When we think back to the fantasy wedding we dreamt up as kids, the day was filled with effortless joy and a setting fit for a princess. But fast forward 20 years or so, when you’re actually getting married, and the reality is much different — perhaps without the horse-drawn carriage. Finding your match and planning your lives together is a beautiful thing. But planning a wedding? That isn’t always pretty.

It’s becoming more common for couples to take valuable paid-time-off (PTO) to plan their special day. The entire process can feel like a second full-time job. There are more details and logistics that you didn’t think were possible. And while planning your wedding is a precious memory you’ll always have, you shouldn’t have to sacrifice other areas of your life.

And that is where WeddingWire can help. As the destination for couples looking to get things done when it comes to wedding planning, WeddingWire is a smarter way to coordinate your special day. Nearly 83% of couples plan their wedding online — but with so many venues, planners, and suggestions out there, it’s easy to become overwhelmed.

WOMAN WITH A PLAN

WeddingWire provides the most in-depth information, inspiration and planning tools, to help you make choices you can feel confident in. They have a directory of over 500,000 global wedding professionals — local to your ceremony location — and 5 million global vendor reviews. Now that’s comprehensive. And with their Vendor Manager feature, you can find, save, and mark these vendors as “booked.” Save the spreadsheets or sticky notes for another time, WeddingWire has the organization you need at home and on the go. Especially with their app, which includes wedding day countdown, messaging ability vendors, as well as access your wedding planning checklist.

$AVVY PLANNING, MADE EA$Y

Even better? WeddingWire is completely free. And with an average wedding costing close to $30,000, high quality resources that don’t break the bank are truly a gift. Speaking of which, WeddingWire also helps you compare vendor pricing and availability, as well as provides tools for tasks like budgeting. In fact, their Budgeting Tool will help you track spending, set up payment schedules, and redistribute funds. This is the peace of mind you and your wallet both need when planning a wedding.

MAKE YOUR LIST + CHECK IT TWICE

Bringing together two families can be heart-warming and exciting — but the guest list and seating chart can feel like a scramble. The first step, make sure you have a clear understanding of who’s related to who, who’s friends with who. And second, use WeddingWire’s Guest List Tool to build and track your guest list, in addition to marking off whether or not they sent a gift. Pro tip: Have stationary ready for those Thank You notes.

And the seating chart? They have a tool for that. Once you reach this stage in the planning process, this feature can help you lay out your floor plan and drag and drop guests from your list. And if you really want to make sure your in-laws happy, WeddingWire has a Hotel Blocks feature that allows you to find and reserve hotel rooms for your wedding guests. Now everyone will be well-rested, perfectly seated, and gets a Thank You note. Kudos to you!

All this to say, save your PTO for your honeymoon. WeddingWire is the leading online wedding marketplace to help you plan your wedding with confidence. From their app to their budgeting features, WeddingWire gives you the power to plan your wedding efficiently and effectively. Because your big day deserves to be the day you’ve always dreamed of — maybe with that horse-drawn carriage, after all.

Written By: Lily Comba