How Couples Are Using AI to Plan Weddings and Save Money

Wedding planning is a fun yet overwhelming task. Managing a budget, juggling multiple vendors and bringing a vision to life can feel like a lot. If that sounds like your experience, consider using AI as your personal, free assistant in wedding planning. Discover all the ways you can use this technology to stay organized and save money as you plan your big day.

1. Budgeting and Tracking

Many couples aren’t sure where to start with wedding planning,with 60% feeling overwhelmed by setting a budget. Feeling stressed is totally normal, especially when you’re planning something as big as a wedding. Thankfully, AI models can help you set up your wedding budget so you don’t have to figure it all out by yourself.

Chatbots like ChatGPT can provide insights about where your money might go, based on your overall budget and priorities. Here’s a sample prompt you can use to get a tangible framework:

“Act as a wedding financial planner. Create a budget breakdown for a $20,000 wedding with 100 guests in a mid-cost-of-living area. Prioritize spending on venue and catering. Present the output as a table I can copy into Google Sheets.”

2. Finding Dream Vendors

Wedding vendors bring couples’ vision to life, so it’s essential to work with the right ones. While you can meet vendors through referrals, online wedding directories and social media, AI can further streamline the process.

Instead of scrolling through an endless list of vendors on a wedding directory site, ask AI to find the best options for you. You can have it focus on specific key terms, like affordable or all-inclusive. That way, you can quickly narrow down your options based on your priorities.

For example, you might search for, “wedding photographers in Colorado with 8-hour packages.” Then you won’t have to manually read through every photography website to figure out if they offer the package you’re looking for.

3. Mastering Your Guest List and Seating Chart

Organizing a guest list is one of the emotional aspects of planning. Figuring out who should sit together and keeping track of everyone’s dietary needs can get tricky fast. Luckily, AI can help you keep everything organized.

Paste your jumbled notes into an AI tool and use a prompt like, “You are a wedding planner. Organize my guest list into a CSV file with columns for First Name, Last Name and Dietary Restrictions.”

You can provide the agent with the number of tables you have and how many seats will be at each table, and then ask it to create a seating chart. You may have to make your own tweaks, as AI will not know your specific family dynamics, but it will be a great starting point.

4. Brainstorming for Ideas and Activities

AI can be your brainstorming partner for any wedding decision, no matter how unconventional.

You can also use ChatGPT for budget-friendly wedding favor ideas, reception games and guest book alternatives. An example prompt could be, “Generate classic and unique reception game ideas for an outdoor spring wedding. I don’t want to spend more than $500.”

While AI can be helpful for brainstorming, don’t forget to let your creativity shine, as well. These tools are best used so you can focus on the creative parts of wedding planning. For example, AI can provide questions if you want to play the shoe game, but be sure to add your own touch so it still reflects your personal story.

5. Drafting Invitations and Signage

Traditional save-the-dates and invitations can be expensive, so this is a great place to let AI save you some money.

Digital art tools like Canva have advanced features that let couples create professional-looking drafts for save-the-dates, place cards and menus.

Explore wedding-themed templates, play with elements, try out fonts and apply your color palette to create a cohesive design across your printed materials. Many tools also have text-to-image features you can use. Provide a detailed prompt like, “Generate a design concept for a wedding invitation with a whimsical theme. Use colors lavender, forest green and pink and incorporate floral elements.”

6. Visualizing Your Style

Many couples turn to Pinterest for wedding inspiration. With over 10 billion wedding-related ideas saved in just one year, it’s no wonder your feed can feel a bit overwhelming. AI can help you visualize your dream wedding if you’re struggling to find the right pictures for your vision.

Try using an AI image generator with prompts like, “Provide images of wedding decor ideas for a whimsical theme using a color palette of lavender, forest green and pink.” You can refer to these images when you map out your table layout, ceremony backdrop, place settings and more.

7. Building Your Wedding Day Blueprint

AI can transform scattered notes and key event times into a minute-by-minute blueprint for your big day. Provide the agent with the main elements of your day, like hair and makeup, first look, ceremony, portrait sessions, cocktail hour, dinner and dancing. AI can then put together a timeline and give you an idea of how long to plan for each phase of the day.

Be sure to make adjustments as needed. For example, you may need to add more time to hair and makeup depending on how many bridesmaids you have. You can also tell AI what your idea start time and end time should be so that the results can be as accurate as possible.

What AI Shouldn't Do for Your Wedding

AI is there to help lighten the load, not replace your judgment or creativity. Avoid using it for the following tasks.

Your Vows

Many moments call for your genuine feelings, and your vows are one of them. When you’re saying, “I do,” speaking from the heart means much more than anything a chatbot can come up with. Even a simple list of what you love about your partner will always beat a perfectly polished AI-written message.

Fact-Checking

AI can occasionally sound confident, even when it’s got the facts mixed up. Always double-check important details like timings, prices and vendor availability on official websites. Reach out to them directly to ensure you have the correct information.

Negotiate or Interpret Contracts

AI is not a lawyer. It can’t replace human expertise, especially when you’re dealing with complex documents. Be sure to read the fine print in a contract yourself, or work with a wedding planner if you want extra assurance.

Plan Smart, Not Hard

Many AI tools can help you maximize your time and budget. Let AI handle the busywork so you’re free to dive into the moments that matter most.

Author bio: Cora Gold is a wedding writer and editor of Revivalist magazine. She aims to inspire couples to achieve the wedding of their dreams. Connect with Cora on LinkedIn, Pinterest and Twitter.