Editorial standards

Who writes this

Everything here is written and maintained by the Online Wedding Planner team. We are an independent publisher of free planning tools, not a marketplace, a directory or a vendor. We do not sell wedding products or services, we do not take bookings, and we do not operate a paid listing scheme.

We publish under a team byline rather than individual names because our guides are revised continuously rather than authored once. Where a guide has been substantially rewritten, the update date on the page reflects that.

How we research cost figures

A large part of what we publish is numbers: what a wedding costs, what to tip, how much alcohol to buy, how many servings a cake tier gives. We take those seriously, because a wrong number here becomes a wrong number in somebody's budget.

• Cost ranges are compiled from published industry cost surveys across the five regions we cover — the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Canada and Australia — cross-checked against more than one source wherever possible.
• We publish ranges rather than single figures, because wedding costs vary enormously by city, season and day of the week. A single national average is misleading on its own.
• We say plainly when a figure is a rule of thumb rather than a measurement. Percentage splits across budget categories, for example, are conventions that hold up reasonably well — not laws.
• Where local law or custom varies significantly — tipping norms, marriage licence rules, noise ordinances — we say so rather than presenting one country's practice as universal.

What we will not do

• We do not accept payment for recommendations. No vendor, venue, brand or planner has paid to be mentioned on this site, and none can.
• We do not publish sponsored posts or guest articles placed for links.
• We do not use generated filler. Every guide is written to answer a question we think a couple actually has, at the length that answer needs. We would rather publish twenty-three useful guides than two hundred thin ones.
• We do not gate anything. No tool or guide requires an email address, an account or a subscription to reach the useful part.

Advertising, and how it is separated

This site is free and is funded by advertising served through Google AdSense. That relationship is kept structurally separate from what we publish in three ways:

• Advertisers have no input into our content and no advance sight of it. We do not know which advertisers will appear on a given page.
• No guide is written, and no figure is chosen, to suit an advertising category.
• Ads are visually distinct from editorial content and are not styled to resemble our own recommendations or links.

You can decline advertising cookies at any time using manage cookies, and the tools will continue to work exactly as they do now. Our cookie policy explains what is set and why.

Accuracy and corrections

We get things wrong sometimes, and when we do we would rather fix it than leave it. If you find an error — a cost figure that no longer holds, a piece of etiquette advice that is regionally wrong, a calculation that does not add up — please tell us. We read every message.

Substantive corrections are made to the page itself and the update date is changed. We do not silently delete a guide to make a mistake disappear.

How the tools handle your data

Every tool on this site runs entirely in your browser. Your guest list, budget, seating chart and timeline are stored in your own browser's local storage and are never transmitted to us or to anyone else. We have no database of your wedding, no account system, and no way to read what you have entered.

The practical consequence is that clearing your browser data, using private browsing, or switching device will lose your work — so every tool offers an export. The full detail is in our privacy policy.

Scope, and what this advice is not

Our guides are general planning guidance offered in good faith. They are not legal, financial, medical or professional advice. Marriage licence requirements, contract law, alcohol licensing and insurance obligations all vary by jurisdiction, and the only reliable source for your own situation is your local authority or a qualified professional. Please treat anything here about contracts, licences or liability as a prompt to check locally rather than as an answer.

Contact

Corrections, questions and criticism are all welcome at our contact page.