# Wedding planner client tracker in SharePoint

> For the full documentation index, see https://250highstreet.com/llms.txt

> Track each wedding's checklist, due dates and budget in two linked SharePoint lists, with views for overdue tasks and what is due next.

Short answer: keep two lists. A list named "Weddings" holds one row per couple: the wedding date, the status and the budget. A list named "Wedding Tasks" holds one row per task: what to do, the due date, who owns it, the planned cost and a Yes/No column named "Task done". A lookup column ties each task to its wedding. Two views do most of the work: one for overdue tasks and one for open tasks by wedding. The list does not hold a contract and does not take payments. It records what you type. Exact names of menus and buttons may differ on your screen, because Microsoft changes them from time to time.

## Why checklists in sheets and email break down

A planner often runs many weddings at once. Each one has dozens of small jobs: book the venue walk-through, confirm the florist, send the seating chart, order the cake tasting. The jobs live in a sheet for one couple, an email thread for another and a notes app for a third.

The same problems come back:

- You cannot see in one look which tasks are late across all weddings.
- A due date moves in an email and the sheet is not changed.
- The budget is in one file and the task that spends it is in another.
- A helper finishes a task and nobody marks it done.
- The next wedding starts from a blank page, because the last checklist is buried in an old file.

A list gives each task one row. Everyone looks at the same row, so there is one due date and one answer to "is it done?"

## What you are building

- A Weddings list. One row per couple.
- A Wedding Tasks list. One row per task.
- A lookup column that links each task to its wedding.
- An "Overdue tasks" view, built on a Yes/No flag so finished tasks drop out.
- An "Open tasks by wedding" view, grouped by wedding.

For the basics of moving off a sheet, see "[Replace a spreadsheet tracker with a SharePoint list](/guides/replace-spreadsheet-with-sharepoint-list/)". For a tracker of vendor quotes and deposits for one event, see "[Event vendor tracker: quotes, deposits and day-of contacts](/guides/event-vendor-tracker-sharepoint/)". This guide does not repeat those steps.

## Plan before you build

1.  Decide who owns the list. One person should be able to say "this list is correct today."
2.  Decide what counts as one task. One way to start: a task is one action by one owner with one date.
3.  Keep client details short. A first name for each partner and one note are enough to start. Do not store card numbers, bank details or ID numbers in the list.
4.  A view is not security. A view only changes what is shown on screen. Anyone who can open the list can switch to another view. To control who sees which weddings, use permissions and ask your admin which groups fit. See "[Keep one column private (like pay or notes) in a shared list](/guides/hide-a-column-from-some-people-sharepoint-list/)".
5.  This guide does not give legal advice. Keep signed agreements where your business keeps them. The list records what staff type.

## Step 1. Create the "Weddings" list

Microsoft's help page on creating a list says: "Choose to start a list from scratch." You can start from a SharePoint site by selecting "+ New" and then "List", and choosing "Blank list". Name it "Weddings". Then set up these columns:

1.  Title (Single line of text). A new list has a Title column, and it is required by default. Rename it to "Couple". Type the first names the same way every time, such as "Maya and Jordan". Or turn off Require for the column.
2.  Wedding date (Date and Time, date only).
3.  Status (Choice) with numbered choices so your order stays: 1 Inquiry, 2 Booked, 3 Planning, 4 Done, 5 Cancelled. A Choice column sorts by its text. The number is there to keep your order.
4.  Budget (Number). Type the total as a plain number, with no currency symbol.
5.  Notes (Multiple lines of text). Keep this to planning notes only.

Add one row per couple. Use first names only. Add only what you need.

## Step 2. Create the "Wedding Tasks" list

Create a second blank list named "Wedding Tasks". Set up these columns:

1.  Title (Single line of text). Required by default. Rename it to "Task" or keep it as the task name, such as "Confirm florist". Or turn off Require.
2.  Wedding (Lookup). Select "Add column", then "Lookup". Pick "Weddings" as the source list. Under the column to show, pick "Couple". Then save.
3.  Category (Choice) with numbered choices: 1 Venue, 2 Food, 3 Flowers, 4 Music, 5 Attire, 6 Travel, 7 Other.
4.  Due date (Date and Time, date only).
5.  Owner (Person). Who does the task: you, a helper or a vendor contact on your team.
6.  Planned cost (Number). Type a plain number. Leave it blank if the task has no cost.
7.  Task done (Yes/No). Set the default to No.

Microsoft's lookup page says: "Lookup columns should be created and used within the same site." Keep both lists on the same site.

The same page lists column types that cannot be used to create lookup columns. Among them are "Choice", "Currency", "Person" and "Yes/No". That affects only the source list, Weddings. Couple is from Title, which is Single line of text, so it works. If you want to show Wedding date or Budget next to each task, they are Date and Number columns, which are fine. Do not make Budget a Currency column if you plan to show it through a lookup. Use Number.

If the Wedding column later shows blank or too few fields, see "[SharePoint lookup column shows blank or too few fields](/guides/sharepoint-lookup-column-not-showing/)".

## Step 3. Enter a wedding and its tasks

When a couple books you, add a row in Weddings. Then add the tasks in Wedding Tasks, pick the wedding for each and set a due date.

One way to start: build a standard set of tasks for your first wedding, then copy that set for each new couple. Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: keep the standard set short, 15 to 20 tasks, and add extras per couple. A long set that nobody trims gets ignored.

If you have a sheet today, you can bring it in. See "[Import an Excel file into an existing SharePoint list](/guides/import-excel-into-existing-sharepoint-list/)".

## Step 4. Build the "Overdue tasks" view

A view of overdue tasks needs a flag column. Without it, every finished task with an old date would stay in the view forever. That is why Task done is a Yes/No column.

1.  Open "Wedding Tasks". Open the view menu, then choose "Edit current view" to open the classic view editor. Create a new view named "Overdue tasks" if you prefer to keep the main view as it is.
2.  Under "Filters", choose "Show items only when the following is true".
3.  Set the first filter: Task done is equal to No.
4.  Add a second filter with "And": Due date is less than \[Today\].
5.  Sort by Due date, oldest first. Show the columns Task, Wedding, Due date, Owner and Category. Save.

Microsoft's help page on filtering a view says: "It is not possible to use the \[Today\] or \[Me\] filters when filtering using a column header." It also says: "You must use the classic view editor to filter columns using these keywords." And: "The \[Today\] keyword works on date-based columns."

When someone finishes a task, they set Task done to Yes. The row leaves the view.

Microsoft's formulas page says: "The TODAY and ME functions are not supported in calculated columns but are supported in the default value setting of a column." So a column that says "late" will not work. The late check lives in the view filter.

## Step 5. Build the "Open tasks by wedding" view

1.  Create a new view named "Open tasks by wedding".
2.  Filter: Task done is equal to No.
3.  Group by Wedding. Then sort by Due date.
4.  Save.

Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: set blank and "is not equal to" filters in the classic view editor too.

Open this view before a call with a couple. You see only what is still open for that wedding, in date order.

## Step 6. Keep the budget honest

Planned cost is a plain Number column. To get a total per wedding, one way to start is to export the list to Excel and use a SUM or a PivotTable there.

The list records planned costs that you type. It does not know what was paid. If you track payments, add a Choice column named "Payment" with numbered choices: 1 Not due, 2 Due, 3 Paid. Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: keep invoices and receipts in your accounting tool, and use the list only as a pointer.

## Step 7. Review each week

Once a week, open "Overdue tasks" and clear it. Each row gets one of three answers: done, new date or dropped. Then open "Open tasks by wedding" for the next wedding on your calendar.

Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: when a wedding is over, set its Status to 4 Done and filter Done weddings out of daily views. Keep the rows, so next year you can see what a typical wedding needed.

For turning late rows red, see "[Turn overdue rows red in a SharePoint list](/guides/highlight-overdue-rows-sharepoint-list/)".

## Privacy: couples and guests

Couples trust you with names, dates and sometimes health or family details. Less data in the list means less to protect.

- Use first names for the couple. Do not store full guest lists with addresses in these lists.
- Do not store passport numbers, card numbers or bank details.
- Keep notes about people to planning facts, such as "prefers email".
- Remember that a view is not security. If a helper should see tasks but not budgets, do not rely on a view.

## What to avoid

- Do not build the overdue view without Task done. Finished tasks will crowd it.
- Do not use a calculated column with today's date. SharePoint blocks it.
- Do not leave the Title column unused. It is required by default, so give it a clear use or turn off Require.
- Do not type free text for Status or Category. Use a Choice so the words match when you filter.
- Do not type a choice filter without its number. If the choice is "1 Inquiry", filter on "1 Inquiry".
- Do not rely on a view to hide budgets. Views are not security.
- Do not delete finished weddings. Mark them Done and keep the rows.
- Do not treat this list as a contract. It records what you were told.

## Honest limits

This setup records facts that you type. It does not send reminders to couples or helpers. It does not check that a vendor really agreed to a date. It does not take payments. If your team handles many weddings at once, the design may need more columns or a third list for vendors. A person has to open the views and act on them.

## When to get help

You can build all of this yourself in Microsoft 365. If you would rather have it built and tested for your team, I do that. A tracker like this is a fixed price: \$5,000 for one, built in 2 weeks. See "[What a SharePoint tracker costs to build](/guides/what-a-sharepoint-tracker-costs/)". Bring one example of the problem to a free call.

I am Al Davies. I run 250 High Street LLC and build SharePoint trackers and Power Automate flows for operations teams. I work remotely. The first call is free, and I will not try to sell you anything.

See trackers I built: [Tools I built](/portfolio/)

## FAQ

### Why two lists and not one?

One wedding has many tasks. With a Weddings list, you enter each couple once and every task picks the couple from a list. The spelling stays the same, so you can group all tasks for one wedding.

### Why do I need a Yes/No column for the overdue view?

A filter of Due date less than \[Today\] alone also matches every finished task with an old date. Task done lets you add a second filter, Task done is equal to No, so finished rows drop out.

### Why does my \[Today\] filter not work from the column header?

Microsoft says: "It is not possible to use the \[Today\] or \[Me\] filters when filtering using a column header." Use the classic view editor: Edit current view, then Filters.

### Can I show the wedding date next to each task?

Yes. When you add the Wedding lookup, use the option to add more columns from Weddings and pick Wedding date. Microsoft's lookup page lists Choice, Currency, Person and Yes/No as column types that cannot be used to create lookup columns, so use Number for Budget if you want it to show.

### Can couples see this list?

Only if you give them access to the site or list, and I do not suggest it. The list holds budgets and notes for all couples. Share a separate, simple summary with each couple instead.

## Sources

- [Microsoft Support, Create a list](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/lists/data-and-lists/create-a-list)
- [Microsoft Support, Create list relationships by using lookup columns](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/lists/data-and-lists/create-list-relationships-by-using-lookup-columns)
- [Microsoft Support, Use filtering to modify a SharePoint view](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/use-filtering-to-modify-a-sharepoint-view-3d8efc52-0808-4731-8f9b-3dfaeacea3d4)
- [Microsoft Support, Introduction to SharePoint formulas and functions](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/libraries/introduction-to-sharepoint-formulas-and-functions)

## Related guides

- [Client onboarding checklist for an accounting firm](/guides/client-onboarding-checklist-accounting-firm/)
- [Planner tasks not syncing or disappearing in Teams](/guides/teams-planner-tasks-not-syncing/)
- [Planner: copy plan option is missing](/guides/planner-copy-plan-missing/)
- [A calibration log in SharePoint](/guides/calibration-log-sharepoint/)

Source: https://250highstreet.com/guides/wedding-planner-client-tracker-sharepoint/