A little sneak peak from my Louisianna wedding from Magnolia Pair.  I can't WAIT to see the rest!

Top Seven Apps for Wedding Planners on the iPhone

So this is part two of my series on posts for wedding planners.  Part one was about my Emergency Kit/Toolbox that I take with me to events, if you didn't get a chance to see that post, check it out here.  

Part two is about my electronic toolbox, or the Top Seven Applications for Wedding Planners.  Now there are a lot of other great apps I use all the time that are super helpful for my business and for entertaining in general.  For example, Pandora is great for putting together a bridal party playlist, cocktail hour or dinner music in a pinch.  Facebook and Twitter are fabulous for social marketing and of course I use the phone, calculator, mail and browser apps on the iPhone on a day to day basis.  But what I really wanted to share were the Apps that nobody knows about.  The ones that make you look like a rockstar on-site and really help you do your job even better.  

So without further, ado my Top Apps!

7.  My Pantone  

My Pantone is a great app for color matching.  Any designer will tell you that looking at colors on your phone or computer is not the most accurate way to match colors but in a pinch it beats carrying around massive pantone books.  

You can browse through the fan deck and look up pantone numbers if someone sends you one to get a general sense of color and create color palettes but I really like the pantone matching function that lets you take a photo of something and match it to a pantone color.  It definitely doesn't get an A for accuracy but it at least gets you in the right color range which is super helpful.

See below where I took a photo of my Martha Stewart Weddings magazine and clicked on the purple cake to match the color.  Not bad!  Cost: $9.99

  

6. Accuweather 

Weather can, obviously, have a huge impact on the wedding day and having accurate weather to forecast whether or not you need a tent, umbrellas or to move the reception inside is a must.  I find the Accuweather app is a little more in depth than the standard one on the iPhone.  Accuweather gives you detailed forecasts, video maps of weather patterns and TV weatherman videos.  The more information the better when it comes to making sure it doesn't rain on anyone's parade!  Cost: Free

 

5. Pinterest  

Pinterest is an incredible online program that lets you tag photos as you browse and store them in different little folders.  It's kind of like the bookmark button on your computer but it stores the photos in a beautiful visual way that lets you remember why you bookmarked that page.  

I use Pinterest on the computer all the time, it's probably my number one desktop tool.  I use the app a little less so.   But it is nice to be able to access my boards or take a photo of something on the street and pin it for later.  Cost: Free

4. My Measures

My Measures allows you to take a photo and write in measurements right on the photo!  Above I took a picture of the front door to my apartment and then drew in arrows and added the height and width.  It's super easy to use and really helpful for site visits.  Cost: $2.99

3. Photosynth

Photosynth is an amazing little app that lets you take panoramic photos of a room in a few clicks of a button.  I made an example of how it works in my office today.  It's not perfect but it is great for capturing a room at a site visit, and more useful for me than a video of a space.  Cost: Free

2. Sunseeker

Sunseeker is just amazing.  This is my most favorite app of all to use on-site.  Almost as important as the weather is the where the sun is in the sky for a wedding.  For an outdoor ceremony or reception it affects the photos, the guests comfort level and the time of day when lighting and heat become necessary.

I love Sunseeker not just because it's a quick, handy way to figure out the sunrise/sunset time for any day in the future but it also has this AMAZING 3D view too.  You just switch to 3D View and Sunseeker shows you where exactly in the sky the sun will be at any given time at any given day in the future.  Incredible, check it out, I set the app for May 27th and the little arrows guide me to where the sun will be and the yellow line shows me the path of the sunset.  Cost: $4.99

1. Go Tasks

OK so number one is not the sexiest app of all time but it's definitely the most useful.  Go Tasks connects to my google task list and allows me to sort to dos by client and priority.  It saves all my previous to dos so I can go back and look at when something was completed and it synchs to my computer so it's always up to date.  I literally don't know how I would stay organized without this app, it is SO helpful.  My assistant Claire can access it too so we're always on top of what needs to be done.  A must have.  Cost: Free.

So that's it - for less than $18 you can have all the tools you need on the iPhone to be a wedding planner :)  I can't wait to see what else they can think of next.  An app that measures a space by just pointing at it?  Maybe one that draws a floor plan of the room you're in?  I'd love an app where I can take a photo of a flower or plant and instantly be told the name, I have the hardest time remembering all those flower names!

Do you have any other apps that you find especially useful?  I'd love to hear about them!

Engagement Party Dress

Diane Von Furstenburg

Before it's time to shop for "The Dress" you have to shop for the "Engagement Party Dress".  I'm finding myself in this very scenario and having a difficult time identifying what's appropriate.  I've been told this is the year of White so to wear it whenever possible.  I'm not sure I want to wear White but I think it would be fun to feel somewhat like a bride (and maybe even get to wear the dress again!).

Here are some frontrunners but at the end of the day it's going to be about what looks flattering and makes YOU feel good.  Good luck shopping!

Alice & Olivia

BHLDN

Erin Featherston

L'Agence

Tadashi

Nancy & Lou's Wedding - Greenwich, Connecticut

San Francisco is all about rain this week.  Feels right to snuggle up in PJs and work from home but today I dragged myself into the office to get some early work done.  Finally rested up after the big weekend and after two destination jobs in a row I'm looking forward to some bright, fresh Bay Area weddings this Summer.  Looking at gorgeous photos of all the properties I'm working at online is definitely lightening my mood.  Now if I could only find a venue for my own wedding...

So today I'm posting Nancy and Lou's wedding from December 18th in Greenwich Connecticut.  Nancy's story has been one of my favorites to tell friends and family when they ask if I'm working on any interesting jobs this year.  Her first wedding at age 58 to the love of her life, Nancy was as excited and nervous as a young blushing bride.  Friends with Lou for years, after his wife passed he told Nancy he had admired her from afar for a long time and asked her if she would go out with him.  He swept her off her feet and took her on fabulous dates and spoiled her rotten.  Meanwhile she breathed life into him, gave him a fashion makeover and inspired him to loose almost 70 pounds!

They tied the knot at a small wedding in Greenwich (the Bride's hometown) so that her Mother who was in her late 90s could see her daughter marry.  Her Mom was thrilled having her hair and make-up done and walking down the aisle seeing Nancy off.  She passed away last month after the wedding.

Nancy and Lou are throwing a big, fun party in San Francisco to celebrate with all their friends that I'm also helping them plan.  Expect to see more photos from this adorable couple.  Pics by Sasha Gulish who flew out from San Francisco with me.

I love that the florist, KD&J Botanica, brought adorable boxes for guests to take arrangements home in, nice touch at the end of the party!