Guide
Who pays which wedding vendor when parents are contributing
When both families are contributing, the hard part is rarely the total. It is knowing who is covering which vendor, what is already paid, and what is due next.
One list, four columns
Write every vendor on one list: vendor, amount, due date, who pays. That fourth column is the one people skip. Without it, two households can each think the other is covering the florist. The list is the agreement. The banks can stay separate.
Separate banks are fine. Separate sheets are not.
Parents can pay from their own account. You can pay from yours. What does not work is each household keeping its own spreadsheet that the other cannot see. That is how a deposit gets paid twice and a final gets missed. One list. Everyone who needs to see it looks at the same one.
Mark parent-paid lines the same day
If a parent pays a vendor directly, mark that line paid the same day. Do not wait for a group text to catch up. The person who paid, or the person who heard they paid, updates the shared list before the day ends.
Invite everyone to the same paid, owed, and due view
Invite your partner, a parent, or the planner to the same picture. They do not need a second copy. They need to see what is paid, what is owed, and what is due next. Aislelight does not collect money from parents. It does not move funds between households. It is the shared list.
It is not a full wedding planner. It is not a vendor CRM. It is the workspace for the contracts you already signed and the payments that still matter.
Questions couples ask
- How do we split vendors between families?
- Decide who covers which line, then write it on one list: vendor, amount, due date, who pays. Split however you want. The list has to show the assignment so nobody is guessing.
- Should each household keep its own spreadsheet?
- No. Separate bank accounts are fine. Separate sheets are how double-pays and missed balances happen. Keep one shared list that both households can see.
- What if a parent pays a vendor directly?
- Mark that line paid the same day on the shared list. The vendor is paid. The list has to show it, or the other household will think the balance is still open.
- Can the planner see the list?
- Yes. Invite the planner to the same paid, owed, and due view. They see what you see. They do not get a separate copy to reconcile later.
- Does Aislelight collect money from parents?
- No. Aislelight does not collect money, charge cards, or move funds between households. It is a shared view of who is covering which line, what is paid, and what is due next.
More guides
- How to track wedding vendor payments without a stale spreadsheet
- What to pull from a signed wedding vendor contract
- The last 60 days of wedding vendor payments
- Spreadsheet vs a wedding contract workspace
- Wedding vendor deposit vs retainer
- How to read a wedding vendor cancellation clause
- What to do if a wedding vendor goes quiet after you paid
- Should you pay a wedding vendor deposit before you sign?