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Wedding Planning Tools

Wedding Planning Apps, Books & Tools for Brides

Wedding planning: fun, exciting, oh-so hectic. Most of us would jump at the chance of having a wedding planner but, sometimes, that’s just not an option. The great thing? Nowadays you don’t have to spend any of your big-day-budget on a planner if you don’t want to. There are countless ways and options for brides-to-be to stay organised and have a virtual planner right in your back pocket with best-of-the-best wedding planning apps. In 2020, there are so many easy, incredible ways to make wedding planning stress free and enjoyable. So if you’re a wedding planning spreadsheet fanatic, we have even better ways for you to stay organised and on top of everything. 

What are the best wedding planning tools? The best wedding planning book for the bride? We’re breaking it all down for you. For both iOS and Android lovers, our busy brides-on-the-go can rely on simple, easy, super helpful wedding planning apps and forego that wedding planning excel spreadsheet that can become all too overwhelming all too quickly.

Index

For overall inspiration — Pinterest

For overall planning — WeddingHappy & Bridebook

For extensive to-do lists — Trello (Free) & Evernote (Free for the basic plan)

For creating your wedding website — Joy (Free) Zola (Free) & Wix (Requires a subscription fee)

For wedding venue inspo — Venue Report (Free) & Wedshed (Free)

For keeping your vendors organised — The Knot (Free)

For budgeting — Mint (Free)

For pinpointing your exact colour scheme — Pantone Studio (Free to download. $4.99/month or $29.99/year. All subscriptions have a free trial)

For invites and save the dates — The Distillery (Free to use) Minted (Free to use) & Paperless Post (Free for some options)

For your registry — Zola (Free to register and use)

For getting the honeymoon of dreams — Honeyfund (Free to register and use)

For hotel blocks — Hotel Planner (Free)

For seating charts — Allseated (Free)

For all the little personal touches — Etsy (Free to use)

Physical books

Karen Willis Holmes Pinterest Page

For overall inspiration — Pinterest (Free)

How could we not start with one of the most used, best wedding planning tools? Of course, it’s Pinterest. If you’re frantically Googling “Plan your wedding app” and desperately looking for inspo and a way to make your vision come to life, Pinterest is not only a great place to start, but also a way to create moodboards for referencing back throughout your planning process. Since you can organise multiple different boards in all sorts of categories that you create and personalise with your vision, it’s a custom wedding tool that will help you remember all those little details you want to draw inspiration from throughout your planning.

Check out Pinterest online

Download the Pinterest app for iOS or Android

WeddingHappy and Bridebook Interface

For overall planning — WeddingHappy (Free) & Bridebook (Free)

We love WeddingHappy or Bridebook for overall planning. Both of these are secret-weapon, online wedding planning tools to help you stay on track. For an all-inclusive wedding planning app, these will help you create tasks and visualise your to-do’s. With sections for list making, budgeting, guest list manager and expert tips, either of these beauties are a staple for any savvy bride-to-be.

Check out WeddingHappy & Bridebook online.

Download the WeddingHappy app for iOS or Android

Download the Bridebook app for iOS or Android

Trello and Evernote planning service

For extensive to-do lists — Trello (Free) & Evernote (Free for the basic plan)

If you’re solely a lover of spreadsheets and checklists, searching for a wedding planning checklist app, and want to forego the other bits and pieces that may be unnecessary for you, Trello and Evernote are clear, concise and functional. Our task-management loving brides adore the calendar functions, easy-to-use list making and the ability to sync up with multiple devices (for those times when you’re shifting tasks back and forth between you and your fiancée.)

Check out Trello and Evernote online

Download the Trello app for iOS or Android

Download the Evernote app for iOS or Android

WithJoy and Zola website builders

For creating your wedding website — Joy (Free) Zola (Free) & Wix (Requires a subscription fee)

One of the easiest and most fun first steps while wedding planning is creating your wedding website. Joy, Zola and Wix are some fabulous options for you and your fiancée to show off your personal style and set the tone for your wedding. From keeping your info organised, letting your guests know important updates, keeping simple links to your registry and even having guests RSVP all in one place, having a wedding website helps to keep the process of planning seamless and streamlined.

Visit the Joy website creator

Visit the Zola website creator

Visit the Wix website creator

Venue Report and WedShed wedding planning services

For wedding venue inspo — Venue Report (Free) & Wedshed (Free)

Search by venue type, guest count, budget and more with Venue Report and Wedshed. These handy tool are incredible wedding planning apps for when you finally sit down to make your first big decision: where will your wedding be? By having all of your options listed in front of you for locations and hotels, it becomes exciting and easy. Venue Report and Wedshed take the work out of finding the perfect place to say “I Do.” Wedding planning is a visual thing; just searching the web for different venues can lead to countless tabs open and a confusing result. Save yourself the struggle and have it all mapped out for you in one clear place. Bonus* Wedshed also helps you find incredible Australian and New Zealand wedding vendors too!

Visit the Venue Report website

Visit the Wedshed website

The Knot wedding planning service

For keeping your vendors organised — The Knot (Free)

Once you’ve booked your venue and are on the hunt for your other wedding vendors (photographer, florist, DJ, band etc.) it’s super helpful to search for your exact aesthetic all in one spot. The Knot is one of the greatest planning apps to do just that. Imagine, having real reviews and feedback and side by side comparisons of all the pieces you need to pull together all in one spot. A dream for sure.

Check out The Knot website

Download the The Knot app for iOS or Android

The Mint budgeting service interface

For budgeting — Mint (Free)

When planning, it’s easy to get carried away. Someone might causally mention something offhand that was a feature at their cousins’ wedding that you now simply need and then – bam – you’re hundreds of dollars off your wedding budget. Mint is one of the best wedding planning tools when it comes to budgeting. Track your spending, set limits and stay on track with this user friendly guide that’ll help you keep yourself in check.

Check out the Mint website

Download the Mint app for iOS or Android

Pantone Studio colour inspiration interface

For pinpointing your exact colour scheme — Pantone Studio (Free to download. $4.99/month or $29.99/year. All subscriptions have a free trial)

Time for the fun bit! Colour schemes. As exciting as it can be, it can get confusing. Our best advice? Build a board of your favourite weddings on Pinterest. From there, you’re bound to see a visual theme occur. Pop your favourite aesthetics into Pantone Studio and this handy app will highlight and tell you exactly what Colour you’re loving when it can sometimes be hard to put your finger on yourself.

Download the Pantone Studio app for iOS

The Distillery and Minted invitation and stationery website

For invites and save the dates — The Distillery (Free to use) Minted (Free to use) & Paperless Post (Free for some options)

The Distillery and Minted make beautiful, high quality stationary for weddings at any budget. It’s so easy to choose your designs and figure out your style when your options are all laid out for you in one spot. Seeing a preview example of what your invite will look like takes the stress out of picking your paper goods for the lead up to your wedding day too. Your save the dates and invites are the first things your guests will see of your wedding, so it’s important to set the tone and make something that feels like you. Going paperless? We love Paperless Post for custom, beautiful E-vites that still look put together.

Visit the The Distillery website

Visit the Minted website

Download the Paperless Post app for iOS or Android

Zola Wedding Registry service interface

For your registry — Zola (Free to register and use)

Zola makes wedding registries simple. (And they have planning features now, too!) Creating a simplified registry takes the guesswork out of gift shopping for your guests and there are oh-so many beautiful items to get inspiration from on their user friendly website.

Check out the Zola website

Download the Zola app for iOS or Android

Honeyfund wedding registry service interface

For getting the honeymoon of dreams — Honeyfund (Free to register and use)

Not going the traditional route with a registry? Sometimes, the perfect gift someone can get you is contributing to an unforgettable honeymoon. Honeyfund ensures your guests will give you a once-in-a-lifetime gift and an experience you’ll never forget. They can purchase activities for your honeymoon, or contribute to the trip itself. When planning your wedding, it’s important to plan for after the wedding too!

Check out the Honeyfund website

Download the Honeyfund app for IOS

Hotel planner service interface

For hotel blocks — Hotel Planner (Free)

Having a destination wedding? If hotel blocks have you feeling stressed, fret no more. Hotel Planner makes reserving blocks for all of your guests hassle free and lets you compare all of your options in one spot. It’s one of the best wedding planning tools to let you view your choices side-by-side and saves you the trouble of make a dozen calls or research multiple locations.

Check out the Hotel Planner website

Download the Hotel Planner app for iOS or Android

Allseated service interface

For seating charts — Allseated (Free)

We can’t get enough of Allseated. Organising your guest list and seating arrangements has seriously never been easier. No more little doodles with barely discernible names scribbled down. With this wedding seating plan app, you can design your actual space online and see the exact layout of all of your guests and seating.

Check out the Allseated website

Download the Allseated app for iOS or Android

Etsy market interface

For all the little personal touches — Etsy (Free to use)

How could we not mention Etsy? Stress free planning means a place where you can see so many beautiful options for bridesmaids gifts, wedding favours, and get stunningly handmade, custom touches for your big day.

Check out the Etsy website

Download the Etsy app for iOS or Android

Hello May, Ivory Tribe and Together Journal's Wedding Planning books

Physical books

So, we’ve given you the rundown of all our online/app faves. But are you more of a hold-it-in-your-hands kind of person? So many of us prefer a physical list and writing things down to an electronic version for staying on track. Not only that, but a physical book makes for a beautiful memory and a wonderful keepsake for looking back on your wedding day.

Our 3 favourite wedding blogs each have planners that we know mean serious business for getting the job done! Hello May’s ‘The Little Book of Let’s Get Sh** Done’, Ivory Tribe’s ‘Bride Business and Pocket Planner’ and Together Journal’s collab with The Organised Life’s Wedding Planner. We truly find these to be the best wedding planning books for the bride.

So if you’re searching for a plan your wedding book, these three are not only helpful wedding planning tools, but will create wonderful memories too.

Check out Hello May’s The Little Book of Let’s Get Sh** Done

Ivory Tribe’s Bride Business and Pocket Planner

Together Journal’s collab with The Organised Life’s Wedding Planner.

Parting Words

Navigating the big world of wedding planning can be hard at times, but if you use the tools that are right for you, your wedding and your personality it can be a great process and you’re sure to stay on track with no trouble at all. The tools available will help you stay organised and make the whole planning experience enjoyable and a time that creates beautiful, happy memories.

While you’re happily planning, don’t forget to check out our helpful intro into wedding dress shopping where we break down bridal terms and key you in to the best types of gowns for you, and come see us, we’d love to help you find your dream gown! 

Suppliers:

Pinterest / WeddingHappy / Bridebook / Trello / Evernote / With Joy / Zola / Wix / Venue Report / WedShed / The Knot / Mint / Pantone Studio / The Distillery / Minted / Honeyfund / Hotel Planner / Allseated / Etsy / The Little White Book Organiser / My Little Wedding Book


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