One wedding plan, from first shortlist to final payment.
A worked example, not a template. It follows one £25,000 wedding as supplier ideas become quotes, quotes become deposits, and payments move from planned to paid — with every figure attached to the supplier it belongs to.
Three states, never merged into one number.
A single “spent” column is why most trackers stop matching reality. Plannli keeps an intention, a commitment and a payment apart — every row below is counted once, in exactly one of these.
You intend to buy it. Nothing is owed and the figure can still change.
A quote has been accepted or an order placed. The money is owed but has not left.
Money has left, with an invoice or receipt attached as evidence.
The cheapest quote was not the cheapest option.
Three photographers, quoted within a few hundred pounds of each other. The quoted figure is the one a spreadsheet records, and it is the one that misleads — what changes the answer is what each quote leaves out.
| Detail | Marchetti Photo | Hale & FoxChosen | Brightside Studio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quoted | £1,980 | £2,250 | £2,140 |
| Coverage | 8 hours | 10 hours | 9 hours |
| Second photographer | Not included | Included | + £300 |
| Album | + £420 | Included | + £380 |
| Travel | + £140 | Included | + £95 |
| VAT | Not registered | Included | Included |
| Deposit | £600 | £450 | £500 |
| Final payment | 14 days before | 30 days before | 21 days before |
| True total | £2,540 | £2,250 | £2,915 |
Marchetti Photo quoted the lowest figure at £1,980, but the album and travel it excluded brought it to £2,540 — £290 more than Hale & Fox, for two hours less coverage and no second photographer. A spreadsheet holding three headline figures would have shown the opposite answer.
How the total is built.
The ring shows 66% — committed plus paid (£16,430), the money no longer available to re-allocate. Planned amounts sit outside it because you can still change your mind about them.
What is owed, and when it falls due.
Every committed amount is a payment with a date attached. Together they come to £13,800 — the same figure the committed column shows, because a commitment and a scheduled payment are the same thing seen from two directions.
Two decisions are still open.
A real plan always has something undecided. They sit inside the project rather than in an inbox, so the next question does not arrive as a surprise.
How this plan was put together.
The plan starts as one project — a wedding with a £25,000 budget. Every supplier, quote and payment below hangs off it, so there is never a second place to look.
Paste a link from a supplier, a boutique or a hire company and the item is saved with its name and price, keeping its source link — so you can return to the exact listing instead of searching your history for it again.
The three photographer quotes sat inside one decision rather than in three email threads. Comparing coverage, travel and album together is what stopped a £1,980 quote looking cheaper than a £2,250 one.
A deposit is money gone; the rest is money owed. The venue is carried as £2,000 paid and £6,400 still committed, so the total never counts the same £8,400 twice.
Why the total stays reliable.
Every item carries its own state. Planned, committed and paid are counted separately, so a shortlisted dress is never mistaken for a booked supplier.
A deposit and its balance stay linked but counted once. Paying £2,000 against an £8,400 venue moves £2,000 to paid and leaves £6,400 committed — it does not add £8,400 on top.
Quotes stay inside the decision they belong to, with what each one included. When a supplier revises a quote you can see what changed and what it does to the running total.
Reading the numbers, answered clearly.
Start with the project already in motion.
Bring the ideas, products and costs you already have into one plan. Free on iPhone, no account required.