Technology is an inseparable part of our lives. We often think of ways we can use it to simplify work, home life and leisure, so it’s no surprise that engaged couples harness technology for all aspects of wedding planning. Couples have moved beyond basic wedding websites and using Yelp! to scope out potential vendors, and Pinterest is already a top planning resource. Meanwhile, other high-tech tools are taking center stage to help mind the details, hire help, and pay for that special day.
Mobilize With Organization Tools
Let’s face it: Planning your wedding is a project. That’s why some couples purposely turn to management, collaboration and information-collecting high-tech applications to organize their nuptials. For example, Evernote allows users to create individual “notebooks,” write notes, create task lists, clip photos and articles from the web, archive information and even set reminders. Meanwhile, others turn to nuptial-specific tools such as Wedding Wire Canada, described by CBC writer Katrina Clarke as a free service that helps couples locate vendors, discover décor and style ideas, plan a budget, and create to-do lists. You’ll want to make sure that your desired planning app supports Canadian users, but you should also evaluate several other factors:
- Functionality and ease of use
- Support for multiple media types such as text, photos and video
- Available storage space for saves and uploads
- Ability to share access with other users
- Cost for usage and pricing plans
Wedding Websites That Help You Plan
Couple-created wedding websites originated in the late 1990s. Some designed their own homegrown versions and published them on free hosting providers and independent ISP accounts. Meanwhile, TheKnot and other purveyors of nuptial planning advice debuted their own free website services alongside gift registries, budgeting utilities and online planners.
Personal wedding websites have come a long way in the last two decades. Besides supplying information about your event and allowing you to show off cutesy engagement photos, modern high-tech versions offer standard planning tools and advanced features such as online invitations, RSVP tracking, guest management and social media integration. Many, such as Zola and Joy, also provide visual matching between your website and your invitations so that the two share the same look and feel. Writing for Woman Getting Married, Lindsey Goldberg Jones lists and describes key features of the most popular services available.
Money Matters: Budgeting With Apps
If your favorite high-tech app doesn’t involve budget capabilities and expense tracking, it might be wise to add one to your arsenal. In a 2017 Brides article, contributor Molly E. McHugh revealed that money-management utilities such as Mint can be used to budget your event. Although it’s not wedding-specific, Mint permits Canadian users to detail spending plans, log expenses and submit payments to vendors.
High-tech Apps for Hiring Helping Hands
You and your partner can only do so much, so you might benefit from outsourcing services for all those extra wedding-related tasks. In a 2016 write-up, Medium contributor Sarah Schacht discloses her go-to tools. For instance, FancyHands is a United States subscription service that provides English-speaking assistants to perform tasks such as reservations, quotes, appointment scheduling or basic information gathering. AskforTask is a Canadian service that allows you to delegate small jobs such as decoration and setup for your event.
If you’re getting married, you might feel swamped by all the details involved. Couples used pen and paper in the past to keep track of essentials and minutiae, but both newbies and the tech-savvy can take advantage of new and emerging wedding planning apps. At the same time, popular productivity favorites can also be repurposed in new ways. Either way, you’ve got many high-tech possibilities right at your fingertips to help you pull your wedding together.