Say "I Do" to Online Wedding Planning

WeddingWire includes everything from map-based vendor catalogs to drag-and-drop guest seating for the big day. Get ready to get spendy.

A Maryland-based company is trying to make the agonizing process of planning a wedding a little easier by moving it online. Their strategy is pretty simple: connect people who want to spend money with people who want to make money. Of course, WeddingWire calls them “engaged couples” and “wedding vendors,” but there’s $50 billion being spread around annually in the U.S. wedding business, so we understand the importance of being polite.

WeddingWire introduces a number of free features to help couples liberate their savings. SmartMatch allows them to request bids on wedding services with a single click, and a consumer-written rating system combined with a map-based vendor catalog gives couples the lay of the land when it comes to shopping in their area. It even includes planning tools like guest list management, budget tracking, and drag-and-drop guest seating.

“Until now, no solution has taken into consideration the needs of both engaged couples and bridal vendors during the wedding planning process,” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire co-founder and CEO in a statement. “Our goal is to take the pain out of wedding planning and to ensure the couples work with their ideal partners.” No pun intended?