Wedding venue comparison spreadsheet — for the venues you're touring
This is a worksheet, not a list of venues: enter the two to four venues or vendors you are actually quoting, break each package into line items, and see honest all-in totals against your budget — before you tour again or sign. Use it below, free: CSV export and share links, and nothing leaves your browser.
100% free · No signup, no email · Nothing leaves your browser
Budget & event (optional)
Set an all-in ceiling before you tour — options that blow it get flagged as you type.
Venues & vendors
One tab per option — enter each quote as it arrives. Usually two to four venues, or rival vendor packages.
Venue 1 · 1 of 2
Quote line items — rows are shared, so every option is priced against the same checklist
Comparison results
Comparison results
0 named options
- Name the venues or vendors you are quoting — one tab per option.
- Type each quote into the line items; the label rows are shared, so totals stay honest.
- Ranked all-in totals, budget flags, and the cheapest pick appear right here.
Three costed venues you can overwrite with your own quotes.
Everything stays in your browser — nothing is uploaded, no signup, no email.
How to compare wedding venues and vendor packages
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Set your all-in budget
Enter the total you can spend on venues and major vendors before touring. Checking price ranges against this number first stops weekends spent on places that were never going to fit.
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Add every venue or vendor you are comparing
Create a column for each option — typically two to four venues, or rival photographer/florist packages. Note capacity, package type, and any caveats from the quote.
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Break the quote into line items
Enter venue rental, catering, bar, ceremony fees, service charges, tax, and extras so each column shows a true all-in total — the same wedding planned three ways, not just the headline rate.
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Compare totals, budget fit, and gut-feel ratings
The matrix ranks options by all-in cost, flags anything over budget, and lets you score fit after a tour. Export CSV, print, or send a share link so your partner sees the identical comparison.
How couples usually pick a venue without blowing the budget
Headline rental rates hide the real number. Couples who fully cost the same guest count at two or three venues — space, catering, bar, ceremony fees, service, tax, and likely extras — usually find one path thousands cheaper all-in. Checking published price ranges against an all-in budget before touring also stops weekends spent on places that were never going to fit.
| Line item | Why it matters | What to enter |
|---|---|---|
| Space / rental | Often the only number on the first quote | Saturday rate or package base |
| Catering + bar | Usually the largest swing between venues | Food + beverage for your headcount |
| Fees & tax | Service, gratuity, ceremony setup, tax | As listed — or “0” if truly included |
| Extras | Overtime, corkage, rentals, preferred-vendor markups | Best estimate from the proposal |
- Compare all-in, not headline rates — a cheap loft plus outside catering can beat an “inclusive” package, or lose badly.
- Don't sign until the total is documented — keep a written list of everything agreed and the all-in number before you commit.
- Tour after the matrix, not before — skip venues whose all-in path cannot land under your budget.
A practical rhythm: paste each proposal into matching line items the day you get it; after tours, add a fit rating; share the link with your partner before anyone puts down a deposit. When you are ready to track deposits and final balances, the free vendor payment tracker covers that next, and the budget & expense splitter handles wedding-party cost splits.
Frequently asked questions
A wedding venue comparison template — also called a comparison spreadsheet or worksheet — is a free grid where couples line up venue or vendor quotes side by side, break each package into line items, and see all-in totals against one budget. This one fills itself in: enter the quotes and it does the totals, budget flags and ranking. It is not a directory: you enter the venues you are actually quoting or touring. It replaces shared spreadsheets with a browser matrix you can export, print, or share — without creating an account.
Compare all-in costs, not headline rental rates. Work from the same checklist of line items in every column — space fee, catering, bar, ceremony setup, service charge, tax, and likely extras like overtime or corkage — then rank by total. A cheaper rental that forces outside catering can cost more than an inclusive estate once food and service are added.
Yes when the quotes look similar on paper. Fully costing the same guest count and menu at each venue is the usual way couples discover the real winner: one path often runs thousands higher once catering, bar, and fees are included. Use three columns in this tool and fill every line before you tour again or sign.
Before you book tours. Couples who skim published price ranges first usually skip venues that were never going to fit, instead of spending weekends on places that blow the budget after catering. Set your all-in budget here, then only tour options whose matrix total can land under it.
At minimum: venue or space fee, catering (food), bar package, ceremony fee, service charge or gratuity, tax, and a catch-all for overtime, corkage, or rentals. Add photographer or florist rows when you are comparing those vendors in the same matrix. Leave a row blank rather than guessing — “not stated” is clearer than a made-up number.
No. Wait until you have a written list of everything agreed and the all-in total — the same discipline as keeping an itemized quote. This comparison matrix is that working document: fill every line from the proposal, confirm the total matches what you were told, then sign.
Yes. Mark a column as Vendor, name the studio or florist, and use package line items (hours of coverage, second shooter, album, delivery) instead of catering rows. The same all-in total and budget-fit logic applies — relative value is still total cost versus what you get.
Yes — completely free, with no signup, no email address, and no paywall on CSV export, printing, or share links. It’s a free tool from Wedding Arrivals, a wedding photo-collection service.
Both. Your matrix saves automatically in your browser, so you can come back to it. “Copy share link” packs every option and line item into a link — send it to your partner or planner and they open the same totals and rankings. You can also download a CSV or print a clean summary.
No. Everything runs in your browser — option names, amounts, ratings, and notes are never uploaded to a server. Saved comparisons live in your own browser storage, and a share link carries the data inside the link itself, readable only by people you send it to.