2021 is shaping up to be the year of the wedding. Brides and grooms whose hopes were dashed for 2020 nuptials are getting another chance to say “I do.” Though coronavirus vaccines are rolling out at different speeds across the country, those hoping for a wedding in the next year can finally start making more solid plans. 

If you haven’t already planned your dream wedding and want to get started this year, it’s the perfect time to take advantage of some helpful tech tools that we’ll go over in this blog post. Because let’s face it — even though you think sticky notes and bookmarked pages are enough to plan a wedding, you’ll probably need some help! 

If you feel organized throughout the wedding planning process, you’ll be far less stressed on the day of your wedding. These tips are not only helpful for DIY brides and grooms, but also for wedding planners ramping up their business in 2021. 

Here are six affordable wedding planning tech essentials to get you ready for the big day.

1. A catch-all spreadsheet

The very day you decide you’re getting married, even before you’ve set a date, you should make a spreadsheet. Why? Because over the next few months (or even years!) while you plan your perfect wedding, a ton of information will be coming at you. Venues, caterers, florists, and photographers are only the tip of the iceberg. 

If you’re looking for a multipurpose tool to use throughout the wedding planning process, JotForm is a good cloud-based option to try. JotForm Tables has a convenient wedding planner template that can help you keep track of expenses, vendor contact info, your guest list, and more.

2. An online form builder

Some couples are married to the idea of a physical invitation, which is totally understandable. They’re beautifully designed, they can be a nice keepsake, and who doesn’t love getting a piece of real, non-junk mail nowadays? 

But even if you’re sending out physical invitations instead of digital ones, you should still use an online form to collect your responses. Instead of including the pre-stamped response card that requires you to wait on the USPS to reveal your final guest count, save some money with an online RSVP. 

Include a link to a digital form on your invitation to save you and your guests time. Plus, if you’re already using JotForm for your spreadsheet, you can set up your online form to auto-populate the connected table. This will help you keep tabs on how many guests can attend, track who ordered the beef vs the chicken, and even take song requests! 

If you’re a total data nerd, try JotForm’s Report Builder. You can convert all your guests’ responses into colorful, easy-to-read charts, which is also a great feature for professional wedding planners using JotForm to collect helpful feedback from their clients.

3. A project management app

If you use a project management platform at your day job, you probably already know how essential it is to keeping your goals on track. It only makes sense to use that same method to organize your wedding. After all, this might be the biggest project you ever have to manage on your own. 

Check out free project management tools like Trello or Asana, or if you’re looking for a tool more geared toward weddings, Allseated and Planning Pod are great options for event planning. With a good project management tool, you can keep a bird’s-eye view of all the moving parts of your event. 

And if you’re super tech-savvy, you can even use the app to communicate with others involved with the wedding, like your partner, bridesmaids and groomsmen, or specific vendors.

4. A digital to-do list

Even if you’re planning a low-key minimony, the task list you have to complete before your wedding will be intense. One of the most essential things to let technology handle is the to-do list. Download an app like Todoist as soon as you start planning, and jot down anything that comes to mind in the app. 

Even if you don’t know when you’ll need to complete a particular task, getting it “on paper” will keep it from slipping your mind. Once you get further along in your planning process, start organizing your “to-dos” into projects to make the lists a bit more manageable. 

Another great feature of Todoist is the option to create sub-tasks and even jot down details within each task. If you’re not on board with a full project management app, this might be an easier, more low-key option.

5. Inspiration boards

We all love a good bridal magazine, but the days of having to purchase your inspiration at the newsstand are conveniently over. If you’re not already using Pinterest to plan your dream wedding, it’s time to start now! 

You can use Pinterest to gather inspiration from other pinners but also to create your own pins from images you find around the web. Boards can be categorized to keep everything from dress and bouquet ideas to hair and makeup inspiration all in one place. 

If you need to purchase some accessories, you can also shop at bridal boutiques directly from the Pinterest app. If you’re not a fan of Pinterest, check out alternative visual inspiration apps like Juxtapost and Cutouts, or you can just save posts to different collections on your Instagram.

6. A CRM tool

You might think a customer relationship management (CRM) tool is useful only for large businesses, but small wedding planner businesses can also benefit. If you’ll be planning a number of weddings this year (and we have a hunch you might), this is essential. 

When holding the responsibility of someone’s wedding in your hands, you need to make sure you keep all of their details in one place. A CRM is great for keeping your clients’ and vendors’ contact details and communications organized, but it can also be useful for wedding planners who need to do a bit of marketing to expand their businesses. 

There are a number of free or low-cost CRM tools like Zoho, HubSpot CRM, and Freshworks that can help you keep tabs on your couples and, of course, keep them happy.