Industry experts share their top tools and tips for ensuring your family and friends are all on the same page.
By: Meghan Ely
Photo: Halie Child Photography
You're officially engaged — congrats! The exciting part of planning is officially here, and with that comes deciding who you'll want to stand beside you at the altar on your big day. Regardless of how long your engagement will be or how large your wedding party is, communicating effectively and efficiently with everyone is going to be a major factor as you inch closer to your wedding.
"WhatsApp is one of my favorite communication tools for several reasons. I like that it can automatically find contacts in my phonebook and makes it easy to initiate group chats. I like being able to give a group a unique identifier name; it's a fun way to keep track of the folks that are in each group. The other thing I like about it is that WhatsApp doesn't compress photos. When sending images, I can be assured that each of the recipients is getting the full resolution file. This isn't the case for other tools such as iMessage." —McKenzi Taylor, Cactus Collective Wedding
"Pinterest is another great form of communication for a wedding party, though not in the traditional way of messaging. Instead, couples will use Pinterest to set style guidelines of how they want their wedding party to dress. For example, a bride may create a vision board of bridesmaid dresses and accessories for their bridesmaids to use as a guide when purchasing their attire. This is especially helpful when the bride wants her bridesmaids to dress in more of a color or pattern palette rather than one color. Pinterest can be used beyond the wedding day, too. The couples may make a vision board for their bachelor/bachelorette parties, bridal showers, etc." —Kristen Gosselin, KG Events & Design
"Notion is another great tool, especially for organizing the planning process with your group. It's ideal for style inspiration, group budgets, and delegating tasks to people helping with your wedding day. There are tons of helpful templates that make it easy to customize and streamline communication and stay organized behind the scenes." —Michelle Jackson, Bambino International
"For the financials and spending, I love Splitwise. Everyone can input their expenses, and at the end of it, you can click 'Simplify' and the app will help consolidate and simplify who owes who!" —Nicole Chan, Nicole Chan Photo & Video
"I love a Google form/questionnaire to gather information from the wedding party. This is especially helpful when planning bachelor/bachelorette trips and attire sizing. These can be as in-depth as the [couple] wishes, which may even include attire sizing, dietary preferences, song requests, or a simple poll that only addresses which weekend would work best for a pre-wedding trip." —Liney Castle, Twickenham House
"Use a live document such as Google Sheets to showcase all critical information leading up to your wedding, such as special events leading up to the wedding, when to arrive, what to wear, hair and makeup schedule, etc. Be sure to share this sheet as 'view only' to the wedding party, and consider making your planner/day-of coordinator an editor to this document. On your wedding day, you likely won't have your phone on you! Have a close friend in your wedding party keep your phone with them close by, so you always know where it is in case you need it for any reason." —Nicole Back, nicole&photo
“While text messaging is something that will likely happen a lot in the weeks leading up to the wedding, try to avoid starting any group text messages too early on, so you don't create an information overload, which can lead to lessened attention to this type of communication down the road. Overall, it is about finding balance, where you effectively and efficiently communicate with the wedding party, and avoid constantly inundating them with wedding details, which can turn a happy and exciting topic into something rather annoying." —Kelley Nudo, Momental Designs
"Keep in mind that even if you choose one platform, don't assume everyone stays on top of it. Some people stick to email only, while others mute group chats altogether. To avoid slipping through the cracks, send important updates like schedule changes or attire deadlines in a direct message or follow-up email.” —Mary Angelini, Key Moment Films
Keeping your wedding party organized might seem overwhelming (just as it may be overwhelming for them), but having tech on your side can be an incredible help with timing and providing transparency when it comes to pre-wedding activities. Remember that your wedding party will likely have other distractions, but providing clear communication will keep everyone in the loop and on task!
Meghan Ely is the founder of OFD Consulting, a public relations agency specializing in publicity, speaking engagements, and thought leadership for wedding and event professionals. She also leads the OFD Collective, a PR membership community for industry pros.
