4 Hacks to Make Wedding Planning Easier

Bringing your lives together, celebrating your love, and doing it all while juggling the thoughts and feelings of loved ones—wedding planning can be a lot. Luckily, there are ways to cut through the clutter. Read on to learn how to make planning your wedding easier, faster, and more fun.

A Solid Foundation

Before the process begins, considering sitting down together to get on the same page and establish some expectations. Important questions to ask might include:

• What will each of you be responsible for?
• What are your must-haves?
• What are your dealbreakers?
• Where do you want your budget to go?

This exercise will not only help you two get organized, but also lay an important framework for faster decision-making later on. And, when the peanut gallery inevitably chimes in with opinions, you’ll be on the same page about what you’re open to changing, and what you’re not.

If you’re having a wedding party, consider sitting down with them, too. While they might be thrilled to be your VIPs, they’re also probably wondering about your expectations. Who should take on what responsibilities, if any? Will there be a bach party, and, if so, who should plan it? Is someone considered the leader of the group? Discussing this information now can prevent misunderstanding and drama down the line.

Let Guests Do the Work for You

Before you get the wrong idea, no, this isn’t about forcing guests to unload your rental furniture. Rather, it’s about using smart tools to lessen the burden on yourselves in ways you might not have considered. Sound enticing?

Take addressing, for instance. Dreading all the awkward “can I get your address?” conversations? Enter: Zola’s Super Link. Not all heroes wear capes, and this one’s certainly coming to your rescue. With only a few clicks, you can send a personalized link, complete with a photo and message, through text, email, or DM. Guests give their contact information through the included form—because why should you have to fish for addresses yourself?

Giving guests the ability to answer their own questions will save you loads of time, too. Your wedding website is a one-stop-shop for sharing wedding details, FAQs, important updates, and more. It can also be a great way to introduce your theme or color palette early on—on Zola, for example, you can match your website design to your save the dates and invitations.

Get in Sync

Nothing eats up time like having to enter the same information in multiple places. Say goodbye to repetitive tasks by centralizing all your planning on a single platform. On Zola, for instance, every tool works together. Add something once, and it will appear everywhere else it should be, too. Remember those addresses guests submitted? Zola will automatically add everyone who responds to your Zola guest list (along with their addresses, of course). Later on in the game, this same guest list can be used to address your envelopes, create seating charts, and more.

As discussed above, a home base isn’t just useful for you, however—it’s equally important to create one for guests. If your guests are already coming to your wedding website to learn about your wedding and answer their questions, why not make it multi-functional? On Zola, guests can also RSVP and shop your registry directly on your website.

Plan Some Time Off, Too

In the shuffle of making decisions and building toward the big day, it can be easy to forget that your wedding is ultimately about celebrating the two of you. Taking time off from planning gives you both time to process this moment in your lives, enjoy each other’s company, and put everything into perspective. A break can be as simple as heading to a romantic dinner after touring a venue, or banning all “wedding talk” for one day each week. When you do get back to it, you’ll be recharged and ready to get a move on all the fun that lies your way.