With so many moving parts to juggle during the wedding planning stage, it comes as no surprise that many couples are seeking wedding planning tech tools and apps to help streamline the process.
Weddings require thoughtful details and logistics that not everyone is familiar with, so having an app or tool at your fingertips can potentially save a lot of stress. We polled some top industry experts to share their favorite go-to wedding planning tech tools—and we are sharing some of ours—when it comes to marrying technology and wedding planning.
“One of the best wedding planning tech tools for planning is Notability. If you’re constantly attached to your Notes app on your phone, this will do you one better. Note taking is essential when meeting with your creative team while planning your wedding, especially if you are entrusting them with every little detail of your Big Day. Notability not only ups your note-taking game, but it allows you to sketch drawings, record memos and collaborate from afar. This is truly a must-have when it comes to exchanging ideas, giving feedback, and working on one project simultaneously from different locations. Think of it like a Google Doc, where your entire wedding planning team can contribute virtually, but even better!” – Kevin Dennis, Fantasy Sound Event Services
“Pinterest was tailor-made for couples planning a wedding. It’s almost as if when they were developing the app they asked newlywed couples who had been through the stressful, time-consuming and overwhelming process of planning a wedding what would make their lives easier. Pinterest is full of inspiring and creative ideas to help you make your wedding unique and memorable, but it’s also full of advice and tips for how to save money and find the wedding professionals you need to bring your dream wedding to life. Plus, it’s easy to search to get you right to what you need and not be distracted. And, unlike other social media apps, which are designed for entertainment and having fun connecting with friends, Pinterest is done in a way so that you can stay organized and not be confused or overwhelmed.” – Julianne Smith, The Garter Girl
“I use Vagaro for my online scheduler. Clients can see in-salon pricing and request in-salon appointments 24 hours a day. Clients also receive automatic messages to confirm their appointments.” – Alicia Igess Jones
“There are few things that lead to more efficiency than a great tech stack that incorporates automation. Rock Paper Coin is a newer platform that streamlines the entire booking process. They are a hub to share proposals, contracts and invoices—it essentially provides couples with a virtual binder containing all of their documents. It also allows for automated payments if you want to pay an invoice once and not worry about future installments and due dates. The platform allows for additional automation and provides clients with a place to find all of their documentation.
“Before you go out and get all set on a specific software platform, consider your vendors and what they are using. Sometimes mixing too much tech can confuse matters so discuss with your planner first and foremost. They may already have you all set up on a platform as a perk of being a client, and then go from there.” – Nora Sheils, Bridal Bliss, Rock Paper Coin
If you’re a visual learner and someone who likes to see the bigger picture when it comes to your wedding, Merri is an amazing 3D platform that can virtually show you what your event space will look like in real-time. There is an extensive catalog of venues to choose from, or you can upload your own floor plan for free. From there, you can add in every detail of your wedding, including furniture rentals, linens, lighting and florals (think The Sims, but for your wedding!).
Timeline Genius is another great tool to tackle your day-of duties, specifically for your getting-ready timeline and itineraries. All you need to do is answer a few questions to get started and Timeline Genius will create fully customized timelines for you on a dime. They offer an array of templates, and it’s a wonderful way to ensure that everyone is on the same page.
Canva is an easy-to-use, intuitive design platform that allows you to create luxe, DIY designs for your wedding. Not only are there plenty of professionals that also utilize Canva, but it’s also incredibly user-friendly, even if you don’t consider yourself a graphic designer by any means. There are endless free templates for signage, invitations, save-the-dates and countless other options.
And don’t forget the beauty of Postable, a virtual greeting card platform that will be a lifesaver for sending ‘Thank You’ cards. Half the battle is getting them to the post office and making sure you have enough stamps on hand, but Postable does all of the legwork for you by mailing them out for you—and you can even add a photo from your wedding!
The Pantone Studio app is an incredible, modern tool for customizing your wedding’s color palette. Figuring out an exact shade match can be tricky, but the color picker tool allows you to find the exact HEX code for a shade (even pulling colors from an inspiration photo!) that ensures your colors are seamless from start to finish. Better yet, there are color guides that suggest complementary hues if you have one favorite color in mind but aren’t sure what will pair nicely with it. You can also take your completed color palette and apply the colors virtually against different designs like interior elements or 3D fabrics, giving you a way to visualize your Big Day without simply hoping for the best.
Investing your time into various wedding tech tools and apps can alleviate a lot of panic and complications that can accompany wedding detail coordination. Streamlining your time will leave room for exciting things, like writing your vows or having all of your loved ones in one place!