,800 |
| Instalment paid | £4,800 | £2,800 | £2,000 |
Give every payment a useful record
Put each instalment on its own line. That makes a monthly view possible without pretending that a future payment has already left your account. Keep supporting confirmations somewhere you and your partner can find them.
- Supplier and the booking the payment belongs to.
- Agreed total, including confirmed extras and applicable taxes.
- Payment amount and exact due date from the agreement.
- Status: scheduled, paid, cancelled or refunded.
- Actual paid date and a reference to the receipt or confirmation.
Reconcile before changing the total
A scope change and a payment are different events. If you agree an extra £300 of venue services, update the agreed cost only when that change is confirmed. If you simply pay another instalment, update the payment record instead.
For a refund, record what was returned and review the revised agreement; do not quietly delete the original payment. A disputed deposit needs your contract and, where appropriate, qualified advice. A tracker documents the position—it does not decide what a supplier legally owes.
Make it a ten-minute shared routine
After a booking or payment, check the supplier total, add the dated payment and review what is due next. Assign someone to verify changes against the actual confirmation. A short routine is more useful than an elaborate sheet neither of you trusts.
The free starter kit below has a blank payment worksheet. Wedley’s Money tools connect supplier records, confirmed costs and payments in the journal. Recording a payment in Wedley does not transfer money or connect to your bank.
Do scheduled payments count as paid?
No. A due date is a plan, not proof of payment. Mark a payment paid only after you have made it, and use the actual payment date. If the wedding date changes, recheck contractual deadlines rather than moving them automatically.