A planner is only as good as their communication & organization, and where would we be without the tools that helps us maintain these two important traits? Thank goodness for the tools we have come to rely on, and we are so excited to share them with you!

Systems and processes probably doesn’t sound like a fun time, but when you relate time to money and know that you are saving both - it is a win-win! Here are the top ten resources that have been a game changer for our planning company The 530 Bride. We wouldn’t recommend these tools if we didn’t use them every day in our own business, and we are glad that we found these resources through referrals of other trusted professionals in the industry. **There are affiliate links which pass on a discount to you if you are interested and we do earn upgrades and small perks for sharing with new clients. **

1. Aisle Planner - This was the first tool that I really felt was developed by a wedding planner for a wedding planner, meaning it actually had tools that planners use!! Timelines, Design Galleries, Notes, Budget Tracking, Checklist, Seating & Layout functions & much more. When you are managing the details for one client or 50 clients, this will keep you organized with a dashboard for each client & helps you add value to your packages because each client has access to their portal. Interested in trying it out? Your first 30 days are free plus, use my referral code below to get 25% off any plan for your first 3 months! Referral code OZHF
   

2. Honeybook - You can tell we are fan’s of dashboards, and once you are sending out invoices & proposals on the daily it is really a lifesaver to have a platform that feels so fluid for clients. Of course there are things about Honeybook that I wish Aisle Planner could do in order to streamline into one program but right now, we really use both systems throughout our inquiry & booking process. Enjoy 50% off of your membership when you sign-up with our referral link and all members also enjoy discounts from sites like Matchology, Greetabl, Gusto, Zenfolio, Expensify, The Contract Shop, and Showit.
   

3. Canva - We all know that our clients are visual people, they consume a lot of content on the daily so it is imperative that we can create visuals & graphics that stand out and that represent our brand cohesively. Canva is a wonderful alternative to designing in Adobe Photoshop, InDesign etc that might not be as easily accessible for sharing with a team or producing content that can be resized for any need you may have. Canva does a great job with staying on trend with the latest social media dimensions and settings and now offers printing capabilities as well. Click here to watch the free tutorials on how to get started on Canva
   

4. Google G-Suite - Because we effectively have three businesses under one roof I have really come to rely on G-Suite for being able to easily switch from one inbox to another or see all activity for all inboxes at once. There are a lot of great integrations and Google is constantly adding more features to keep the modern business owner organized. Google G-Suite Pricing
   

5. Wave - Let me just preface this by saying I am not an accountant or even remotely capable of understanding Quickbooks online for some reason, so Wave was a breath of fresh air. I currently use the free version of Wave which syncs with my banking institution and makes it so easy to upload receipts & reconcile transactions. You can create invoices in Wave as well, which are quick and easy to receive payment online. Visit https://www.waveapps.com/
   

6. Chase Bank - Banking is totally a personal decision type of thing so if you are loyal to the bank that you love just skip right on to #7 but I was ready to jump ship last year from my previous bank and I put in some research to find the best fit as a small business owner. What I love about Chase Bank is that the banking app is easy, customer service both online and in the branch have been great & there have been no crazy fees to worry about. Learn more about Chase Bank and the $350 bonus when you open a qualifying checking and/or savings account.
   

7. Mailchimp - Email campaigns aren’t going anywhere because they work! Building your list may seem intimidating or daunting but once you set your goals it is easy to follow the guides to put together successful campaigns. As a wedding planner we have so much education that we can share with potential clients as well as use newsletters & automated emails packed full of tips to build value for our existing clients. https://mailchimp.com/
   

8. Squarespace/Blog Host - We use Squarespace for all of our websites because of the many built-in template & tools. Blogging has been an absolute catalyst in our planning company because it not only boosts your SEO organically which helps your Google ranking/page placement but it also helps to demonstrate your knowledge, personality and company values. Even if you aren’t ready to blog, being familiar with your website’s settings & tools will allow you to keep tabs on your analytics & site traffic so that you can determine your best traffic sources & data trends. Squarespace has a 10% off discount on their website for all plans.
   https://www.squarespace.com/coupons
   

9. Trello - Creating boards to organize your thoughts and tasks can help alleviate some of the brain fog and also cut down on all those crazy post-it note lists on your desk. I have personally found this free tool to be just what I needed for communicating with our team, organizing tasks and delegating work to our virtual assistant.
   We recommend checking out Trello to see if it is a good fit for you, while we don’t receive monetary rewards for sharing but we do earn extra “power-up” features that make it even more awesome! Check out Trello
   

10. Zapier - Choose the integrations and workflows that will save you time and bam you are on your way to zapping away! Use Zapier for tasks like adding a new subscriber to an automated email campaign to triggering an inquiry workflow or adding a task to your Asana board. With over 1,500 integrations available you are probably going to be doing a little happy dance very soon!
    Check out Zapier (https://zapier.com/apps/integrations/)

If you have questions about these tools, or would like more specific tips on implementing them into your processes be sure to drop a comment below or shoot us a message on our contact form at any time!