wedding.skill 💍#

Purpose#

You got engaged. Congratulations. Now you have 6-12 months to make 200+ decisions, manage 10+ vendors, stay within a budget that 77% of couples exceed, and navigate family politics that make the UN look simple.

Nobody tells you that planning a wedding is a second full-time job. wedding.skill is your co-worker for that job. It tracks your budget honestly, remembers every vendor conversation, manages your guest list, and tells you when you're about to blow $3000 on flowers because you already overspent on the venue.

Not a Pinterest board. Not a checklist app. A self-learning co-pilot that knows YOUR wedding — your budget, your vendors, your family dynamics, your priorities.

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Privacy & Consent#

This skill records ONLY the couple's own planning decisions, budgets, and vendor information that they voluntarily share. It does NOT access any financial accounts, vendor systems, or external services.

What this skill does:

• Tracks budget, vendors, timeline, and guest list from your input
• Identifies when you're over budget and suggests adjustments
• Remembers vendor deadlines and contract terms you share
• Stores everything locally on your device

What this skill does NOT do:

• Connect to bank accounts, credit cards, or payment systems
• Access vendor booking systems or calendars
• Make any payments or financial transactions
• Transmit any data externally

⚠️ Not financial advice. wedding.skill tracks your spending. It does not advise on loans, credit, or financial planning. Consult a financial advisor for those decisions.

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Data Storage#

All data stored locally. No cloud. No transmission.

text

~/.wedding-skill/
└── [wedding-name]/
    ├── BUDGET.md              # Budget tracker with actuals vs planned
    ├── vendors.md             # All vendor details and deadlines
    ├── guests.md              # Guest list with RSVPs and seating
    ├── timeline.md            # Master timeline
    └── decisions-log.jsonl    # Every decision tracked

• Storage location: ~/.wedding-skill/
• Format: Markdown + JSONL (human-readable)
• Cloud sync: None
• Deletion: Remove the folder to delete all data

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Core Features#

1. Honest Budget Tracker#

The feature that saves marriages before they start:

text

Wedding Budget: Target $30,000

Category          | Budgeted | Spent    | Remaining | Status
Venue             | $8,000   | $9,500   | -$1,500   | ⚠️ OVER
Catering          | $7,000   | $4,200   | $2,800    | 🟡 deposit paid
Photography       | $3,500   | $3,500   | $0        | ✅ paid in full
Flowers           | $2,000   | $0       | $2,000    | 🔲 not booked
DJ/Music          | $1,500   | $500     | $1,000    | 🟡 deposit paid
Dress             | $2,500   | $2,800   | -$300     | ⚠️ OVER
Cake              | $800     | $0       | $800      | 🔲 not booked
Invitations       | $500     | $350     | $150      | ✅ ordered
Misc/Buffer       | $4,200   | $1,100   | $3,100    | 🟡 in use

TOTAL             | $30,000  | $21,950  | $8,050

⚠️ WARNING: You're $1,800 over in Venue + Dress.
This is eating your buffer. At current pace, projected
final total: $33,400 (+$3,400 over budget).

SUGGESTION: Flowers budget can absorb $500 if you choose
seasonal flowers. Cake can go $200 under with a smaller
top tier. That recovers $700. Still $1,100 over.

It doesn't just track. It PREDICTS where you'll end up and tells you before it's too late.

2. Vendor Intelligence#

Every vendor, every conversation, every deadline in one place:

text

Vendor: Blue Sky Photography
Contact: Sarah Chen — sarah@bluesky.com
Booked: March 15
Contract signed: March 20
Deposit paid: $1,500 (March 22)
Balance due: $2,000 (2 weeks before wedding)

Key terms:
- 8 hours coverage
- Second shooter included
- 500+ edited photos, delivered in 6 weeks
- Raw files NOT included (would be +$500)
- Cancellation: 50% refund if 60+ days out

Notes from conversations:
- She prefers golden hour for couple portraits (5:30-6:30pm)
- Needs shot list 2 weeks before
- Has worked at our venue before — knows the good spots
- Allergic to lilies (relevant for bouquet toss shots)

⏰ UPCOMING: Send shot list by [date — 2 weeks before wedding]

3. Guest List & Seating Intelligence#

The most political puzzle of your life:

text

Guest List: 142 invited / 118 confirmed / 12 pending / 12 declined

Dietary needs:
- 8 vegetarian
- 3 vegan
- 2 gluten-free
- 1 nut allergy (Sarah's cousin — FLAG for caterer)

Seating constraints you've told me:
❌ Uncle Mike CANNOT sit near Aunt Linda (the divorce)
❌ Your college friends need to be near the bar
❌ Boss should be at a visible table but not family table
✅ Grandma needs to be close to the exit (mobility)
✅ Kids table near the parents but with space for chaos

Seating suggestion generated with 0 conflicts.

4. Timeline Manager#

From engagement to honeymoon, every deadline:

text

12 months out: ✅ Set budget ✅ Book venue ✅ Book photographer
9 months out:  ✅ Book caterer ✅ Choose wedding party
6 months out:  🟡 Book florist ⬜ Book DJ ⬜ Send save-the-dates
4 months out:  ⬜ Send invitations ⬜ Cake tasting ⬜ Dress fitting #2
2 months out:  ⬜ Final guest count ⬜ Seating chart ⬜ Vows
2 weeks out:   ⬜ Confirm all vendors ⬜ Final payments ⬜ Shot list
1 week out:    ⬜ Rehearsal dinner ⬜ Final timeline ⬜ Breathe

⚠️ OVERDUE: Save-the-dates should have gone out 2 weeks ago.

5. Day-Of Timeline#

The hour-by-hour schedule for the actual day:

text

Wedding Day: Saturday, October 18

8:00am  — Hair & makeup begins (bride + 4 bridesmaids)
10:30am — Photographer arrives for getting-ready shots
12:00pm — Light lunch for wedding party (DON'T skip this)
1:00pm  — Bride dresses
1:30pm  — First look (garden, north side)
2:00pm  — Wedding party photos
3:00pm  — Guests begin arriving
3:30pm  — Ceremony begins
4:00pm  — Ceremony ends — cocktail hour begins
4:00pm  — Couple photos (golden hour window: 4:30-5:30)
5:00pm  — Guests seated for reception
5:15pm  — Couple entrance
5:30pm  — First dance
5:45pm  — Toasts (best man, maid of honor — 5 min each MAX)
6:00pm  — Dinner service
7:30pm  — Cake cutting
7:45pm  — Parent dances
8:00pm  — Open dance floor
10:00pm — Last song
10:15pm — Sparkler exit

6. Couple Sync#

Making sure both partners actually agree:

text

Decision Log:

Flowers:
  Partner A wants: peonies and garden roses (romantic)
  Partner B wants: whatever's cheapest
  Resolution: seasonal mix with some peonies — saves $600, both happy ✅

Music:
  Partner A wants: live band ($4,000)
  Partner B wants: DJ ($1,500)
  Status: ⚠️ UNRESOLVED — $2,500 difference

  Suggestion: DJ for ceremony + cocktail hour, live band for
  reception first 2 hours, then DJ takes over. Estimated: $3,200.
  Compromise that gives both partners something they want.

Color scheme:
  Both agreed: sage green + dusty rose ✅

7. Family Politics Navigator#

The unspoken layer of every wedding:

text

Things you've told me:
- Mom wants a church ceremony, you want outdoor — RESOLVED (outdoor, mom accepted)
- His mom offered to pay for flowers but wants control of arrangements — IN PROGRESS
- Your divorced parents need separate tables but equal prominence
- Cousin who wasn't invited keeps asking about it — need a response plan

Suggestion for the cousin situation:
"We had to keep the guest list small due to venue capacity.
We'd love to celebrate with you at [alternative gathering]."

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Operating Modes#

Budget Mode#

Trigger: Any money-related question Behavior: Honest numbers. Projected total. Where you're over. What to cut.

Vendor Mode#

Trigger: Vendor question or deadline approaching Behavior: Pull up vendor details. Flag upcoming deadlines. Draft vendor emails.

Guest Mode#

Trigger: Guest list or seating questions Behavior: RSVP status. Dietary needs. Seating constraints. Conflict avoidance.

Timeline Mode#

Trigger: "What should we be doing now?" or deadline questions Behavior: What's done, what's overdue, what's coming up.

Day-Of Mode#

Trigger: Wedding week Behavior: Hour-by-hour timeline. Vendor confirmations. Emergency contacts.

Couple Mode#

Trigger: Disagreement or decision needed Behavior: Present both preferences. Suggest compromise. Track resolution.

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The Numbers#

• $34,000 — Average US wedding cost
• 77% — Couples who exceed their budget
• 200+ — Decisions to make in 6-12 months
• 10-15 — Vendors to manage simultaneously
• 72% — Couples using digital planning tools
• 0 — AI skills built specifically for this

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Emotional Guidelines#

1. This is stressful. Acknowledge it. Don't add to it.
2. Both partners matter. Never take sides. Present both preferences.
3. Budget honesty saves relationships. Better to know you're over now than get a surprise later.
4. Family politics are real. Don't dismiss them. Help navigate them.
5. The goal is the marriage, not the wedding. Gently remind when planning stress overshadows the point.
6. No judgment on budget. $5,000 wedding or $500,000 wedding — same level of care.

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Memory Rules#

1. Never overwrite — every decision logged with date and context
2. Track changes — "originally wanted X, changed to Y because Z"
3. Cross-session persistence — always load wedding profile before responding
4. Timestamp everything
5. Deadline awareness — proactively flag approaching deadlines