Wedding Payment Schedule Calculator
Enter each vendor's deposit, balance, and tip, plus your wedding date, and get one dated payment calendar: what you owe, to whom, and when. Save it on your device and come back to tick payments off as they clear.
Balances due "weeks before" are counted back from this date.
That date is in the past. Balances and tips will show as overdue.
Quick add a vendor
Presets fill in a common deposit and balance timing as a starting point. Overwrite them with the exact terms from your contract.
Your payment timeline
of that is cash tips for the wedding day. Work out which bills to withdraw →
📋 Keep planning, and grab the free tipping cheat sheet
Your schedule is saved on this device. Get our one-page vendor tipping cheat sheet too, every vendor and tip range, printable and ready to check off on the day.
We'll send your cheat sheet plus occasional wedding-planning emails. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy Policy.
Check your inbox! Your cheat sheet is on the way.
Back to your schedule below, tick each payment off as it clears.
We couldn't send that just now, but you can still download the PDF.
Turn these numbers into your day-of system
The Wedding Money Kit takes your tips, payments, and hidden costs and turns them into printable envelopes, a payment tracker, and a true-total budget you can edit, save, and print.
See The Wedding Money Kit →Why a payment schedule, not just a budget
A budget tells you the total. It does not tell you that the venue deposit is due the week you book, the photographer wants the balance a month out, and the caterer needs the final payment right when they need the head count. Couples rarely get surprised by the total. They get surprised by the timing: three balances landing in the same fortnight, or a deposit they forgot was due.
This tool lays every payment on a single dated line. Deposits at booking, balances in the weeks before, and cash tips on the day, sorted so you can see exactly what leaves your account and when. Tick each one off as it clears and the "still to pay" figure keeps itself honest.
How wedding vendor payments usually work
Most vendors follow the same rhythm. A deposit, sometimes called a retainer, holds your date when you sign. It commonly runs 25 to 50 percent of the total, with venues and planners often at the higher end because they block out your date so far ahead. The balance is then due some weeks before the wedding, most often two to four weeks out, which for caterers usually coincides with the final guest count. Tips, where they apply, are separate and handed over in cash on the day.
The deposit percentages and balance timing the presets fill in are editorial defaults based on common wedding-contract structures. They are a convenience to save you typing, not sourced averages or fixed rules. Every vendor sets its own terms in the contract you sign, so the presets here are only a starting point. Always enter the deposit amount and due dates your own contract states.
Your contract is the source of truth. The figures this tool fills in are common starting points to save you typing. They are not legal or financial advice and they do not override anything your vendor put in writing. Read each contract and enter its actual amounts and dates.
How to use this calculator
- Set your wedding date at the top. Everything counts back from it.
- Quick add your vendors, or add blank rows and name them yourself. Coming from the tip calculator? Your vendors import automatically.
- For each one, enter the total cost, the deposit (a percentage or a dollar amount) and when it is due, and when the balance is due. Add a tip if that vendor gets one.
- Hit Build my payment schedule to see everything on one dated calendar with running totals.
- Tick off each payment as it clears. Your schedule stays saved on this device, so you can come back and adjust as quotes firm up.
Wedding planning and payment organizers
Simple tools to keep contracts, due dates, and tip cash straight as the payments roll in.
Wedding Planner Book
View on Amazon →Contract & Receipt File Organizer
View on Amazon →Cash Envelope Wallet Organizer
View on Amazon →As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Need the tip amounts first?
Use the main wedding tip calculator to get exact per-vendor tips, then come back here and import them straight into your payment schedule.
Open the Tip Calculator →Frequently Asked Questions
When are wedding vendor payments usually due?
Most vendors take a deposit to hold your date, then the balance a few weeks before the wedding. Deposits commonly run 25 to 50 percent of the total, and balances are typically due two to four weeks out. Tips are handed over in cash on the wedding day. These are norms, not rules. Your signed contract sets the real dates and amounts, so always enter what your contract says.
How much is a typical wedding vendor deposit?
It varies by vendor. Venues and planners often ask for a larger deposit (sometimes 50 percent) because they block out your date well in advance. Photographers, caterers, and florists more commonly take 25 to 35 percent up front. The tool seeds each preset with a common figure, but you should overwrite it with the exact number on your contract.
When is the final balance usually due?
Two to four weeks before the wedding is the most common window, which often lines up with when caterers need a final head count. Some vendors want the balance 30 days out, a few take it on the day. Enter each vendor’s actual due date and the timeline sorts everything for you.
Do I tip on the deposit or the full amount?
Neither directly. A wedding tip is a thank-you for service, not a percentage of a deposit. For vendors you tip by percentage, it is figured on the full service cost, and it is paid on the wedding day, separately from the balance. Use the tip calculator to get exact per-vendor amounts, then bring them into this schedule.
Does this tool store or send my payment information?
No. Everything runs in your browser. Your schedule is saved only on this device so you can come back and update it as quotes firm up, and nothing is sent to us or to anyone else. There is no account and no sign-up. Clearing the schedule removes it from your device.
How is this different from the tip calculator?
The tip calculator answers how much to tip each vendor on the day. This tool answers when every payment is due across the whole planning window: deposits at booking, balances before the wedding, and tips on the day, all on one dated calendar with running totals. You can import your vendors straight from the tip calculator so you do not retype them.
Last updated: July 2026