Final wedding payments: deposits, balances and a tracker

Most wedding vendors take a deposit when you book, then one or more instalments, with the balance due shortly before the wedding or on the day. The dates are in each contract, and they're easy to lose across a dozen vendors. Keep one payment tracker with every vendor's total, what you've paid, the balance and when it's due, and get the last payments and the tip envelopes ready a week before. Here's how.

1. Wedding vendor deposits: what you pay to book

A deposit, often called a retainer, holds your date. Until it's paid, the vendor can book someone else. It's usually a share of the total or a fixed amount, and it's often non-refundable, because the vendor turns other couples away for your date.

Before you pay one, read the contract for:

• How much it is, and whether it counts towards the total.
• Whether it's refundable, and when that changes.
• What happens if you cancel or move the date, and if they do.
• A separate damage or security deposit, common at venues and rental companies, which you get back after the wedding.

Pay deposits by card or a traceable transfer, never in cash, and keep the receipt with the contract.

2. The payment schedule: instalments and balance due

After the deposit, each contract sets the rest. The usual shapes are:

• Deposit, then the balance a few weeks before the wedding.
• Deposit, instalments, monthly or at set points such as six and three months out, then the balance.
• Deposit, then the balance on the day, more common with smaller vendors.

Write every date down as soon as you sign, not when the first reminder arrives. Some vendors send an invoice; many don't, and expect you to pay by the date in the contract.

3. When are final wedding payments due?

Your contract decides, so read each one. Some patterns are common:

• Venues and caterers often tie the last payment to your final guest count, which they need a few weeks before. You pay for that number, even if a few guests drop out after.
• Rentals, flowers and the cake are often paid in full a few weeks before, because they're ordered for your date.
• Photographers, videographers, DJs and bands often want the balance before the day, so nobody hands over money mid-reception. Some take it on the day.
• Hair and makeup and transportation are often paid on the day.
• Damage deposits come back after the wedding, once the venue or rental company has checked everything.

Ask each vendor how they want the balance: card, bank transfer, e-Transfer, cheque or cash. A few charge a fee for cards.

4. A wedding vendor payment tracker

One table for every vendor keeps it straight. Use these columns:

| Column | What goes in it | |---|---| | Vendor | The business and your contact | | Category | Venue, catering, photography and the rest | | Contract total | The full price with tax and service charges | | Paid so far | Every payment added up | | Balance due | Contract total less paid so far | | Next payment | The amount and the date it's due | | How to pay | Card, transfer, cheque or cash | | Tip | The amount, if you're tipping, and who hands it over | | Notes | Receipts, deposit refunds, anything agreed by email |

Add a row for each payment as you make it, with the date and how you paid. That's your record if a vendor's books disagree with yours. Compare the column totals with your budget each month: the budget guide shows how to track what you've agreed against what you've paid, and our cost per guest guide explains why the caterer's and venue's final payments move with your headcount.

5. The final month: pay what you can early

The last weeks fill up fast. Pay every balance you're allowed to before the wedding, so the day itself only has tips and the few vendors who insist on the day:

1. Four weeks out: check each contract's balance and due date against your tracker.
2. When you send the final headcount: expect the updated invoice from the venue and caterer, and check it against the guest count you gave.
3. Two weeks out: pay the balances that are due, and get the cash for the day's payments and tips.
4. The week before: fill the envelopes for anyone paid on the day, and write the list.

6. Envelopes for the day

For every vendor you'll pay or tip on the day, prepare one envelope:

• The vendor's name and who it's for on the front.
• The balance, the tip or both, in cash or a cheque, with a note of the amount on the list.
• A short thank-you note.

Keep a few spare $20s for someone you forgot. Our tipping guide has the usual tip for each vendor and when to give it.

7. Who hands out the final payments and tips

Not you. On the day, give the envelopes and the list to one person you trust: the best man, the maid of honor, a parent or your planner. The list says who gets which envelope and when. Our wedding party duties guide covers who usually takes this on.

8. After the wedding

In the week after:

• Check off every payment in the tracker, so nothing is paid twice.
• Chase the damage deposits you're due back.
• Pay any overtime a vendor added on the day, if the contract allows it.
• Send thank-you notes and reviews. For owners who weren't tipped, a review is the best thank-you there is.

If you're still choosing vendors, the vendor comparison guide shows how to compare deposits and payment dates before you sign.

Track payments in Linenfold

In Linenfold, the budget holds each category's target and the price of every vendor you confirm, on every plan. With Complete you also get:

• Payments: every deposit and instalment in one log, with a reminder on the calendar before anything is late.
• Final payments and tips: what's left to pay each confirmed vendor, a tip plan with who's handing it over, and an envelope sheet to print.

On the free plan, final payments still lists each confirmed vendor's balance, and you can mark it paid. The Wedding Day Binder prints your payments with the rest of the day for whoever is running it. The features page has more.

Start with the free budget calculator, and when you're ready to track every payment, create a free account.