The Wedding Book: The Big Book for Your Big Day by Mindy Weiss and Lisbeth Levine ($19.95 at Amazon)

If you’ve stayed on top of high-profile celebrity weddings from the past few years, Mindy Weiss is a name you know. She’s a legendary party coordinator and wedding planner who’s worked with Katy Perry, Kate Beckinsale, Heidi Klum, Gwen Stefani, and many more. Now you can get her expert advice for way less with her comprehensive wedding book. In it, she gives tips on budgets, wedding contracts, destination weddings, and much more. If you’ve ever wanted to know how to create a celeb-inspired wedding, this is the book you will want!

The Knot Book of Wedding Lists by Carley Roney $10.39 at The Knot

You will save time with this handy book of lists including timeline guides, checklists for contracts, ceremony lists, bridesmaids lists, and much more.  Thanks to the book’s small size, you can take it along with you for your all-important meetings with vendors.

Colin Cowie Wedding Chic: 1,001 Ideas for Every Moment of Your Celebration $26.40 at Amazon

If you’re looking for even more fabulous wedding ideas and reception hints, this book is for you. Colin Cowie is a renowned style expert who has made a name for himself by creating some of the most stylish events all over the world. This guide is full of ideas to help you decide on attire, food, flowers, decor, and so much more. The real treat of this book? The beautiful colored photographs!

Paris, France

Paris is the city of love, and thanks to their beautiful monuments, elegant establishments, and fine French lifestyle, it provides the perfect honeymoon experience. Where else are you going to spend your days window-shopping the finest boutiques, and your nights dancing away at the trendiest nightclubs? Further your experience by savoring delicious pastries and indulging in some of the world’s finest cuisine, like truffles, rich onion soup, and foie gras. You can make the most of your stay by arranging accommodations at a charming bed and breakfast where you can interact with locals, and learn more about what the city of light of light has to offer. Check out the Good Morning Paris website.

Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Island Resort

Experience pure luxury in an exotic locale. The Jean Michel Cosuteau Fiji Island Resort is located in a remote area of Vanua Levu. It’s green, lush, romantic, and very eco-friendly. This award-winning resort takes pride in preserving the local flora and fauna while providing boundless enjoyment for the guests. Their amenities include yoga, diving programs, and days with themed events. Sunday is a day of nothing but relaxation, while Tuesdays are the day to explore Fijan culture. This resort has seven equally amazing accommodation choices, ranging from the simple villa rooms to those that bring nature right to your room.

More luxurious honeymoons coming soon!

Pinterest

Okay, Pinterest isn’t exactly a wedding app per se, but I think that most brides will find it beneficial, as it will allow them take pictures and to showcase them on a virtual pinboard. It’s a great way to save and organize your ideas, but it’s also a community that lets you share your finds with others and discover new ones. Pinterest lets you create boards for weddings, food, home, fashion, travel, and more. This app is free.

Vera Wang Weddings

If you dream of wearing a Vera Wang wedding gown, or you’re just looking for a little bridal style inspiration, this is the app for you! Browse through a large selection of beautiful gowns, watch videos from the runway, and find the nearest Vera Wang boutique or flagship shop. This app is free.

iDo Planner

Bring a virtual wedding planner wherever you go. The iDo Planner app has handy features like a calendar, a twelve-month checklist, tip page, note page, and more. And at just $2.99 for a download, it’s cheaper than most hard-cover planners.

Gift Registry 360 Scan & Add

If you’re out shopping somewhere and see an item that you would love to get as a wedding gift, The Knot’s convenient Gift Registry 360 Scan & Add app is a great solution. This amazing tool will let you scan and add almost any item you want or edit your registry as needed – anytime and anywhere. The best thing of all? This app is free!

1- Figure Out What Everyone Can Contribute

Before you start anything, you need to create a budget first. Make several lists, one of how much you’re willing to spend per item, and another for what you really want. Have your fiancé create similar lists, and then you can compare them. Discuss how much you are willing to spend, and have your parents discuss their financial plans for the wedding with you. Be sure to address any gaps to ensure that you can come up with a solution.

2- Be Prepared to Negotiate

There is no such thing as a free ride, and sometimes you may have to compromise with your parents if you want their financial assistance. If your mother agrees to pay for your wedding gown, then it’s only fair that she has a say in the gown you choose. Make sure that there is an understanding of expectations to cut confusion and to avoid hurt feelings.

3- Consider the Traditional Route

To make it easier on everyone involved, you might decide that it’s best to go the traditional route, where the bride’s family pays for the entire reception, and the groom’s family pays for the honeymoon. Alternatively, you and your fiancé could pay for most of the wedding, and then have your parents pay for the smaller things like officiant fees, flowers, and wedding favors.

1- Do you have the time (and patience) to plan a wedding?

Many engaged couples choose a professional wedding planner, because they’re just too busy with important things like work or family. Others opt for a wedding planner, because they don’t have the patience with dealing with vendors and companies; however if you prefer to be involved with every detail of the wedding, you might be better off planning it yourself.

2- Are you planning a destination wedding or a hometown wedding?

If you’re getting married in a town or city that you’re not familiar with, or you haven’t lived there in a long time, you should hire a local wedding consultant who can keep you in the loop about everything you need to know. She (or he) will let you in on things like where to find the best vendors, as well as how to save extra money while planning.

3- Are you on a strict budget?

If you and you’re fiancé are on a tight wedding budget, you might want to skip hiring a wedding consultant and purchase a professional planner book instead. A wedding planner book or journal is a large notebook that contains folders, lists, time lines, budget forms, and more. Most wedding planner notebooks retail for less than $20.00 – a steal!

Is it possible to create a fabulous wedding without a planner? Of course it is; you just need to become extra resourceful, and you need to learn to ask the right questions. Here’s how:

1- Write Out Your Vision 

Since the tender age of six, you’ve dreamed of having a large wedding at a garden, complete with red roses, silk tablecloths, and a large chocolate fountain where guests dip fresh strawberries. Get that vision written on paper, and take notes of all the details. The same applies if you see pictures of things or ideas you like in a magazine or catalog. Cut ideas out, and save them in a picture album.

2- Connect With Local Brides

Go online and seek out message boards or blogs for local brides to find out which services are worth your money. Feel free to join the forums, and to ask any questions you have. You could also create your own blog and link to other brides on the web to share experiences and tips. The Knot has a wonderful community for engaged women.

3- Get Organized

Getting organized is one of the most important things you can do, even if you hire a professional wedding consultant. Buy a box or a wedding book, and start saving lists, receipts, contracts, and whatever else you need. If you don’t already have a day planner, it’s probably a good idea to buy one now, so you can schedule and plan ahead. You can also use your planner to keep important addresses and phone numbers.

1 – Family Trouble

You and your fiancé are engaged. Your parents are thrilled, and everyone is happy. The only downside is that your parents are also the ones that are footing most, if not the entire bill.  Does that mean you’re obligated to say yes when your mother asks you to wear the same dress that she wore to her wedding, but you have another dress in mind? The best way you can handle this is to compromise. You could agree to wear her dress for the entire ceremony and for half the reception, if you can purchase your dream dress and wear it during the other half of the reception. Sometimes you need to give a little – in order to take a little.

2 – A Vendor Goes Defunct or Breaks the Contract

It’s just two weeks before the big day, and you’re calling all your vendors to check up on things, and to make sure that everything is going right. Once you call your DJ, you discover that their phone isn’t working, and you can’t get ahold of anyone from the company. Is it time to go find the contract and to contact a lawyer? Remember that before you sign any contract, you need to read through it, and you need to ask for your own copy.

3 – Fiancé Problems

The tough task of planning a wedding can bring out the worst in everyone, especially the two people that are getting hitched. Some brides have envisioned their dream wedding since they were in kindergarten, and once the ring is on her finger, the bride-to-be becomes stressed. On the other end of the spectrum, a groom can sometimes follow that same route and become a groomzilla, or he can become withdrawn. If you and your fiancé have noticed major relationship problems since the big question, maybe you should scale back on the planning and go for pre-marital counseling.

What to skip:  Expensive French food and Italian wines

What you should try instead:  Revamped versions of your favorite meals and affordable wines. If you love the classic beef lasagna, ask your caterer to make an upscale version with goat’s milk cheese and garnished with slivered almonds.  The thing here is to serve what you love but make it special.

What to skip: Hiring the most-sought after bridal consultant in town

What you should try instead: Consult your most recently married friend or relative. With two minds working together, you are sure to come up with lots of creative ways to decorate and style the wedding on a budget. Plus, if she is you best friend, nobody else is better suited to help you achieve that perfect wedding. Together you can look through wedding magazines, browse the internet, contact the companies, and shop for yourselves. It’s good to have a close friend work as an ally for your big day.

What to skip: A large orchestra that performs the classic wedding standards

What you should try instead: Hire a cool local band that everyone loves. Ideally, you want to find a band that can perform a wide range of music styles like pop, rock, and country. You also want to find a band that’s had several years of experience in performing at weddings and one that has great reviews.

1- Throw An Engagement Party

Getting married is a big deal and what better way to celebrated than with an engagement party?  Unlike most pre-wedding parties, an engagement party isn’t mandatory. You can keep it simple and casual by hosting the event at your  favorite restaurant and inviting those closest to you.

2- Get Professional Engagement Photos

Commemorate this big event by booking a photo shoot with a professional photographer.  An engagement photo shoot is ideal for those who want to send pictures to the local newspaper and/or put them on the wedding website.  You can also save the photos and create a special photo album that tells the story of your relationship.

3- Plan A Pre-Wedding Adventure

Every engaged couple needs to take a break from planning the wedding, so make sure that you squeeze in some fun activities that the two of you can just enjoy.  Go see the latest blockbuster film or challenge each other at a fun game of tennis. Take the break even further by planning a weekend road trip! Not only will you benefit from a little fun time off, but you will also rekindle the romance.

4- Take A Ballroom Dancing Class

Prepare for your big day and ease any worries you may have about dancing by enrolling in a fun dance class. It’s a great way to burn steam (and a few calories), plus it will bring you two even closer. If ballroom dancing isn’t your thing, try another fun dance class like salsa or country western dancing.

Wedding 911 by The Knot (free on iTunes)

If you have an important bridal or wedding question that can’t wait, this is the app for you! Search through Ask Carly first to see if your question has been answered first, if not then feel free to ask on their 911 forum which is where brides can ask other brides anything that is wedding related.  You may need to register first (its free) on this app before you can access the forum.

WeddingWire for iPhone (free on iTunes)

Why pay $30 for a fancy wedding organizer book when you can download WeddingWire for free? This amazing all-in-one wedding planner app lets you search for local bridal shops and vendors, create a budget, and features a list of things that you need to do within a time frame of your wedding date. You can mark the tasks you do and save important notes from the appointment.

My Wedding Concierge (free on iTunes)

Do you need style inspiration? My Wedding Concierge is a revolutionary app that lets you search for whatever inspires you to find relevant  images and wedding blogs to help generate ideas that you can use. Another useful feature on this app: you can search a Google map to find awesome wedding blogs and websites from all across the world!

SHAPE Bride ($3.99 on iTunes)

Skip the personal trainer and save money with this affordable diet/fitness app from SHAPE magazine. This application was specially designed to help brides to get in shape in time with special workout programs, nutrition tips, tasty recipes, and more. This also lets you record and share progress with anyone you want to.  And if thats not enough, SHAPE Bride also gives you beauty and fashion advice to help you look your best on your special day.

The Knot Look Book (free on iTunes)

You don’t need a bridal magazine to find the latest in bridal fashion, just use The Knot Look Book on your iPhone! This app lets you search for designer wedding gowns and lets you refine your selections by silhouette, neckline, or price. If you don’t know where to begin, I would suggest checking out the 101 Guide so you can learn more about the different types of gowns on the market and which one is best for you.