Bridal Expo

Today I would like to ask a question of you: How much information is too much? You see, today I read an article about a couple who got married and posted every single detail of the wedding (from beginning to end) on every single social media outlet available. In fact, the article proudly stated that “Even Grandma was tweeting details from the reception”. WOW,  too much information. Without getting too graphic I am wondering when the tweeting and facebooking ended…. I think you know what I mean.

I understand staying connected and informed. I understand wanting to share the details with everyone out of sheer joy, boredom or whatever your motive. Be careful though, after a few drinks your updates may be embarassing the next day. Sitting in the doctor’s office the other day I found myself posting on facebook via my Android phone about how long I had to wait. Now that I think of it – who really cares?

I’m not talking about updating your friends and family when the whole thing is over or texting a dear friend who couldn’t be there. But, most of your nearest and dearest friends should be at your wedding, anyway… right?  I am talking about taking time away from the real celebration to constantly text, tweet, update and post. How much are you really enjoying yourself if you are spending the entire time using all of this technology? Did you even talk to the person seated next to you?

Maybe I’m wrong, maybe I’m old school but, at some point everyone needs to unplug and enjoy what is right there in front of you. Trust me – you will have a lot more fun if you step away from the touchscreen.

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago

If you are planning your wedding without the help of a  wedding consultant, technology has come to the rescue with Bridal Planning applications  for your smart phone. For less than the cost of lunch, (and many of these are free) you can add an app to your cell phone and have all of your information at your fingertips at all times. This technology will not be wasted on your fiance, either. While you may think that all men see is flashing lights, rest assured that your gadget-guru will be caught up in the wedding planning a lot sooner than if you hand him a large binder crammed with swatches and post-its.

The iBride application is available for most smart phones and has comprehensive wedding planning, budget and shopping tools. The graphics and visuals on iBride are stunning and the screen looks easy to navigate, plus this application gets overall great reviews.

The Bride Guide handles it all. Tons of features including a countdown timer, to-do lists, budget calculator, and tons of informative articles that will take you from I will to I do.

Bridal Gown shopping goes high tech with iBridal Gown. Designed by a salon owner, this handy app keeps tabs on your top picks and lets you make notes and store pictures of your faves. The app stores all the pertinent info regarding each of your wedding gown hopefuls like style, designer, cost, location, and photos. You can also share the photos and details of your wedding dress choices privately in email or publicly on Facebook. 

WeddingScan is an intuitive wedding registry application that allows you to register for ANY item, at ANY store simply by scanning a product’s barcode with the WeddingScan iPhone app. If a product doesn’t have a barcode, WeddingScan allows you to take a picture of it and add a brief description.

theKnot wedding 911  Designed by the editors at the Knot magazine and the Knot.com this free iPhone app is your on-the-go source for expert wedding advice. You can even post questions and get instant answers from other brides-to-be.

Although not all of these applications are available for all phones just yet, it will happen. Very soon, all smart phones will have the technology to handle most of these applications and by then, there will be more.

 Do a little research to find out which apps are best for your phone, which ones you like the best and which ones suit your needs.

Most importantly: Have all information backed up on your computer in case you (God forbid) lose your phone or it gets ruined somehow.

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago