How do you keep track of wedding vendors and who you're still waiting on?
Short answer: Give every vendor one line with a status, the next step, who owns it, and the date you'll follow up — and send a short recap email after every call so the agreement is in writing. Then do one fixed weekly session to chase anything that's gone quiet.
Wedding planning is a follow-up problem wearing a nice outfit. One person on r/weddingplanning wrote that by month three they'd spoken to 22 vendors and kept "forgetting follow-up questions I wanted to ask, and losing track of who I'd emailed back and who was still waiting" (thread). Another couple with 14 vendors ended up arguing because one had told the caterer 150 appetisers while the other had told the venue 120 (thread). And "How to keep up with vendor contacts?" is a question that keeps getting asked (thread).
Here's a system assembled from what people who got through it actually did.
Step 1: One status per vendor
Make a simple list — a spreadsheet, a notes page or a planner. For each vendor:
| Vendor | Status | Next step | Owner | Follow-up date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florist A | Quote received | Compare with Florist B | You | Fri |
| Caterer | Waiting on them | Final menu + headcount | Them | Mon |
| Photographer | Booked | Pay balance | Partner | 1 month before |
Useful statuses: researching → contacted → waiting on them → decision needed → booked → paid. The "waiting on them" status is the one that saves you; it's what turns silence into a scheduled nudge.
Step 2: Give every task an owner
A UK planner who works as a project manager assigns an owner, status and due date to every to-do row (thread). This prevents the "I thought you replied" problem. If two people share planning, decide who's the single point of contact for each vendor.
Step 3: Send a recap after every call
The same planner follows every call with a short email: "So lovely to speak to you today! We discussed X, you quoted £Y…" (thread). It takes two minutes and gives you a written record of prices and promises. Template:
Thanks for the call today. To confirm: [what we agreed], [price/quote], [what you'll send us and by when]. We'll get back to you by [date].
Then put the "by when" in your list as a follow-up date.
Step 4: One inbox, one weekly session
- Shared wedding email. Several couples recommend a joint email account for all vendor mail (thread), or a folder where everything needing a reply gets flagged (thread).
- Weekly "wedmin" slot. One couple held a weekly session from six months out to send check-up emails and ask suppliers what they needed next (thread). Use it to chase every "waiting on them" item past its date.
- One category at a time. Book photographers before chasing florists, so you're not juggling 20 open conversations (thread).
Step 5: Final confirmations about 30 days out
An event planner's tip from that 14-vendor thread: a month before, email each vendor a bulleted summary of everything agreed, which forces both sides to double-check notes (thread).
Don't forget the money dates
Deposits, instalments and final balances are follow-ups too — except you're the one who owes. When you sign a contract, add every payment date to your list straight away, with a reminder a week before. One UK couple keeps a budget tab with each vendor's deposit due date and final-balance due date side by side (thread). Note what each payment is for and how you paid, so you can match it against the contract later.
Also log what vendors still need from you: final headcount, song list, timeline, dietary requirements. These are the late-stage asks that most often get dropped in the last six weeks.
Vendor follow-up checklist
- ☐ Every vendor: status, next step, owner, follow-up date
- ☐ Recap email after every call
- ☐ Shared inbox or "needs reply" folder
- ☐ Weekly session to chase "waiting on them"
- ☐ Deposits and balance due dates as reminders
- ☐ Final confirmation email to all vendors ~30 days out
- ☐ Print contracts and the day-of timeline (phones die)
How ActionShot Tracker helps
When a vendor message lands — a quote, a "we'll send the contract by Friday" — you can share or screenshot it into ActionShot Tracker. It suggests the next step and date, notices wording like "will send" or "waiting for", and suggests tracking it as waiting on them, with check-ins if it goes quiet. The original message stays attached, so you can see exactly what was promised.
FAQ
How many wedding vendors should I contact per category?
Many planners suggest limiting yourself to about 3–5 per category and booking one category at a time, so you're not managing dozens of open conversations.
How do I follow up with a vendor who hasn't replied?
Mark them as "waiting on them" with a follow-up date. When the date passes, send a short, friendly nudge that restates your question and the date you need an answer by.
Should couples share one wedding email?
Many couples find a shared wedding inbox prevents mixed messages, especially when both partners talk to vendors.
When should I send final confirmations to vendors?
About 30 days before the wedding, email each vendor a bulleted summary of everything agreed and ask them to confirm.