Whether small and intimate or big and bombastic, weddings can be beautiful experiences steeped in the commitment of love and throwing a banging party to celebrate such. And, as I’ve learned over the last year, they are also an incredible source of stress and work to plan and hold.
The process of finding the right venue, vendors, decor and everything else can send the heartiest constitution into at least one tailspin leading up to the big day, but there are plenty of apps out there, specific to weddings or not, that help streamline all those tasks. At the risk of turning my own wedding into content, here are some of the best options available.
The Knot, Joy and Zola
All three of these apps have developed huge names as wedding planning became a far more online experience, and all three offer similar options as all-in-one services. These apps have everything from to-do lists, wedding website setup, vendor directories and so much more, so choosing which to use comes down to users’ specific desires. If your wedding registry is of major focus, Zola is your best bet. The Knot has extensive venue options (including LGBTQ-friendly designations) and Joy has the most intuitive wedding website builder.
The only place where all three fall flat, along with the wedding industry as a whole, is the lack of gender-neutral language. “Bride’ and “Groom” are the only options available, which continues the extensive heteronormative tradition found in the wedding business, so non-binary couples will definitely find some frustration there. Otherwise, all are great options.
Airtable
It is crucial to create a space where all of your planning information can be easily accessible to everyone involved in putting the event together. Airtable is used mostly for project planning, but its calendar and spreadsheet tools are perfect for wedding planning as a group. While sites like those mentioned above are great for couples, when adding coordinators, wedding party members and family into the mix, it gets complicated. Airtable simplifies that process and packs in more data protections than wedding-specific planning apps.
Discord
Y’all, Discord has been a lifesaver during the process of planning my wedding. The platform usually associated with videogame communities and crypto enthusiast groups is well built for letting groups of people centralize communication in one place and segment topics into separate channels for better organization. Its video call platform is also great for meetings without having to utilize a separate video conferencing service.
Minted
Minted boasts a wide array of options for wedding invitations, save the dates, thank you notes and any other paper-based need for your nuptials. Much of what it houses is customizable, letting users build out items that speak directly to them and their celebration.
Etsy
There are a lot of elements, large and minute, that go into decorating both the ceremony and reception for any wedding. Etsy may feel a bit basic at this point, but it hosts a large number of artists and designers that offer decor items that can enhance any style of wedding you want to throw. Perusing its options can also provide inspiration for ideas you may want to tackle yourself similar to an app like Pinterest, but having those same items available for purchase elevates it.
The Guest
The Guest falls under The Knot’s umbrella of apps, but it is perhaps the best wedding-specific photo-sharing app out there today. The app lets wedding guests sync their photos and videos into one distinct portfolio housed in the app so anyone with access can view those captured special moments in seconds. The entire album can be downloaded while couples wait for their professional photos to arrive and users who aren’t able to attend can log in and view the images from anywhere, letting your special day become accessible to anyone special in your life.