Planning a wedding can be a daunting task that requires a lot of time, effort, and organisation. With over 300 hours required on average to plan a wedding, it's important to stay on top of everything to avoid becoming overwhelmed. Luckily, there are various tools available to help you stay organised and plan your dream wedding with ease. In this article, I'll share six essential tools that every couple should use to plan their big day.

Entourage: Leverage Your Network

Your network can be a valuable resource when it comes to wedding planning. Reach out to newlywed couples and ask for feedback on what was worth it and what wasn't. Find out which vendors they loved and consider asking the host of a wedding or event for the details of vendors that you particularly enjoyed. Don't be afraid to ask around to see if anyone in your network knows of any professional vendors or is a vendor themselves. Avoid going straight to Google and instead trust the recommendations of those you know and trust.

Calendar: Don’t forget a deadline

Deadlines, meetings, and vendor coordination can all quickly become overwhelming without a clear system in place. Use a digital or physical calendar, or both, to help you stay organised. Online options like Google Calendar can be particularly helpful as they allow you to easily coordinate with your partner, wedding planner, and other vendors.

Dedicated Email: Avoid Clutter

Create a dedicated email address for all wedding-related correspondence to avoid cluttering your personal email. You'll be subscribing to newsletters, giving your details to vendors online or at wedding shows, and asking for quotes. Keep everything in one place and use a platform like Gmail, which also allows you to utilise other helpful tools linked to your account.

On most platforms, it’s free to create a new email account.

Dedicated bank account: Spend wisely

Having a dedicated bank account for your wedding expenses is a smart move to help you stay organised and avoid overspending. By opening a current account specifically for your wedding, you can transfer all the funds allocated for your big day and keep track of your spending easily. This way, you can ensure that your wedding expenses won't interfere with your other financial needs. By making all your payments from this account, you'll have a clear understanding of your expenses and avoid any surprises along the way. Overall, having a dedicated bank account will help you stay on top of your finances and make your wedding planning process more streamlined.

Social Media: Get Inspired

Social media can be a great tool for inspiration during the design phase of wedding planning. Use for example Pinterest to help you visualise the design ideas you have in mind.

Social media is a great tool to find vendors, particularly if you're planning a destination wedding. However, it's important not to get carried away by images and to remember that your wedding will be unique to you. Don't create an unrealistic illusion that may not be feasible within your budget, season, or location.

Wedding Website: Share Important Information with Your Guests

Once you've figured out the details of your wedding, consider creating a wedding website to share important information with your guests. This can be particularly helpful for out-of-town guests, allowing them to access information on accommodation, travel, and things to do in the area. You can also use your website for RSVPs and to share your registry.

What I love also to put on couples’ website are

• More detailed itineraries than on invites

• Accommodation / hotels near main venue

• Activities to do in or around town for out-of-town guests

• Travel info: airports and transfer

• Immigration laws and links to government website for visas

You can use free wedding website builders such as With Joy (link), Minted (link), or The Knot (link).

Wedding bible: Stay organised

The wedding bible is the backbone of your wedding planning process. It's where all your files, information, and inspiration come together to create the perfect day. To keep all your planning and design in one place, it's important to mix physical binders and online folders. This will ensure that you have access to everything you need, no matter where you are.

Within your wedding bible, you should create folders and subfolders to organise your information. Some key components that you should include in your wedding bible are:

• Retro-planning: A checklist of all tasks to complete, allocated by month until the final day. This will help you stay on track and make sure that you don't miss any important deadlines.

• Budget tracker: An estimated and actual costs tracker, payment details, and deadlines. This will help you stay within your budget and avoid overspending.

• Guest list tracker: Guest count, RSVP, menu choices, number of children, etc. This will help you keep track of your guests and ensure that everyone is accounted for.

• Design folder: Mood board, colour palette, design choices, etc. This will help you keep all your design ideas in one place and ensure that you have a cohesive look and feel for your wedding.

• Vendors: Comparison tables, final choices, signed contracts. This will help you keep track of all your vendors and ensure that you have everything you need to make your day perfect.

• Accommodation: Information about where your guests will be staying, including hotels and other accommodation options.

• Notes: Any other important notes, ideas, or thoughts that you want to remember.

Having a wedding bible means that you can hand over your planning to anyone, and they should be able to understand what needs to be done, by whom and when. So, make sure to create a wedding bible and keep all your files in one place for a stress-free wedding planning process.

When working with clients, I set up a personalised Client portal hosted on Google Drive. We use Google Docs, Excel and Powerpoint so it’s pretty easy and straightforward to use. There, they have full access to all these documents and follow the planning progress without having to email me constantly. 

Organising your dream wedding can be a delightful experience with the right tools at hand. Implement the six essential tools suggested to keep yourself on track and minimise stress. Make use of your network, maintain a calendar, set up a specialised email, draw inspiration from social media, create a wedding website to communicate important details to guests and build a wedding bible. By following these tips, you can make your wedding planning process more manageable and enjoyable, and bring your dream wedding to life.