Using Merge Fields

Merge fields are placeholders you put in your documents that automatically replace themselves with real data — your client's name, the event date, your pricing, and more. They let you write a template once and have it personalize itself for every client.

How They Work

A merge field looks like this: {{client_name}}. When your client views the document, Gilded swaps it out for the actual client name from the event record. In the builder, you see the raw placeholder. In the preview and in the client-facing view, you see the resolved value.

If a merge field cannot be resolved (for example, you have not entered the venue name yet), it renders as blank — your client never sees the raw tag.

Inserting Merge Fields

In the document builder, you can type merge fields directly into the rich text editor using the double curly brace syntax. You can also use the Auto-Fill Fields panel on the right side of the section editor to browse available fields and insert them with a click.

The panel groups every field by where its value comes from, so you always know where to go to fill one in:

• From the event — the client, dates, venue, times, and guest count, set on the event record.
• From this document's pricing — the package and payment schedule, set in the Pricing section of the document you are building.
• From your business info — your name, business name, and address, set once in Settings → Business and applied to every document.

So if a field is coming up blank, the group tells you exactly where to set it — the event, the document's pricing, or your business settings.

Full Field List

From the event

• {{client_name}} — Primary client's full name
• {{client_address}} — Client's street address
• {{client_city}} — Client's city
• {{client_state}} — Client's state
• {{event_date}} — Event date, formatted
• {{venue_name}} — Ceremony venue name
• {{venue_address}} — Ceremony venue address
• {{reception_venue_name}} — Reception venue name
• {{reception_venue_address}} — Reception venue address
• {{ceremony_start_time}} — Ceremony start time
• {{reception_start_time}} — Reception start time
• {{guest_count}} — Guest count
• {{coordination_hours}} — Day-of coordination hours. This one is calculated automatically from the event's start and end times — you do not type it in. Set those times on the event and the hours fill in.

From this document's pricing

• {{total_price}} — Total contract value
• {{deposit_amount}} — Deposit amount (first installment in payment schedule)
• {{remaining_balance}} — Remaining balance after deposit
• {{package_name}} — Name of the selected service package
• {{payment_schedule}} — Full payment schedule, automatically formatted with each installment's label, amount, and due date on its own line

From your business info

Set these once in Settings → Business and they apply across every document.

• {{planner_name}} — Your name (from your profile)
• {{business_name}} — Your business name
• {{business_address}} — Your business address
• {{business_city}} — Your business city
• {{business_state}} — Your business state
• {{governing_state}} — Governing state for legal clauses (defaults to your business state)
• {{mediation_city}} — Mediation city for dispute resolution clauses (defaults to your business city)

The Payment Schedule Field

The {{payment_schedule}} merge field is the recommended way to display pricing in your contracts and proposals. It automatically renders your full payment schedule based on what you set up on the event.

For example, if your event has three installments, the field renders as:

Deposit: $2,000.00 — due January 15, 2027 Second Payment: $1,500.00 — due April 15, 2027 Final Balance: $1,500.00 — due July 15, 2027

If you change the payment schedule on the event, the document preview updates automatically. The built-in "Payment Terms" and "Your Investment" sections in the section library already use this field.

Where to Use Them

Merge fields work in any section of any document type — proposals, contracts, and combined documents. They also work inside templates, which is where they are most useful. Write your template with merge fields throughout, and every document you create from that template gets personalized automatically.

Common places to use them:

• Opening paragraph: "Dear {{client_name}}, thank you for considering {{business_name}} for your wedding on {{event_date}}."
• Payment terms: "Total Fee: {{total_price}}" followed by {{payment_schedule}}
• Legal clauses: "This agreement is governed by the laws of {{governing_state}}."

Tips

• Fill in your event details first. The more data you have on the event record, the more fields resolve correctly when you preview or send.
• Preview before sending. The document preview shows you exactly what your client will see, with all merge fields resolved. Catch any blank spots before the document goes out.
• Set up your payment schedule. The {{payment_schedule}} field only renders correctly if you have defined installments on the event. If no schedule is set, it falls back to showing the deposit and balance based on the legacy fields.