Guide · Wedding planners
How to track vendor payments and client instalments for every wedding function
Keep one register per wedding, with a line for every vendor and every function: the agreed amount, what was paid, what is due and by when. Keep the client’s instalments in the same register, timed so the family’s money arrives before vendor payments go out. Record each payment the day it happens, and check the coming week’s dues every Monday.
In short
- One wedding, one register: every vendor, every function and every rupee in one place.
- Write down the agreed amount, the advance and the due date on the day you confirm a vendor.
- Schedule client instalments so you never pay vendors out of your own pocket.
- Keep a bill photo or UPI screenshot for every payment, filed against the wedding.
- Check the coming week’s dues every Monday, not the night before the function.
Why vendor payments go wrong in wedding season
One Indian wedding can mean five functions: haldi, mehendi, sangeet, the wedding and a reception. Each has its own decorator, caterer, DJ, tent house and florist. Run three weddings in the same November week and the numbers stop fitting in your head.
The problem is rarely dishonesty. Payments simply happen everywhere: a UPI transfer from the car, cash at the venue, a cheque from the bride’s father straight to the caterer. Miss one entry and you either pay twice, or a vendor turns up on the day saying his balance is pending.
goKalki’s City Reports counted 11,218 wedding planners on Google Maps in India, and 81% are rated 4.5 or above. In a field that close, word of mouth from families and vendors decides a lot, and nothing damages it faster than a payment mix-up.
What to record for every vendor
For each vendor, against each function, keep the same short set of details. If you only do one thing from this guide, do this.
Always note who paid. Families often pay some vendors directly, and if those payments are not written down, your totals for the wedding will never match theirs.
- Vendor name, number and what they supply, such as “Shree Ganesh Tent House, mandap and 300 chairs, sangeet”
- The agreed total, and whether it includes GST, transport and labour
- Advance paid, the date, and the mode: UPI, cash, cheque or bank transfer
- Balance due and the exact due date
- Who paid: you, or the family directly
- A photo of the quotation or bill, and the payment screenshot
How to schedule client instalments for a wedding
Most planners take the client’s money in three or four parts: a booking amount to lock the dates, a large instalment once the main vendors are confirmed, another a few weeks before the first function, and the balance just before or after the wedding. Write the split into the agreement with dates, not just percentages.
The rule that protects you: the family’s instalment lands before your vendor advances go out. If the decorator needs ₹1.5 lakh on 1 December, make the family’s second instalment due by 25 November. Reverse the order and you are funding someone else’s wedding.
A weekly routine that keeps every vendor paid
Every Monday, list every payment due in the next ten days, incoming and outgoing. Message the family about their instalment with the amount and your UPI details. When you pay a vendor, message them the amount and the function, so they have it in writing too.
After each function, close it. Check that every vendor for it is paid in full, note the extras (50 more plates, the DJ’s overtime) and agree them with the family that night. Extras left until after the wedding are the hardest money to collect.
How to see your own margin on each wedding
When the season ends, you should know for each wedding what the family paid, what went to vendors and what was left for you. With function-by-function records this takes minutes. From WhatsApp chats and a diary it takes a weekend and some guesswork. Your CA will want the same figures at filing time.
Doing this on WhatsApp with Kalki
With Kalki, the register lives in WhatsApp. Message Kalki for Business “Kapoor wedding: mehendi 12 Dec, shaadi 14 Dec, Jodhpur” and each function is filed under the same wedding, with its own date and reminders. Every evening it sends you the next day’s list, and it works out what the family still owes and tells you before the event.
The money side is in the same book, so you say each payment once. Type “Decorator advance 1.5 lakh paid, UPI” or send a bill photo, and Kalki records what you owe the decorator, caterer and band, and what each family has paid you. Ask “Kapoor wedding mein kitna baaki hai?” and get the number. Records stay in a Google Sheet that belongs to you, and your team can log payments once you add their numbers. Kalki for Business is ₹1,999 a month with 3,000 messages, and the first 3 days are free.
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Meet Kalki for BusinessQuestions
Should the family pay vendors directly or through the planner?
Both are common. What matters is that you record every payment, including the ones the family makes directly, so each vendor’s total adds up.
How much advance do wedding vendors usually take?
It varies by vendor and city. Venues and caterers often want a large share upfront to block the date; smaller vendors may take less. Whatever is agreed, write the amount and the due date down that day.
Can Kalki pay my vendors?
No. Kalki records payments and reminds you when they are due. You pay by UPI, cash or bank transfer yourself, then tell Kalki it is done.
Can my team update the payment records?
Yes. Add their numbers and they can log payments and check the schedule from their own WhatsApp.