5 Free Apps to Help You Plan Your Wedding

I spent way more money on my wedding than I had intended.

It’s hard not to! Putting on a full-fledged wedding involves much more than choosing a venue and ordering a cake. There are seemingly countless steps involved, and unfortunately, most of them require putting down a little cash.

And you’ll spend significantly more if you hire a wedding planner to make the process easier.

But you don’t need to pay extra to get a little help along the way. There are plenty of free smartphone apps that will guide you in making your wedding everything you want it to be.

Doesn’t that sound nice? Something wedding related you don’t have to pay for! In “Father of the Bride,” George Banks says it best: “Finally, something’s free!”

1. Wedding Planner by The Knot

You may already know The Knot as the company that creates amazing wedding websites. Well, good news — they also have an app! Now you can do it all from your phone instead of waiting until you’re in front of your computer.

Wedding Planner by The Knot is an all-in-one planning app for people who want help with each step of the monumental wedding-planning process.

Want help sticking to a wedding budget? Maybe you’re looking for a simple place to store and organize your guest list. Or you want recommendations for a venue, photographer or makeup artist.

And, of course, you can edit the wedding website you’ve created with The Knot through the app.

Wedding Planner by The Knot is available for iOS and Android devices.

However, if you only want help with one or two specific aspects of wedding planning, one of the following apps may be more to your liking.

2. WeddingHappy

I’m not a great event planner. In fact, when my husband and I decided to get married, I wasn’t that nervous about dedicating my life to someone else forever. I was freaking out about planning such a huge event, aka the wedding.

I wish I had known about WeddingHappy back then.

You simply download WeddingHappy and enter your wedding date. The app then customizes a schedule and to-do list based on the date of your big day. This way, you’ll know if you’re on schedule and what you need to do next.

Don’t worry, though! If you want to change any of the dates, you have the freedom to do so. You’re not married to the schedule. (See what I did there?)

WeddingHappy even tracks when all your deposits and payments are due and which ones you’ve already taken care of. This feature is a lifesaver, because getting all your payments in on time can be a huge stressor for disorganized people like me!

WeddingHappy is available for iOS and Android devices.

3. WeddingWire

While WeddingWire can be used as an all-in-one wedding planning app, its strongest feature, in my opinion, is its vendor search.

When planning a wedding, you have to make a lot of big decisions. Who will be your photographer? Do you also want a videographer? Should you have one person do both hair and makeup, or should you hire separate people for each task? What about flowers?

WeddingWire searches for all these types of vendors near you then presents their prices and availability.

Still looking for a ceremony or reception venue? This app gives you 3D tours. That way, you don’t waste time on an in-person tour of a venue you end up hating.

You can download WeddingWire to your iOS or Android device.

4. Wedding Dress LookBook by The Knot

The Knot does it again.

One of the biggest undertakings is deciding what everyone will wear on the big day. The wedding dress LookBook app by The Knot is strictly for planning the aesthetics of your wedding.

Yes, you can browse wedding gown styles — but it’s more than that. You can also use the app to browse stores that carry the styles or designers you want to wear.

Use the wedding dress LookBook to browse fashion for the groom, flower girl, bridesmaids, mother of the bride… the list goes on. You can also search for wedding ring styles.

LookBook is available for iOS and Android devices.

5. Zola Registry + Weddings

The Zola Registry + Weddings app can be used to create a wedding website, keep track of your RSVPs and work on your wedding checklist. But its registry feature is what makes Zola stand out from other wedding planning apps.

When I got married, I felt limited by registering for gifts only at Bed Bath & Beyond and Target.

Using Zola, you can peruse gifts from multiple brands, such as KitchenAid, Sonos and even Delta. You can even ask your designated personal assistant on the app for advice.

My favorite part? Blender.

Zola’s site describes Blender as “a Tinder-like feature.” You scroll through recommended items and choose which ones you want to register for. For some of us, the rush from shopping is just as thrilling as the rush from dating!

Your guests don’t even need to download the app to access your registry. All they have to do is hop on their computer and access your list on the Zola website.

Zola Registry + Weddings is available for your iOS and Android device.

With these apps on hand, you basically have your own wedding planner — at no cost to you! Planning your wedding just became a little more manageable and a lot more affordable.

Laura Grace Tarpley is a freelance writer and the editor for the travel blog FluentU. Follow her on Twitter @lgtarpley.