Know what your wedding decor will cost before the first quote lands.
The Wedding Decor Budget Planner turns your guest count into a full decor list, with a rent-or-buy answer for every item and a side-by-side view of every rental quote. For Google Sheets and Excel.
Get the planner $27Instant download. 30-day refund (pending confirmation).
You have 120 guests. Do you know how many tablecloths that is?
Most couples don't, and that's the first number every rental company asks for.
Then the quotes arrive. One lists delivery separately. One adds a damage waiver. One has a minimum order you didn't know about. The first number on a quote is the items. The final number is the items plus everything around them.
Most wedding planners stop at a total budget line called "decor." This one starts there.
How it works
- Type in three things.
Guest count, budget, style.
- Get your decor list.
Tables, chairs, linens, napkins, chargers, place settings, glassware, centerpieces, candles, table numbers, signs, aisle markers. Spares included where you want them.
- Decide rent or buy, item by item.
The sheet puts every cost on both sides: shipping, storage and resale if you buy; delivery and damage waiver if you rent. It tells you which is cheaper and what you'd need to resell each item for to break even.
- Line up the quotes.
Up to four rental quotes side by side, with every fee line that tends to show up late, rolled into one all-in total per vendor.
What's inside
A spreadsheet that does the counting and the math, and a playbook that explains what the numbers mean.
The spreadsheet (8 tabs)
- Start HereYour basics and a snapshot: decor budget, quoted so far, paid, still owed, next payment due.
- QuantitiesGuest count in, decor quantities out. Includes a tablecloth size helper.
- Rent vs BuyNet cost to buy vs all-in cost to rent, per item, with the break-even resale price.
- Quote CompareFour quotes side by side, all fees included, plus a 10-question hidden-fee checklist per vendor.
- PaymentsEvery deposit and balance. Flags anything overdue or due within 14 days.
- Decor Budget12 decor categories: planned vs quoted vs paid. Names your biggest overrun.
- Load-In StrikeWho brings what, when, and what goes home with whom.
- Style NotesPalette, materials, must-haves, and area-by-area notes.
Every tab has a "skip this tab if..." note, so you only use what applies to your wedding.
The Wedding Decor Playbook (25-page PDF)
- How decor money gets spent, with sourced national and Los Angeles figures
- How to count tables, linens and glassware, with a worked 120-guest example
- Public LA rental price lists, side by side, with sources and dates
- The rent-or-buy math, worked through
- Five style guides (Modern, Garden, Boho, Glam, Classic): palette, the 12 items that make the look, what to rent, buy and skip
- The fee lines where decor budgets leak
- A decor timeline from 12 months out to the day after
- 20 questions to ask a rental company before you sign
- 5 copy-and-send email scripts
Rent or buy? Here's the math on one item.
126 chargers for a 120-guest wedding (with spares).
| Line | Buy | Rent |
|---|---|---|
| Items | 126 x $2.00 = $252.00 | 126 x $1.00 = $126.00 |
| Shipping and tax / damage waiver | $40.00 | $12.60 (10%) |
| Resale after the wedding | minus $94.50 ($0.75 each) | n/a |
| Total | $197.50 | $138.60 |
In this example, renting costs less. Buying only ties if you resell each charger for $1.22 or more. Your numbers will be different. That's the point: put in your real prices and see.
Example figures. The $1.00 rental price is in line with one LA rental company's published charger price; the buy-side numbers are illustrations.
Who it's for
Made for
- Couples planning their own decor, or most of it
- Anyone comparing rental companies and trying to read the quotes
- DIY couples deciding what to buy and what to rent
- Couples planning in Los Angeles (the playbook has LA prices and local notes), though the sheet works anywhere
Not for
- Couples with a full-service planner who handles decor and rentals
- Anyone looking for a full wedding planner (guest list, RSVPs, seating). This is decor only, on purpose.
Who made it. Built from the way rental companies actually write quotes, and checked against three test weddings (60, 120 and 200 guests) so the math holds up.
Questions
Does it work in Google Sheets?
Yes. Upload the file to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets. Share it with your partner from the Share button. It also works in Excel with nothing to enable. There are no macros.
Does it work on my phone?
You can view and edit it in the Google Sheets or Excel app. Setting it up is easier on a laptop the first time.
Are the prices in the sheet real?
No. The sheet ships with example numbers to show how each tab works. Type over them with your own quotes. The playbook includes public LA price lists, with sources and dates, as a reference point.
Will this save me money?
We can't promise that. What it does is show you every cost before you sign, so the choice is yours with the numbers in front of you.
I'm not in Los Angeles. Is it still useful?
Yes. The sheet works anywhere. The LA price table and LA notes in the playbook are a bonus for local couples.
What if I've already booked some vendors?
Enter what you've booked in Decor Budget and Payments, and use the rest for what's left.
Can I get a refund?
30-day refund (pending confirmation). The final refund terms and a support email will be listed here before launch.
The Wedding Decor Budget Planner
The 8-tab spreadsheet and the 25-page Wedding Decor Playbook. One payment.
$27one time
Get the planner $27Instant download. Google Sheets and Excel. 30-day refund (pending confirmation).
Refund policy. 30-day refund (pending confirmation). Final terms and the support email address will be shown here and at checkout before launch.