Make the Most of Your Time: Time Tracking Tools for Wedding Professionals

Jul 7

By Veronica M. Foster, MWP, VTA

Time is a wedding planner’s most valuable asset—and it’s often the one thing we don’t manage well enough.

You’re juggling timelines, meetings, emails, site visits, vendor calls, design planning, and last-minute emergencies. And at the end of the week, you might wonder: Where did all my time go? More importantly, Am I charging enough for everything I’m doing?

Time tracking isn’t just for accountants or lawyers. For wedding professionals, it’s a powerful tool that helps you:

Understand where your time is going
Price your services more accurately
Increase productivity
Prevent burnout
Delegate smarter

Here’s how you can make the most of your time—and the tools that can help.

Why You Need to Track Your Time

Many planners underestimate how many hours they spend on each wedding. While a couple might think they’re paying for "the day of," you know you’ve invested 30, 40, even 100+ hours in planning, calls, and coordination.

Without tracking your time, you risk underpricing your services and overcommitting your energy.

Time tracking helps you:

Justify your pricing with data
Set better boundaries
Refine your service packages
Identify inefficiencies in your workflow
Avoid scope creep

Top Time Tracking Tools for Wedding Pros

Whether you want a simple stopwatch or a full project management suite, there’s a tool to match your style. Here are a few planner-approved favorites:

🕒 Toggl Track

Easy one-click tracking
Visual reports
Great for freelancers and solo planners
Free and paid versions

🕒 Harvest

Tracks time and sends invoices
Integrates with tools like QuickBooks and Asana
Best for those who bill hourly or manage a team

🕒 Clockify

Unlimited tracking for free
Tags, projects, and dashboards
Ideal for tracking different weddings or services

🕒 ClickUp or Asana (with time tracking extensions)

Great if you're already using project management tools
Add time tracking to tasks and subtasks
Perfect for planners managing multiple events

🕒 HoneyBook

Not a traditional time tracker, but great for logging work within client projects
Helpful for estimating how long proposals, emails, and planning stages really take

Real Tip from a Pro: Log Before You Quote

ABC Member “Danielle,” a Certified Wedding Planner in New York, used time tracking to completely overhaul her pricing. “I tracked everything I did for one wedding—from the first call to the last thank-you email. I realized I was charging less than $12/hour for luxury-level service. That was my wake-up call.”

Now, Danielle uses time tracking on every project and reviews her reports monthly. “It’s changed my business—and my confidence.”

Start Small, Stay Consistent

You don’t need to track every second of your day forever. But try this:

Pick one active wedding or project
Track your time for 2–3 weeks
Categorize by tasks: admin, meetings, emails, design, travel, etc.
Review your totals weekly

You’ll start to see patterns—and opportunities to work smarter, not longer.

Final Thought: Be the Boss of Your Time

Successful wedding pros know that time is money—but more importantly, it’s your money, your energy, and your schedule. Don’t let your business run you. Use the tools, build the habits, and take control of your time.

Want more tips like this?
ABC members get access to productivity webinars, business planning resources, and tools to run a more profitable and sustainable business. Join today and let us help you make the most of your time—and your career.