Planning a wedding? Here are 4 ways Dropbox can help

A pre-Valentine’s Day survey from last year showed that over six million Americans planned to propose — or expected to be proposed to — on the year’s most romantic holiday. So the odds are that a few of you will wake up on February 15 newly engaged to be married. If that happens, here’s our advice: Bask in it. Enjoy the attention. Let people sing you songs about putting a ring on it. Because soon, the real work begins: the wedding planning. This can be a daunting task to say the least, but we’re here to help. Countless newlyweds have told us that their trusty Dropboxes helped them stay calm and organized throughout the entire wedding planning process. To give you a head start, we’ve collected the top four ways couples use Dropbox productivity tools to make planning that perfect wedding a little bit easier.

Manage all your vendor contracts in one place

From the caterer and florist to the photographer and videographer, it may seem like you have more contracts to process than a real estate agent. Stay organized (and save some paper) by keeping everything in a Dropbox folder and using shared links to send files back and forth. You can even use Dropbox-integrated eSignature apps like DocuSign, HelloSign, or SignEasy to sign and file contracts in a snap — so you don't have to worry about printing out the contracts, signing them, scanning them, and uploading them again.

Keep your guest list under control

Your parents want to invite their golfing buddies, your future in-laws are flip-flopping on which cousins to invite, and your betrothed is still tracking down the mailing addresses of those college BFFs. To make sure your loved ones are editing the right version of the guest list, keep it in a shared Dropbox folder. They’ll have the most up-to-date version on all their devices, and any changes will be automatically updated in everyone’s Dropboxes. Pro tip: Dropbox Pro users can share the guest list folder in view-only mode, so everyone who "just wants to help out" can see the list at any time without actually being able to make changes.

Make sure your planner and wedding party have everything they need

Wedding planners can save you a ton of time. But it might not feel like it, if you're getting daily emails asking for the budget, guest list, program, or other files the planner needs. To avoid this, create a shared folder with your planner and add in all the essential files, from vendor contact information to photos of the flowers you like. Your planner will have those files at his or her fingertips — at the office, at the venue, and anywhere in between — without having to bother you for them. You can also create a shared folder for your wedding party, giving them all the photos and files they need to help you make the wedding flawless. Whether it's the itinerary for the wedding weekend, or the color palette you want them to use while shopping for dresses and suits, they'll always know where to go for information.

Share photos and videos after the wedding

When all the work is done, and your wedding day has been a smashing success (as we know it will be!), you're going to want to relax for a while. So when it comes time to share the day's photos and videos, make it easy on yourself: just create a Dropbox folder, add the photos, and generate a shared link. Anyone you share the link with can see — but not edit or delete — all the photos instantly, even if they don’t have a Dropbox account. With these tips in your back pocket, you can spend less time being stressed, and more time indulging in what is arguably the best part of wedding planning: cake samples.