Surprise! Some of the best apps for planning your wedding aren’t even designed specifically for weddings. Here are 10 tools that will keep you sane and on track with all of your planning needs.
First on the wedding planning agenda: Inspiration, and lots of it. Pinterest is the ultimate source for finding gorgeous photos of every style of wedding dress, decor DIYs, cake designs, floral arrangements— you name it, someone hats pinned it. To build out your virtual vision board, just type in a keyword and be awed by the endless images that come up. Keep things organized by making separate boards for each aspect of your day. Be sure to set them to “secret” if you want to surprise you guests.
Lady Marry
Keeping tracking of your to-do list can get overwhelming, fast. The Lady Marry app automatically generates a scheduled to-do like to keep you on track, with checklist items for when to do everything from booking your DJ to blocking out hotel rooms for guests. There’s also a budget tracking tool that sends notifications to remind you when deposits are due and adds up all your wedding spending, and a place to add in notes and contact information for vendors.
Slack
Designed for remote workplace communication, Slack applies itself equally well to wedding planning. This tool makes it easy to communicate with your bridal party, parents, planner, fiancée and anyone else you want in on the planning process all in one place. Keep everyone looped in by creating a “workspace” for your wedding and inviting them to join. Then, create “channels” for each topic to discuss (eg. bridesmaids dresses, menu ideas, music choices, etc) to keep your conversations organized.
Paperless Post
While most still choose to go the old fashioned paper route for formal wedding invitations, evites are becoming more and more common. They’re also a great option for the many pre-wedding events you’ll likely be planning alongside your big day (think showers, bachelor/bachelorette parties, engagement parties, or rehearsal dinners. Paperless Post offers stylish, contemporary designs to fit any wedding theme, from conventional to quirky. Their RSVP tracking tool makes confirming your guest list a breeze, too.
Exclusively on the Apple App Store
Etsy
A couple of little handmade touches can go far to set your day apart from all the other weddings your guests are likely attending this year. Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to make them with your own hands. Etsy makes it easy to support local crafters and designers. Shop for big items (like your wedding gown and accessories) and small ones (like guest favours). Many vendors even offer the option to order custom-made pieces through the site.
Pantone Studio
Letting your bridesmaids choose their own dress styles, but trying to envision if the shades they’ve chosen will coordinate? Want to make sure you and your florist both know exactly what you mean when you request apricot-coloured dahlias? Pantone Studio is what you need. This app gives you access to Pantone’s vast library of colour swatches, so you can create and share a palette with exacting specification. Clueless about where to start? The app can also generate a palette from any photograph, so can figured just how the colours in that magazine-perfect wedding you found on Pinterest came together.
Exclusively on the Apple App Store
Joy
Wedding websites should be three things: beautiful, simple to create, simple to navigate. Joy’s free website builder includes not only your own website but also your own app. RVSP management incudes the ability to add custom questions, so you can get all the details on your second cousin’s food allergies and your bestie’s current diet plan. The responsive design lets you customize the look of your site and app by editing colours, fonts and photos.
StylU
This app is like Uber for beauty professionals. Available in Toronto and Vancouver (with more cities promised soon), the app lets you book a blow out, an updo, makeup application, or men’s haircut, and an artist will come to you when specified. Appointment can be booked in advance or on short notice (with a minimum of 2 hours in advance), so it kind of like having your own personal glam squad on speed dial. Great for bachelorettes and engagement parties, group bookings are also available, and all payments are processed through the app with tips included.
Exclusively on the Apple App Store:
MyRegistry
Building a gift registries with a specific retailers can sometime feel somewhat limiting. Who outfits they’re who home with good from just one store these days? MyRegistry is universal registry service, which allows you to add items from absolutely any online shop of your choosing to your gift list. Along with adding links from online stores, the app includes a barcode scanner to add products on the go when shopping in person. And, you can also register for cash gifts.
Veri by The Knot
While a professional photographer is indispensable on your big day, the candid photos and videos taken from your guests’ perspectives is special, too. Collect the memories easily from everyone with Veri. The app makes it simple to invite guests to join your private event stream via email, Facebook, or text message. Once they’ve giving the app permission, it will instantly and automatically upload any and all photos and videos taken with their smartphone’s regular camera app throughout the day to the app for your save later — no hashtags, manual sending, or effort needed.
Jen Masseau
Jen Masseau is a Toronto-based lifestyle editor, writer and graphic designer. When she's not hunting for the latest trends and obsessing over typography, she's most likely cooking up a new recipe, tending to her ever-growing collection of houseplants, or teaching her dog a new trick.
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