For most people, organizing every detail of a wedding is often the most involved, logistically complicated event they will ever need to put together. Plus, it requires complete coordination with their future spouse. No pressure! Here’s an in depth look at how a few couples used Trello to manage the months of logistics that led up to their big days:
It started with a Trello board. Well, sort of. For Eric Neuman, founder of DecisionDesk, it actually started with him carrying an engagement ring through the jungles of Belize for two weeks, waiting for just the right moment to propose to Emily. Luckily the ring made it through the journey, and more importantly, Emily said yes! Next came the Trello board, presumably after they left the jungle.
As Eric explains, when he is using Trello to plan anything, he is the type of person that likes to first put something that he has already accomplished in a “Done” list. It is part of the “get things done” philosophy that helps him stay organized in all aspects of life. Planning a wedding is certainly no different, which is why Eric started this board with the already-done card “Get Engaged”:
There you have it, one task already accomplished. Congrats!
Setting Up Your Lists For Optimal Marital Bliss
For Khoa Lam, Program Manager at Qualcomm, the yearlong planning process was so daunting that he decided to break up his Trello board lists based on how far out in the planning process he was.
That way, when a thought randomly materialized 6 months out about something that needed to get done shortly before the wedding, he threw it in his Trello board so that he wouldn’t forget about it when the time came. See: “Begin breaking in wedding shoes” in the “2 Weeks Out” list. So crucial.
Khoa and his fiance divided their lists into “12+ months,” “10-12 Months,” “8-10 Months,” and so on. Each list spanned tasks in a 2 month time frame until the final 3 months, where they broke down a list for each month, as well as “2 Weeks Out,” “1 Week Out,” “Day Before,” and “Day Of.” In addition to these time-contingent lists, they also had “In Process,” and “Done” lists. Click here to see the full sample board, and feel free to copy this board for your own use.
The basic approach is to tackle the tasks within the corresponding time frame, so when you’re 6-8 months out, focus only on those list items. This is an effective way to prevent feeling overwhelmed by all of the countless preparation that needs to get done. Move cards from the “X Months Out” list to “In Process,” and then to “Done.” When you have finished that list, move on to the next time frame.
In addition, if there is an item that you fall behind on from a list from previous months, it will linger there, staring you down every time you open your Trello board. Beware, the abandoned list items.
A Successful Marriage Trello Board Is All About Communication
Khoa and his fiance also assigned each other to different cards, essentially assigning one another different tasks. For example, any coordination with the groomsmen became his domain, whereas she was interested in overseeing the flower arrangements and the invitations. Looking back at his board, Khoa admits, the assign feature allowed him to see just how much more work his fiance took on. Hopefully he remembered that when it was time to pick a nice restaurant on the honeymoon.
For some couples, aside from their spouse there is another VIP member of their Trello board: the wedding planner. Whether the planner is hired the day after the proposal or just to coordinate the day of, adding the wedding planner to your Trello board gives them complete visibility of vendor names, phone numbers, invoices, timetables, and tracking numbers. The comments on the backs of cards allow for a dialogue to ensue where everyone can see the details, and you can always reference what you discussed at a later date.
Attachments and Deadlines
In addition to notes and discussion, it is supremely important to keep invoices, receipts, and due dates all in one place. Card backs can store all of this information, and even give you a notification when something is 24 hours from its due date. Attach directly from Google Docs, Dropbox, Box, and OneDrive, or just upload a file from your computer. You can also take a picture directly from a card, which is a great way to store paper receipts or color swatches.
Take A Vow To Carry Your Plans With You, Always
For Bryan Monzon, VP of Engineering at Fifty and Fifty, putting tasks in his Trello board ahead of time allowed him and his fiance, Sandy, more efficiency when they were on the go. “When we were out with a vendor and they were giving us information,” he explains, “I was just taking notes inside of Trello, because it’s the one place where we had everything.” Never lose another price quote, florist’s phone number, or your mind, again.
The app also helps couples be more efficient with their time. As Bryan explained, “My wedding band, for example- I didn’t need to do that right away. But we were running errands and Sandy pulled up the Trello board on her phone, and she happened to notice the wedding band card. We were right by the jewelers so we figured we’d just get it done right then and there. Having the information quickly there and visible allowed us to just get things done a lot easier and faster.”
For Khoa, it was about getting by with a little help from his friends… and his Trello mobile app. He explains, “We had a lot of friends that gave us a lot of advice and links to different vendors to check out, so I would just pull up the corresponding card on my phone and take notes. It was a great way to get down something I might need to remember later.”
Your Other Other Half
Unlike literally anything else involved in planning a wedding, Trello is infinitely flexible, and it’s free. There are a lot of tools and resources marketed towards people planning a wedding, but they are often narrow in their ability to structure them just the way you like, AND they cost money.
We have a template wedding board based on Khoa’s workflow that you can copy here, but also remember to tweak it however you like. Not planning to have flowers in your decor? Simply delete those cards. Is your reception menu due before the 3 month mark? Move it to a list that fits your timeline. Or, just start from scratch, and use the sample board to get ideas for things you hadn’t yet thought of. The point is, this is your wedding, and Trello is the most flexible way to plan it effectively.
Don’t stop here, either! There are other creative ways to use Trello to plan a wedding. Check out our sample boards:
Trello for the Seating Arrangement:
Trello for seating arrangement - Copy me!
Bridal Party Trello Board:
Trello for your bridal party - Copy me!
Trello for Wedding Day Timeline:
Trello for Wedding Day timeline - Copy me! (And be sure to add your wedding planner, bridal party, parents, and everyone else that needs to stay up to speed on the big day.)
Trello for Sending Thank You Cards:
Trello for sending thank you cards - Copy me!
Special thank you to Eric Neuman, Bryan Monzon, and Khoa Lam for sharing their Trello for wedding planning experiences and tips. Oh, and congratulations!
Want to plan your wedding with Trello? Sign up for free at www.Trello.com.
Good or bad, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Find us on Twitter (@trello)!
