Almost every wedding booking starts with an advance, usually 30–50% to lock the date. The trouble comes later: "How much did they pay? Was that ₹10,000 or ₹15,000? Did the second payment come in?". Brightdesk records the advance on the booking, keeps a payment history of every later payment, and shows the advance received and balance due on the invoice automatically.
In this tutorial
Step 1: Record the advance when you create the booking
On the Full Booking screen, under Payment Information, enter the amount in Advance Paid. Brightdesk shows the Balance Due straight away.
Already created the booking? Open it, tap Edit Booking, and add the advance under Payment Information.
Step 2: Record later payments
Clients often pay in parts: advance, a second instalment, then the balance on the day. For every payment after the advance:
- Go to Finance → Payments
- Find the booking (it shows as Partial)
- Tap Add Payment
- Enter the Payment Amount and choose the Payment Method (Cash, UPI, Bank, Card, Cheque, PayPal and more)
- Check the New Balance preview and tap Record Payment
A payment can't be more than the balance due, so you won't accidentally record too much.
Step 3: View the payment history
Tap Payment History (or View History on mobile) to see every payment for that booking: the Advance Payment, each later payment with its date and method, the Total Paid and the remaining Balance.
The booking's Overview tab shows the same summary: Total Amount, Advance Paid, Additional Payments, Total Paid and Balance Due.
Step 4: Show the advance on the invoice
When you create the invoice from the booking, the Advance Paid fills in automatically and the invoice shows the Total Due after the advance. Your client sees exactly what they've paid and what's left, so there's no back-and-forth.
Step 5: Close it out
When the last payment arrives, record it (or tap Mark as Fully Paid on mobile). The booking shows Paid, the invoice status updates to Paid by itself, and the client disappears from Pending Payments on your dashboard.
Not Paid, Partial, Paid: what they mean
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Not Paid / Unpaid | No money received yet |
| Partial | Advance or some payments received, balance still due |
| Paid | Fully paid, balance is zero |
Frequently asked questions
Should I send an invoice for just the advance? Usually not. Record the advance on the booking and issue one final invoice that shows the advance as received. For the paperwork rules (receipts, GST on advances, cancellations), read advance payment invoices explained and our receipt voucher format guide.
What if the client cancels after paying an advance? Mark the booking Cancelled with a reason. Your advance and refund terms should be in your contract. See deposit and advance policies.