Organize your wedding planning with My Wedding Workbook

Wedding planning can be a tedious task for every brides and grooms-to-be. You can ask help from friends and family, or even your wedding coordinator, but most of the time you (and your partner) are always on your own -- searching and selecting vendors, scheduling ocular inspections, dress fitting and other things. At this point in the pre-wedding process, you'd need someone or something to help organize everything that needs to be done.

Enter My Wedding Workbook, a free online wedding planner designed to assist you in the nitty-gritty of the wedding details. Actually, this was introduced to me by blogger, owner and groom-to-be Jeff whose web programmer friend, Steve, created this tool while he and his then-fiancee were going through with the wedding preparations.

Through Jeff's invitation, I had a chance to browse through their site and check out the sample account.

The main website gives you a comprehensive overview of what you can expect from this online wedding planner. It gives you a brief background and some screenshots of the tools you can use: from the budget breakdown to the guest list to a calendar which lists all important dates prior to your big day. And with just a click of a mouse, you can easily register for an account at My Wedding Workbook -- at no cost!

I also perused through their dummy account (I thought of making my own, but since it's been 9 months since my wedding, I just chose to access the sample account) to see how all the info is presented. Upon logging into your account, you will be taken to the Overview Page where you can see your total expenses and guest details. From there, you can access all the other integrated tools by selecting the tabs on the upper screen.

The Guest List tab shows you, obviously, the names of the attendees you're expecting. It also helps you track if they have responded to your RSVPs, or where they will be staying if they're coming from out of town. When you click the "Add a NEW Family/Guest" button, you can put all the details of the family (who from their brood are invited, etc.) or the guest (and probably companion) and the events you would like for them to attend (engagement party, rehearsal dinner or just ceremony/reception).

One of the most important tools in this online wedding planner (and perhaps the priority of every wedding preparation) is the Budget tool found in the next tab. Here, you can track all the expenses you have incurred during this time. A detailed budget breakdown is presented when you click on the menu on the left side of the screen. With this, you can easily track how much you would have to spend for your engagement party, rehearsals and wedding suppliers, who would spend for them, and when the balance is due. What I find nice about this part is that it calculates the total budget instantly when you put in the amount information in any of the subcategories, so you can immediately see how much you've already incurred up to this time.

The Events tab helps you organize all pre-wedding and actual wedding day details. You can input location and date details, who your officiant will be on the day of your wedding, and other things. Details of your wedding vendors and and their contact numbers may also be entered here for archiving. If you're planning to get a gift registry, you can also put their information here, as well as the items included in the registry. Also in this tab, you will find helpful hints which offers tips on topics such as bridal showers and the like.

Lastly, there's a calendar that helps you be reminded of all the important dates of the wedding preparation. What's nifty about it is that you can opt to be reminded of these appointments automatically through email, making sure you won't forget when you'll have to go to the tailor or reserve your ceremony venue.

This online wedding planner also has checklists and worksheets that can help you choose the best suppliers for your wedding day. They also come in PDF form which you can save in your computer or print out.

My Wedding Workbook is such a helpful tool for all couples out there, especially those who are too much into the details of everything or those who are unable to have their own wedding planner oversee things for them. What's more, it's easy to use and navigate through, and you will find everything you need all in one place. No more worrying about missing the small details; you'll find everything is easy to organize. The layout is even commendable -- simple and not busy on the eyes. And did I mention that it's free? So if you're looking for a great wedding tool online, My Wedding Workbook is one you should get.