The Wedding Planner Skill: Plan Your Entire Wedding With Claude

Couples who hire a full-service wedding planner spend about $3,800 on average, according to The Knot. A big part of that job is organization. Deadlines get tracked, vendors get chased and the budget stays honest. Claude is genuinely good at that part now.

I planned a huge chunk of my own wedding using AI last year. Claude has gotten dramatically more powerful since. If I were planning today, this is exactly the setup I would build.

Create the project

In Claude, click Projects in the sidebar, then + New Project. Name it "Wedding HQ." Click Set project instructions and paste in your date, city, guest count, budget and partner’s name. Every chat in the project starts from that.

Connect Google

Connect Google Calendar (your timeline), Gmail (vendor emails and invoices) and Google Drive (contracts, inspo, your budget sheet). They’re under Customize, then Connectors (Customize is being renamed Plugins, so you may see that name). In a chat, click + and hover Connectors to switch them on. Claude asks before it sends an email. (Google connectors)

In Google Calendar, make a new calendar called "Wedding HQ" first. Claude can add events to it but can’t create calendars, and a separate one is easy to share with your partner.

Install the skill

↓ Download the Wedding Planner skill (.zip)

Turn on Code execution and file creation under Settings, then Capabilities. Then go to Customize (or Plugins), then Skills, click +, Create skill, Upload a skill, and pick the ZIP without unzipping it. Skills work on every plan, including Free. (How skills work)

The skill holds all five workflows below in short form. The full prompts are here when you want more control.

Put it on autopilot

On a paid plan, Claude can run the budget and inbox check for you every week. In a chat, just say "run this every Monday at 8am," review what it proposes and click Schedule. If you’re still on the older layout, use Scheduled in the sidebar, then New task. (Scheduled tasks)

Your full timeline, on your calendar

Give Claude your date once. It builds the whole timeline (photographer, save-the-dates, menu, fittings, marriage license), shows you the list, then adds every deadline to your Wedding HQ calendar with reminders.

Timeline Builder

You are my wedding planner. Build the full planning timeline for my wedding and put every milestone on my Google Calendar so I never miss a deadline. My wedding details: - Wedding date: [DATE] - Guest count: [APPROXIMATE NUMBER] - City / region: [WHERE] - Total budget: [TOTAL] - Wedding style in 3 words: [e.g. "romantic, outdoor, intimate"] - Anything unusual (destination, multi-day, religious requirements): [DESCRIBE OR "NONE"] - Months until the wedding right now: [NUMBER] Do five things. 1. Build the timeline from today to the day-of, using the standard planner sequence as a starting point (venue and photographer around 12 months out, save-the-dates around 6 months out, invitations mailed 6 to 8 weeks out, menu finalized about 8 weeks out, dress fittings in the final 2 to 3 months, rehearsal dinner the night before, day-of timeline). If I have less than 12 months, compress it and tell me what to book this week. For each milestone give the lead time and one sentence on why it matters then. 2. Personalize it. Based on my style, city and date, flag the 3 milestones I should move earlier than standard and explain why (for example, peak-season Saturdays book out sooner). 3. Look up the marriage license rules for my state or country (how far ahead to apply, waiting period, how long it is valid) and add the right dates. Link the official government page you used. If you can't confirm it, tell me to check with my county clerk. 4. Show me the full list of calendar events first. Each event gets a clear one-line title starting with "Wedding:" ("Wedding: Book photographer"), a 2-sentence description (the action, plus the decision I need to have made by then), a reminder 7 days before, and a second reminder 1 day before for anything in the final 8 weeks. Once I approve, add them to my "Wedding HQ" Google Calendar (I created it so I can share it with my partner). If you can't find that calendar, use my main calendar and tell me. 5. End with the 3 milestones couples most often underestimate, with a one-sentence warning for each. Format: a numbered list ordered from today to the wedding date. Warm and practical, not stiff. Never invent a vendor deadline or legal rule; if you aren't sure, say so.

A budget sheet that updates from your inbox

Claude sets up your budget split, builds a Google Sheet, and each week pulls deposits and invoices from Gmail so you always know what you’ve spent and what’s left. It can read the email itself but not attachments, so it lists anything hiding in a PDF for you to fill in.

Budget Tracker

You are my wedding finance manager. Keep my wedding budget honest and current by pulling vendor numbers from my Gmail and updating one tracker every week. My inputs: - Total budget: [TOTAL] - Guest count: [NUMBER] - City / region: [WHERE] - Vendors already booked: [LIST WITH AMOUNTS, OR "NONE YET"] - My non-negotiables (1 to 3 areas I'd rather overspend on): [e.g. "photographer, venue"] - My nice-to-haves (areas I'd cut first): [e.g. "stationery, favors"] Do five things. 1. Build the starting allocation. Use a common rule-of-thumb split as the baseline (venue and catering together around half, photo and video about 10 to 15%, then florals, attire, music, stationery, and at least 5% contingency), then adjust for my city, guest count, non-negotiables and nice-to-haves. Explain each adjustment in plain language. These are starting points, not official data. 2. Create a Google Sheet in my Drive called "Wedding Budget Tracker" with these columns: Category, Planned, Actual, Remaining, % Used, Deposit or Final, Due Date, Notes. Pre-fill Planned from step 1 and put the contingency line on top so I always see it. 3. Search my Gmail from the past 7 days for vendor invoices, deposit confirmations, receipts and payment confirmations. For each one pull the vendor, category, amount, date, and whether it was a deposit or final payment. If the amount only lives in an attachment you can't read, list it under "Check these" so I can fill it in. 4. Update the sheet and tell me in plain words what changed ("Added the $1,200 photographer deposit under Photo and Video. That category is now 38% spent."). 5. End with 3 lines: where I am vs. budget overall, the one category to watch this week, and the next deposit or balance due in the coming 30 days. If any category is more than 10% over plan, put that at the very top with a suggested trade-off from my nice-to-haves. Voice: warm but direct. No hype. Clear numbers and clear trade-offs. Never guess an amount; ask me.

Research vendors and draft your outreach

Tell Claude what you’re hiring, your style and your budget. It researches your area, ranks your top five with links, and writes the first email so you can book in an afternoon.

Vendor Scout

You are my wedding vendor scout. Find the best 5 [VENDOR TYPE] options for my wedding, vet them, and draft my outreach emails so I can fill this slot in one afternoon. My inputs: - Vendor type: [photographer / florist / caterer / DJ / videographer / planner / officiant / hair and makeup] - Wedding date: [DATE] - City and venue (or region if no venue yet): [WHERE] - Guest count: [NUMBER] - Style in 3 to 5 words: [e.g. "warm, editorial, candid"] - Budget for this vendor: [LOW] to [HIGH] - Deal-breakers: [e.g. "heavy filters", "8-hour minimum"] Do five things. 1. Search the web for up to 10 [VENDOR TYPE] options that serve my area. Use their websites, The Knot, WeddingWire, Google reviews and their Instagram. Skip anyone with few reviews, no recent work, or no sign they serve my area. 2. Narrow to my top 5. Score each out of 10 on style match, budget fit and review strength (volume and recency), and rank them. 3. For each of the 5, give me a vendor card: business name, website link, Instagram handle, one line on why they fit my style (point to specific work on their site or feed), their price range if they publish one (say "not listed" if not), one recent review quote with its source, and any red flag (books out far ahead, travel fees, minimums). 4. Draft a warm, specific outreach email for my #1 pick. Reference one real detail from their portfolio, mention my date, venue, guest count and budget range, ask two specific questions, and request a 20-minute intro call. Sign it [MY NAME]. 5. Draft a reusable version for the other 4, with a blank where I add the portfolio detail for each one. Rules: only use details you actually found and link where you found them. Never invent a review, price or availability. Save the emails as Gmail drafts only after I say "draft them".

Every vendor thread in one place

No more digging through your inbox at midnight wondering if you paid the deposit. Claude pulls every vendor thread into one table with contract, deposit, balance and your next step.

Vendor Inbox

You are my wedding inbox manager. Make sure I never lose track of a vendor email, contract deadline or deposit. One dashboard, refreshed weekly, honest status on every vendor. My inputs: - Wedding date: [DATE] - Partner's name: [NAME] - My vendors so far (name and category): [e.g. "Sarah Lee Photography, Photographer". If unsure, list anyone I've emailed about the wedding.] - My Gmail labels for wedding stuff: [LABEL NAMES OR "NONE"] - The vendor I'm most worried about: [NAME AND WHY, OR "NONE"] Do five things. 1. Search my Gmail from the past 12 months for threads that match a vendor name above, carry one of my wedding labels, or mention words like contract, deposit, invoice, balance, ceremony or reception together with my wedding date or my partner's name. 2. Build a table called "Wedding Vendor HQ" with one row per vendor: vendor and category, contract status (Signed / Pending / Not sent), deposit status and amount, balance and due date, last message date, who owes the next reply, my action this week, and any red flag. Use what the emails say; mark anything you can't confirm as "Check". 3. Status-tag each row: GREEN if current, YELLOW if I owe a reply this week, RED if I owe a payment or signed document in the next 7 days or a vendor has been silent for 14+ days after my last email. 4. Under the table, write "This week's action list": each red and yellow item, what I need to do, and a short email I can send today to clear it. Show me the emails first and only save them as Gmail drafts when I say so. 5. Flag the 3 vendor relationships that look most at risk, one sentence each. Each weekly refresh, finish with 4 lines: vendors locked, deposits paid, balances due in the next 30 days, and the single biggest thing to do this week. Voice: calm and practical, like the friend who keeps you sane in the final two months.

Your wedding look, from your inspo

Save-the-dates, invitations, menus, signs, programs and your website homepage, built from screenshots of your Pinterest board. Screenshots work better than a board link, since Claude usually can’t open Pinterest pages. You pick, Claude saves print-ready files to Drive.

Branding Designer

You are my wedding creative director. Turn my inspiration into one cohesive wedding look and design every printed and digital piece I'll need. My inputs: - Inspiration: I'm attaching 8 to 15 images (screenshots of my Pinterest board or saved photos), or they're in my Google Drive folder "Wedding Inspo". - Wedding date and location: [DATE, CITY, VENUE IF KNOWN] - Guest count: [NUMBER] - 3 words for the vibe: [e.g. "modern, garden, soft"] - One brand whose look I love (outside weddings is fine): [BRAND] - Colors I definitely want in or out: [LIST OR "NO RULES"] Do five things. 1. Read the inspiration and pull out: a 5-color palette with hex codes and each color's role (primary, secondary, accent, light neutral, dark neutral), a font pairing using real, free fonts (for example from Google Fonts), the 3 words that capture the look, and the 2 or 3 motifs that repeat across the images. 2. Make a one-page brand sheet with the palette, fonts, motifs and a 2-sentence description of the feel. Everything else gets built from this. 3. Design these pieces in order, each as a mockup I can see in the chat: save-the-date (front and back), invitation suite (invite, RSVP card, details card), menu card, table numbers, welcome sign, ceremony program, and a wedding website homepage (hero, our story, schedule, travel, RSVP, registry). 4. Give me 2 options for each piece, one safer and one bolder, and tell me which fits my inspiration better and why. 5. After I pick, export print-ready PDFs at standard sizes (5x7 invite, A2 or 4.25x5.5 RSVP, 4x9 menu, 18x24 sign) with a 0.125-inch bleed, and save them to a new Google Drive folder called "Wedding Branding". Remind me to check my printer's file specs before ordering. Voice: a real creative director. Confident and decisive. If two images contradict each other, pick the stronger direction and tell me why. Don't copy any one designer's work exactly.

One Important Rule

Don’t let Claude write your vows or your speeches. This skill is for logistics, not the parts that matter emotionally. For those, talk to your people, not your AI.

Plan YourEntire WeddingWith Claude

Plan Your
Entire Wedding
With Claude