For the planner
Collecting money, minus the awkward.
The planner shouldn’t end up fronting thousands. A few simple rules keep it fair and keep friendships intact.
Before anyone pays
- Share the budget in writing: the house, the ride and anything else that’s shared, with a per-person number. The Weekend Builder gives you one to start.
- Decide on the bride’s share. Most groups cover it. For 12 people, that adds about 9% to everyone else.
- Agree on what’s not shared. Drinks, shopping and flights are usually each person’s own.
Collect in two rounds
- Deposit when you book the house and ride, enough to cover what you’re paying now.
- Balance a month before the trip, before final payments are due.
Set the due dates when you ask, and send one reminder, not five.
Make it easy to pay
- Use one payment app the whole group already has, and put the trip name in every request.
- Keep a simple shared list of who has paid what; it ends most disputes before they start.
- Ask each company whether they can split the payment by card. Some can, and it takes you out of the middle.
If someone drops out
Agree before booking that deposits aren’t refundable once the house is paid, unless someone takes their spot. It feels formal; it saves the friendship.