Wedding Planning Software

[BethR]

Hello Disney Brides and Brides to Be!

Our DD was engaged a month and a half ago. She and her DF are going to be married in August of 2009.

Since they both are currently in grad school (there date is based upon when both of them will be done), she is not at home, is busy with school, her date is far away, and she does not feel much "different" being engaged.

I would like to get her some things for Christmas to get her excited to get started on her wedding planning. Someone on the Budget Board suggested that I get her some wedding planning software for her palm pilot and/or her computer.

I was wondering if any of you had any suggestions on what software to purchase?

Also, if any of you have any ideas of what other kinds of gifts I could get for her for Christmas (wedding or wedding planning related), I would love to hear them.

TIA!

Beth

 

[caryndisneydiva]

congratulations on your dd's engagement!

i haven't used any software, i mainly use theknot.com planning scheduler, it is very very detailed...and free!!!

i think that you could get her subscriptions to the bridal mags! also, there are many many many books that you can get for wedding planning...i personally like the antibride guide, but i also like martha stewarts (2 ends of the extreme-i know)! where will she be getting married?

 

[BethR]

Thanks for the congratulations and the suggestions.

I believe that she will be married here in a church that we have been attending for over 20 years. I believe that it will be very traditional.

 

[Kristen14]

How about buying her "something new" for her wedding day? Maybe a pair of nice earrings, a necklace or a bracelet. I would be floored if someone did that for me!

Maybe you could arrange for your DD and her DF to have engagement photos taken! That should make her feel engaged! Maybe there's a friend or family member who enjoys photography who could help you out.

Another tip, I've been living by "Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette" book. It takes a bit of stress out of planning by answering a lot of FAQ... how to decide which guests to invite, how to decide on a budget, invitation wording, etc.

Does your DD enjoy scrapbooking? A few of us have decided to scrapbook all of our wedding plans. Temporarily I've been keeping all my wedding plans in a $2 binder (eventhough I spent $25 on a huge wedding planner binder). I keep every receipt or set of notes neatly organized in my binder. The next time a friend or my sister gets married they'll be able to use my scrapbook to get tips and ideas... things like this from my friends has helped a lot and I've enjoyed making mine!

 

[Tabetha]

I've been using iDo from Elm Software. It's pretty snazzy. It helps you keep track of your budget, timeline, guests, invites, RSVPs, gifts, thank you cards, generates a bunch of different reports... it's great.

http://www.elmsoftware.com/

Good luck!

 

[lurkyloo]

I highly recommend the book "Bridal Bargains" by Denise and Alan Fields. It also has a companion wedding planner, if you want to get her a set. It exposes all the bridal industry ripoffs and tells you how to get the most bang for your buck on every aspect of the wedding, from the location to catering to the dress. It saved me $800 on my dress alone!

 

[helloirishkitty]

Aww, you are such a sweet mom!

I got engaged in October, and my mom made me a basket of different things. There were two Cd's (Disney Fairytale Weddings and Disney Love Songs), a pair of blue boyshorts that said "Mrs. DF's Last Name" and the Martha Stewart wedding planner (which I haven't used yet ). It was so excited because she hadn't seen me since before my engagement (she lives in Ireland) and it really got me in the mood. I'm also in grad school, and planning for February 2009, two months after I finish.

I just bought Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette book and Bridal Bargains this weekend. I recommend them because I really needed a course on Wedding Planning 101 and they're helping a lot!

Congrats to your DD!

 

[BethR]

Thanks for your help everyone!