A wedding budget spreadsheet in Google Sheets or Excel is free and familiar — but you build every formula, it doesn’t forecast, and it does nothing for guests, seating or stationery. The Marriage Ledger keeps the “one file you own” feeling and adds the wedding brain on top.
| The Marriage Ledger | Wedding budget spreadsheet | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $17 once | Free |
| Forecasts your final cost | Yes — allocation vs expected final | Only what you formula-build |
| Tracks payments, contributions & refunds | Yes | Manual |
| Guest list & RSVP | Built in — meals, dietary, households | Manual columns |
| Visual seating plan | Yes — drag tables & rules | No |
| Printable invitations & stationery | Built in, 4 ink colours | No |
| Wedding-day handover packs | Yes | No |
| Offline & owned | Yes — one file on your device | Excel yes · Google Sheets is online |
| Design | Beautiful, wedding-specific | Generic grid |
Your budget is simple, you enjoy building your own formulas, and free matters more than having guests, seating and stationery handled for you.
You want forecasting, guests, seating and stationery all handled — in one beautiful file you still own and can use offline — for a single $17.