Before smartphones were ubiquitous, planning for your big day meant using paper calendars and handwritten to-do lists. But now, getting ready for your wedding is easier than ever thanks to technology.Push notifications remind you to order stationery, schedule your dress fittings, and track down missing RSVPs. YouTube videos can teach you and your partner simple moves so you can nail the first dance. And it's likely your guests will rely on your personal wedding website for all the details.
But which apps are the most reliable in managing all these moving parts? Ahead, we've identified six of the best to help you plan your perfect day.
Appy Couple
Appy Couple isn't free, but it is by far the most customizable app of the bunch. It coordinates with your wedding website, which you can set up through the app or on a computer. The websites come in a variety of seriously beautiful and modern designs, so this is a great choice if you're looking for one that matches your aesthetic vision for the big day. Pricing starts at $39, with additional fees for "luxury" designs.
In terms of planning, Appy Couple helps you manage your guest list (either by manually inputting the names or uploading a spreadsheet) and keep track of RSVPs. The app also offers group messaging for communicating with your bridal party and invitees ahead of the big event. Guests can also upload and view photos directly through the app, so even people who can't make it to your wedding can feel like they were there.
Zola Wedding Registry
If you're planning a wedding, you've no doubt heard that single-store registries are a thing of the past. Universal registries allow you to add items from any website, or create cash funds — basically, they're a lot more flexible.
Zola is one of the most popular among such registries, and while you can access it through your computer, the app makes registering fun thanks to its Tinder-like gift-suggestion tool. Swipe left or right on suggested products to add them to your wish list instantly.
Slack
Slack is a group-messaging program that is taking the corporate world by storm. But as Mashable explains, it can also be really useful for planning a wedding.
Use the app to message other users and share photos, and choose who sees what, so private photos can stay private. It also allows you to sync Google calendars with other users and create reminders for tasks on your to-do list. Mashable also suggests creating a Slack channel for users to make song requests ahead of time, to be shared with your DJ before the big day.
Wedding Party
The Wedding Party app doesn't have a ton of elaborate features — but it's free. And if you already have a wedding website, think of it as a plug-in that enhances the guest experience by enabling people to view and share photos during your event in one convenient place, without needing to search for a hashtag. You can also create photo albums for invitees to view leading up to the big day (finally, a use for those engagement pics!).
Wedding Party also has a group-messaging feature, which allows you to create categories for bridesmaids and groomsmen and easily message your whole bridal party at once. And for guests who are more likely to use an app than type in your wedding-website URL, you can also add links to your gift registries, as well as details about your ceremony and reception.
The Knot
If you're on a tight budget, The Knot's free planning and wedding-website apps are essential. The Wedding Planner app offers checklists of tasks that need to be completed each month leading up to your wedding, while the budget tool helps you stay on track financially.
If you've created your wedding website through The Knot, the Guest List app is an easy way to keep track of invites and RSVPs. Guests can also RSVP directly through your wedding website — though you may still want to send formal invitations and reply cards, since not everyone will opt to go digital.
Pinterest
It wouldn't be a list of the best wedding-planning apps without Pinterest. Although there are a lot more digital wedding-planning tools now than when Pinterest first launched, it still reigns supreme among millennial brides-to-be.
Wedding magazines, floral companies, dress designers, and decor retailers — you'll find them all on Pinterest. And then, there are the boards created by other brides-to-be, which can really help on the inspiration front. Prefer not to display your wedding style publicly? No problem, you can pin to secret boards, too.
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