Comparing wedding planning apps
Almost every planning tool can hold a checklist. Far fewer can tell you that your portraits are scheduled 20 minutes after the sun goes down. Here is how to compare them by what they actually compute, and where we fit.
Four kinds of planning tool
They are not really competing. They are built for different jobs, and knowing which job you need saves you a month of migrating data.
Checklist apps
Good at: Good at telling you that a task exists.
Where it runs out: They hand you a generic 12-month list and leave the hard part to you. Nothing recalculates when your ceremony moves to 5:30pm or your florist needs an extra hour of setup.
Spreadsheets
Good at: Total control, zero opinions, free.
Where it runs out: Every formula is yours to maintain, and nothing warns you that hair and makeup for six people cannot fit into 90 minutes.
Marketplace planners
Good at: Easy vendor discovery in big metros.
Where it runs out: The planning tools exist to keep you shopping. Your inbox becomes the product, and your guest list sits next to an ad.
Lumière
Good at: One plan anchored to your date, with an assistant that can actually change it.
Where it runs out: Not a vendor marketplace. If you want a directory of every florist in your state, you will want something else alongside us.
What we built differently
An assistant that edits the plan, not a chat window
Ask Jane to push the ceremony back 30 minutes and she moves the affected timeline blocks, shifts prep and travel, and flags what no longer fits. Ask her to trim $2,400 from florals and she rewrites the budget lines. Every change arrives as a proposal you approve or reject, so nothing moves behind your back.
Day-of timing that is computed, not guessed
Beauty prep scales with how many people are in the chair. First look, portraits, and golden hour are placed against real sunset time for your date and location. Travel between getting-ready, ceremony, and reception is measured, not eyeballed. Most checklist-style planners do not compute any of this.
A health score and coverage checks
Your plan gets a running score across timeline, budget, vendors, guests, and tasks, plus coverage checks that catch the quiet gaps: a booked vendor with no arrival time, a payment due before your next deposit, an hour of the day with nobody assigned to it.
Yours, and ad-free
No ads, no sponsored vendors injected into your plan, no selling your date and guest count. Export your full plan, guest list, budget, and timeline to CSV or calendar files whenever you want, including the day you decide to leave.
What to ask before you commit
- Does it place your portraits against real sunset time for your date and location?
- If the ceremony moves an hour, does anything else move with it?
- Can your planner, coordinator, or venue see the same timeline you do?
- Can you export the guest list and budget yourself, today, without asking anyone?
- Who pays for the product: you, or the vendors advertising inside it?
What it costs
Timeline, tasks, budget, guest list, and vendors for one wedding.
Jane's plan edits, day-of timeline math, health score, and exports.
Everything monthly, billed yearly. Works out to about $11 a month.
Paid plans start with a one-week free trial. Full plan details live on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
What's a good wedding planning app for building an actual day-of schedule?
Look for one that computes timing instead of asking you to type it in. Lumière builds the day-of timeline from your ceremony time, then places beauty prep by headcount, first look and portraits against real sunset time for your date, travel between locations, and vendor arrival windows. You can shift any block and everything downstream moves with it.
Is there a free wedding planning app with a budget tracker?
Yes. Lumière's free tier includes the budget tracker with categories, estimates versus actuals, and payment due dates, alongside the timeline, tasks, guest list, and vendor records. Paid plans start at $15 a month and add the assistant's plan edits, the computed day-of timeline, the health score, and exports.
Does Lumière work if I already have a wedding planner?
It does, and it is often better that way. You can invite your planner or coordinator into your wedding with their own access, and they can work from the same timeline and vendor list you see. Planners running multiple weddings get a separate workspace for their client roster.
Can a wedding app tell me if my timeline is unrealistic?
Some can. Lumière runs coverage checks against your day-of timeline and flags the common failures: prep time too short for your headcount, portraits scheduled after the light is gone, back-to-back blocks with no travel between venues, and vendors booked without an arrival time.
What happens to my wedding data if I stop paying?
Your plan stays intact and readable, and the free features keep working. You can export your guest list, budget, timeline, and vendor details to CSV or calendar files at any time, on any plan, without contacting support.
Do I have to use the app's vendor directory to plan my wedding?
No. Lumière has a directory of vendors who chose to list, but nothing is pushed into your plan and no listing changes what you see. You can add any vendor you found yourself, including a cousin with a van, and get the same tasks, payment tracking, and day-of timing.
Can I ask an AI assistant to change my wedding plan directly?
In Lumière, yes. Jane can move timeline blocks, adjust budget lines, update vendor records, and create tasks, and she reads your real plan when answering. Each edit is shown as a proposal with the before and after, and nothing is saved until you approve it.
How much do wedding planning apps cost?
Most are free with ads and vendor referrals, or $10 to $25 a month without. Lumière is free to start, $15 a month, or $129 a year, and carries no ads or vendor referral fees either way.
Related guides
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