It’s less than 100 days away and I’m way more into planning our wedding than my fiance. Last night she said she’d elope if given a mulligan. Not me. Maybe it’s the food tastings or the thought of my closest friends and family at an open bar, or maybe I’m still secretly relieved she accepted my proposal without laughing, but I can’t wait. Even if you’re less excited, there are some responsibilities that no groom-to-be should overlook. There are many apps for any stage of your marriage plans including a few I wish I’d known about sooner.
For the proposal
Don’t know the first thing about rings? You’re not alone. Fortunately, Go Diamonds ($4.99) features diamond details with photo illustrations so you can drop that mystified stare when the jewelry-store clerk starts rambling about facets and pavilion depth. To top it off, a pricing calculator helps you build your own diamond and price it against market-based data that are updated weekly.
Next, the ask. Rest assured, the story of how you proposed will only get repeated hundreds of times over the next couple days. No pressure. If you need a little help, turn to Proposal Will You Marry Me? (99 cents), which pops the question for you over an image of an open ring box and background fireworks. Another, iPropose (99 cents), features a picture of a wedding cake with “Will you marry me?” written across the top of the screen. At the bottom are two “Yes” and “No” buttons, which remind me of the “Do you like me?” notes we used to pass in grade school – minus the “Maybe” option. Not the most personal choice, but it’s good to know your options.
For wedding plans
Starting a countdown app as soon as possible probably won’t prevent procrastination, but it’s worth a try. Wedding Day (99 cents) breaks down your remaining singlehood into months, days, hours, minutes and seconds. All you’re really paying for is the silhouetted bride and groom background. I recommend saving the dollar and uploading your own photo into a free app like Big Day Lite for a customized countdown to any date you select. Both apps will keep counting even after your wedding and prove helpful for remembering anniversaries.
Ranking your friends and telling your mom she can’t invite her second cousin is no walk in the park. Still, Guest List RSVP (99 cents) helps soften the blow by tracking whom you invited and whether they’re attending. It also keeps track of your budget per person and shows you when you go over your max. Track all your expenses with Wedding Budget (99 cents), an organizational app that I can’t recommend highly enough. It keeps track of all your wedding expenses by category and calculates the total so you don’t forget anything – it’s also good for knowing whether you’ll need a second job when you return from the honeymoon.
After the big day
Ah, the honeymoon. If you’re up for an adventure but don’t know where to go, it wouldn’t hurt to spend the $2.99 on Travel Guide 3. Its short articles cover a wide range of domestic and international destinations you might never have considered, like “Christmas in Cusco, Peru” or “Latvia: An Undiscovered Paradise.”
And since you’ll be running around at the last minute finalizing all the wedding plans, it’s worth your sanity to download GlobeJot ($7.99), a travel-organizer and trip-planner app that keeps track of your flight and hotel reservation. It also includes a packing checklists and activity planners for, well, never mind.
