The 10 Best Apps for Newly Engaged Couples

Engagement season is upon us. The Atlantic cited WeddingWire findings that found 33% of engagements happen between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. Must be something in the air. Or the eggnog. Probably the eggnog.

Of course, getting engaged is an amazing moment in your life. You and your partner get to plan the rest of your lives together. But it can also be stressful and overwhelming. In a recent study by Zola, 96% of engaged and newlywed couples called we­dding planning stressful, with close to half saying it was “very” or “extremely” stressful. In fact, many described it as more stressful than public speaking and buying a home.

Luckily, I have some ideas to save you stress, time, and money. Here are the 10 best apps for newly engaged couples.

1. Google Sheets to get organized

First thing’s first. You’ll probably have lots of spreadsheets organizing your guest list, venue and catering options, vendors, and budgets for all of them. You’ll definitely want to share those spreadsheets with your partner.

That’s where Google Sheets comes in handy. You can easily create and share those spreadsheets with your partner and can even edit them at the same time. #technologyiscool And when inspiration inevitably strikes while you’re away from your computer, you can edit your spreadsheets from your phone.

2. Paperless Post for save the dates and invitations


Sending save the dates and wedding invitations can be really expensive and time consuming. If you do it the old-fashioned way, you’ll need to collect lots of mailing addresses, lick an aggressive amount of stamps and envelopes, and collect all of the responses somewhere.

Paperless Post can simplify that process by letting you do it all online. It’s cheaper and saves you time. No need to collect everyone’s address, since you probably have most of the emails you need. You’ll know who’s in and who’s out sooner because people can respond with a couple of clicks. And all of their responses will be automatically organized in one place.

3. Honeyfi for budgeting and finances

Budgeting is the most stressful part of planning a wedding, according the engaged and newlywed couples from that same Zola survey. That makes sense. Weddings are expensive. The average U.S. wedding is $35,329 (not including the honeymoon). On top of that, many newly engaged couples are starting to manage money together for the first time, which is complicated and stressful.

Enter Honeyfi, a free app to help couples manage money together. With Honeyfi, you automatically get a household budget based on your previous spending. You can also create custom budgets for big expenses like, say, a wedding. The app makes it easy to track your spending and see your balances. And don’t worry, Honeyfi lets you customize how much you share with your partner, so you can go at your own speed.

4. Etsy for a splash of originality

Everyone wants their wedding to be unique. But that can be tough when you’re on a tight budget and/or haven’t done this whole wedding thing before.

Etsy can help. It has a great collection of handcrafted items from artists and designers. Maybe it’s a custom sign for the wedding. Or a unique wedding favor. Big or small, it’s nice to add a few things that feel specially designed for you and your partner.

5. Pinterest for wedding inspiration


There’s a good chance you’ve never planned a wedding before. So you probably don’t have strong opinions about centerpieces, color schemes, and flower arrangements just yet. (Note: After planning one, you still might not. That’s ok.)

But Pinterest is a great place to look for inspiration. According to a study on Pinterest’s blog, 40 million people use Pinterest each year to plan their wedding. That means there’s no better place to get your wedding juices flowing.

6. Zola for your wedding registry


Registering for wedding gifts can be pretty fun. #treatyoself But it can also be hard to figure out where to register and what to register for.

Zola simplifies that process be letting you register for gifts, experiences, and even a honeymoon fund in one place. The app is super easy to use, with products from lots of brands and creative registry ideas you might never think of. A wine and cheese of the month membership? Umm. Yes, please. Wedding planning is stressful and the first couple months of marriage are key to helping your long term partnership start right. Here is an amazing infographic by Zola about this.

7. Spotify for your wedding playlist(s)

For many couples, the wedding playlist is a big deal. After all, it’s your big day, and you want every song to be special.

Spotify is an awesome tool for doing just that. You can create as many playlists as you want. Maybe one for the wedding, one for the bachelorette or bachelor party, and another for the rehearsal dinner. You can make the playlists collaborative so you and your partner can both add songs to them. And, of course, check out other peoples’ playlists for musical inspiration.

8. Rent the Runway for your wedding dress


Wedding dresses are really important to many brides. But buying a dress can be super expensive, and if you’re like most brides, you’ll only wear it once.

But there’s another option. Rent the Runway allows you to rent designer clothes — including wedding dresses — at much lower prices. If the dress doesn’t work for you, easily return it and try a new one. #winning

9. Hopper for your flights


Many newly engaged couples have to book a bunch of flights. There’s the bachelorette and bachelor parties, the shower, the wedding, and the honeymoon. With so many balls in the air already, optimizing the price of your flights will probably fall by the waist side.

Try outsourcing the job to Hopper instead. Hopper is an app that helps you predict flight prices and book at the right time. So, rather than checking flights every few days, you can set up an alert and rest easy that Hopper will let you know when to book.

10. Netflix for r&r

For newly engaged couples, preparing for your wedding and planning your new life together can feel like a full-time job. But you’re going to need some r&r.

Netflix to the rescue. Grab your favorite drink, curl up on your couch, and throw on something that makes you smile. For me, there’s nothing better than Michael Scott, Leslie Knope, and the Bluths. But you do you.

Infographic on Science between Happy Relationships.

Aim for good, not perfect

I’m confident these apps will help save you stress, time, and money. But remember, just like everyone in the history of the world, your engagement, wedding, and marriage won’t be perfect. So use these apps to aim for good, and who knows, things just might turn out to be great.