AI Weddings: Would You Trust a Computer to Plan Your Wedding?

By now you've probably seen some iteration of a headline about AI weddings claiming that using AI in place of a wedding planner can save you thousands of dollars. But, can ChatGPT actually plan your entire wedding for you? We're shining a light on this tool that's too often shrouded in a cloud of mystery.

Like with most wedding planning tools, AI is just that–a resource to assist you in planning your wedding, but not something that can unilaterally handle the process and take away the need for a human element.

Out of curiosity, I typed "how to plan a wedding" into ChatGPT to see if the advice it populated would be something I agreed with. It responded with a list of tasks, ranging from "set a budget" to "compile a guest list." While that is useful overarching advice to consider as a starting point, it didn't provide me with actionable advice that I could truly trust. For example, as part of the suggestion to make a budget, it told me to "Allocate amounts for different categories like venue, catering, attire, etc." Easy enough, right? Well here's the thing, how is a nearlywed who has never planned a wedding before supposed to know how much to allocate to each vendor? Or how inflation may affect the average cost of a wedding? A piece of tech housed within a phone or computer isn't equipped the way a wedding expert who's planned hundreds of weddings is. A pro can see what can go awry when you don't allocate enough money to catering, for example. That's where trusted wedding pros come in to balance out wedding technology trends.

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So, if you get nothing else from this, keep this TL;DR in mind: AI can assist with wedding planning, but it cannot plan a complete wedding for you.

Your Guide to AI Weddings: Can You Use AI for Wedding Planning? | How to Use AI | How Not to Use AI | Will AI Replace Vendors? | AI Wedding Photos & Designs

Meet the Experts

Still on the fence? Well, I tapped a few of those knowledgeable pros that I just mentioned to give their expert insight on the benefits and drawbacks of integrating AI into wedding planning.

• Andrea Eppolito is a luxury wedding planner and event designer who owns her eponymous business based in Las Vegas. She is also a trusted educator who often partners with WeddingPro to impart her wisdom to other business owners.
• Ashley Smith is the principal planner and designer at San Francisco-based Ashley Smith Events. The pro has more than 14 years of experience as a business owner.
• Daniel Post Senning is an etiquette expert and a spokesperson for the Emily Post Institute. The great-great-grandson of Emily Post, he's also the author of multiple etiquette guides and co-hosts the podcast Awesome Etiquette.
• Holly Gray is a wedding planner and the owner of Anything But Gray Events, a Los Angeles-based company that's been recognized in The Knot Best of Weddings Awards.
• Hovik Harutyunyan is a California-based wedding planner and the owner of Harutyunyan Events which opened in 2017. His business is focused on ensuring each event "delights, thrills, transports, and bewitches our guests."
• Kelly McWilliams is a renowned planner based in Florida. The pro, who's been in business for over 22 years, owns Kelly McWilliams Celebrations Weddings & Parties.
• New York-based Tracey Benor is a partner and the creative director of Benor & Beik. Her company's ethos is to create "thoughtful, curated and convivial events authentic to the couples we're celebrating."

Can You Use AI for Wedding Planning?

"AI is tech and tech isn't going anywhere," emphasizes Holly Gray. Tech in weddings is not a new concept—after all, much of your wedding planning checklist can be accomplished from the palm of your hand using tools and apps like The Knot App. However, the way in which technology supports the world of wedding planning is evolving. Gone are the days when the focus was on wedding hashtags. Now couples can utilize everything from artificial intelligence to TikTok to plan a wedding.

But how can you go about having AI help with wedding planning? We're breaking down the enticing ways you can make AI work for you while also outlining the areas where you should exhibit caution as it relates to this technology. "By combining the strengths of AI with the creativity and expertise of experienced planners and vendors, couples can create truly unique and memorable celebrations," explains Ashley Smith.

How to Use AI When Wedding Planning

As AI software becomes more accessible, couples and wedding vendors are beginning to integrate this technology into the wedding planning experience. Here are some notable ways you can outsource wedding planning tasks to AI to save you time and minimize wedding stress.

Aggregate Vendor Reviews

Wedding vendor reviews give couples a chance to hear valuable insights from others about their experience with a professional. However, when a vendor has tons of reviews it can be time-consuming to read all of them. But cherry-picking just a few to peruse may not give you a thorough picture of the business and its strengths. That is where the AI Review Summary feature on The Knot Vendor Marketplace comes in. This widget appears above real reviews on a vendor's Storefront and provides an "AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback." This paragraph-long summary can help you better understand a vendor's strengths during the booking process.

Vow and Speech Inspiration

"One of the best uses of AI in wedding planning is for drafting and editing various texts. AI's composition capabilities provide an excellent starting point for most wedding-related writing," says Hovik Harutyunyan. Tracey Benor has seen AI be useful for those who "might have a general idea of what they want to say, but the AI helps tie it all together." Say, for example, you have a few anecdotes you want to share as well as a few specific character qualities you want to highlight in your speech or vows. But the issue is that you don't know how to string your disparate thoughts together eloquently. That's where AI tools can be useful.

Notably, Provenance is a tool that many couples turn to for help writing personalized wedding vows while Grammarly can be used to polish wedding speeches. Ultimately, when it comes to incorporating AI into your wedding, use your best judgment. While it can certainly be a helpful tool to inspire ideas or combat writer's block, consider it just that: a medium to get you to the final product. Remember to infuse all elements of your big day with your voice and your personality. After all, that's what's going to make it a memorable and tailored experience.

Wedding Invitation and Stationery Wording

Not only can AI help write vows and speeches, but it can also assist with wedding invitations and stationery wording. Kelly McWilliams (who has seen "AI come a long way in the last year") finds the tool particularly useful for "summarizing and clarifying details when getting good prompts. For couples, using AI to get foundational wording for some pieces of their stationery suite is a great idea," explains the pro.

Hashtag and Caption Inspiration

We know the importance of a great Instagram caption, which is why we've curated roundups for couples and guests, as well as every wedding event from the engagement to the bach party and the big day itself. If you've already browsed through our ideas and have yet to find *the one,* ask an AI chatbot to generate some options for you. This may be particularly enticing if you want a customized caption that plays on your names or an out-of-the-box wedding hashtag.

Thank-You Letters

If you haven't gotten the theme yet, one of the most useful functions of AI comes in the form of writing assistance. Sitting down after the big day to write thank-you cards is an essential postwedding task to complete, as it's your duty to graciously acknowledge the loved ones who spent their time and money to support your marriage. Thankfully, AI can be of help here.

However, Daniel Post Senning cautions that personalization should be kept in mind when using AI assistance for thank-you notes. "I would not want AI to get in the way of ensuring that the expressions of thanks are genuine," Post Senning warns.

The etiquette expert urges couples to remember the golden rules of thank-you notes when creating their AI prompt: Address the recipient by name, and add personalized details in the card that mention exactly what you received and why you're writing them in the first place. "Thank the person specifically for the gift that they've given you," Post Senning suggests. "Make a reference to your relationship, the intent behind the gift, or the way you're going to use it."

Handwrytten is an AI-powered thank-you note service that couples can consider. Alternatively, you can have AI come up with the text of the letter while still writing the words on the physical card manually, which is the method Post Senning prefers. "I still suggest writing handwritten notes for wedding gift thank-yous because it shows the extra investment in time and personalization," he explains. "If AI can be a tool to do it well, then by all means, use it. But there's something special about seeing someone's handwriting because it adds significance to the message."

Flower Identification

Imagine this: You're out to lunch and an unrecognizable bloom catches your eye that you immediately want to ask your wedding florist to include in your own design plans. Did you know that there are plant identification apps that can quickly scan a botanical and let you know exactly what it is? Or, if you don't want to download an app you can even use Google's reverse image search tool to get similar results.

Wedding Website Creation

Does the thought of penning a wedding website FAQ page or drafting wedding party bios feel daunting? Or what about coming up with a unique custom domain for your wedding website? It's time for AI to come to the rescue. If you're facing writer's block, consider asking ChatGPT to craft language for you to utilize to bring your wedding website to life.

Note-Taking and Transcription for Vendor Meetings

A big part of wedding planning is attending vendor meetings and asking questions. Instead of furiously trying to take notes during your meeting, consider utilizing an AI note tool or even an AI audio transcription service. For example, if you capture an audio recording of your appointment you could later use Otter AI to transcribe the conversation.

Split Wedding Planning Tasks

Wedding planning tasks shouldn't be handled all by a single person. Instead, you and your partner should split up tasks equitably. Did you know that ChatGPT has a tool to help you do just that? Aptly named Split the Decisions, this tool takes into account each person's interests and strengths before deciding who should tackle which wedding planning to-do list item.

Create a Color Palette

So you love sage green but you're just not sure which other hues to pair together to make a cohesive wedding color palette. There are a variety of AI color palette generators on the market that can create color pairings for you to review until you find the perfect one to match your wedding vision.

As a Design Starting Point

One of the earliest wedding planning duties couples face is defining their vision. The overall vibe of your big day will guide nearly every subsequent decision. While there is debate around how thoroughly AI should be allowed to infiltrate the art world (we'll get into that later), AI can be used as a preliminary starting point as you're initially gathering wedding ideas. For example, June is an AI decor mood board tool that helps create design mock-ups in partnership with a couple's wedding vendor team. Other similar mood board tools exist on the internet that can help couples who've hit a creative wall better visualize their dream wedding. Maybe you want a Western-gothic wedding or even an old-money aesthetic but you don't know how to succinctly communicate that vibe. An AI collage tool could help create a mood board that you could share with your wedding designer as a starting point.

Menu and Cocktail Inspiration

AI wedding cocktails? Yep, they're a thing. McWilliams suggests that AI can be used to "come up with fun signature drink names based on your names or anything that is special to you and your wedding along with the drink ingredients." Similarly, Smith recently utilized AI to help with catering an event she planned. The pro explains that "AI can suggest options based on dietary preferences and guest profiles. We used AI to collaborate with a well-known chef for a recent event, curating a seasonal, farm-to-table meal. AI helped complete each entrée option, ensuring a seamless dining experience. Most importantly, the focus of AI usage was to help perfectly pair the wine."

Photo Album Layouts

After the wedding is over, don't let your wedding photos gather dust in a forgotten folder in the cloud. Instead, order a wedding photo album so you can flip through your images with ease. Designing the perfect layout might seem overwhelming, but fear not—AI tools, like Mixbook's AI sorting tool, exist to help with album designs.

Attire and Jewelry Shopping

Trying on a wedding dress from home? In recent years many AI tools have been introduced that help folks find attire and jewelry from the comfort of their couch.

Task Management and Reminders

Andrea Eppolito says that "AI's greatest benefit is that it can handle the monotony of wedding planning—things like creating checklists and organizing tasks. Using AI as your assistant will allow you to focus on the fun of wedding planning—such as tastings, dress shopping, and design."

Photo: The Knot Original Photography by Gieves Anderson

How Not to Use AI When Wedding Planning

While there are many positive uses for AI, the new tech has some drawbacks to be aware of. "AI is great for certain tasks but not all," says Harutyunyan. "Nonetheless, the advancements and developments in AI over the coming years promise to be an exciting time for the wedding industry."

Gray goes on to emphasize that "relying on AI to dictate what is most important to you on your wedding day can be a slippery slope. Trusting your instincts instead of artificial intelligence will mean you will create a unique wedding experience that reflects who you and your partner are as real people in your own lives, not avatars in another dimension."

Assuming AI Is Flawless

"As we've seen with early AI enhancements from companies like Apple and Google, it's important to approach AI's capabilities with a grain of salt," cautions Harutyunyan. "Given the current state of the technology, I believe AI is best suited for assisting and streamlining the work of wedding vendors, not replacing them entirely."

When Sensitive, Personal Data Is Involved

In much the same way that caution should be used when putting things on the internet, bear in mind that sensitive information should be kept away from AI. "Think about the tenets of etiquette: consideration, respect and honesty," says Post Senning. "Honesty should inform this decision-making. You wouldn't ever want to be in a position where you were deceiving someone, or where you were playing off AI work as your own."

Without Care or Thoughtfulness

Post Senning emphasizes that AI is new and "it's interesting to be on the vanguard of this technology. Take extra care, because you're an ambassador for how something is used and perceived by other people, so there's added responsibility to it."

Timeline Creation

McWilliams advises against couples "counting on AI to create a timeline for your wedding beyond a summary to start with. After getting a summary, work closely with your vendor team to establish a proper timeline."

Photo: Nikki Daskalakis

Why AI Will Never Replace Wedding Vendors

As I read news stories about AI, a common concern I hear voiced is the potential of AI to take away jobs. Does that risk exist in the world of weddings? Could a computer ever fully replace wedding vendors? Smith put it succinctly: "Despite its many advantages, AI has its limitations. It cannot replace the human touch and emotional connection that are crucial in wedding planning."

"AI is a powerful tool that can enhance the wedding planning process, but it's essential to balance leveraging technology and maintaining the personal, human touch that makes each wedding unique and memorable," adds Benor. "Building relationships with vendors, understanding client needs and emotions, and providing reassurance and support are tasks best left to real people," she says.

Emotion

There is nuance to humanity that simply cannot be replicated in a computer. Empathy, emotion, and depth of understanding are areas where AI is limited. "AI cannot anticipate the emotion or see the value in a moment the way that a person would," says Eppolito.

Experience

Beyond a lack of emotional intelligence, AI also doesn't have years of valuable on-the-ground experience that a wedding planner does. "Regarding planners, one of their most valuable assets is their wealth of nuanced experience and real-world knowledge from past events—something AI lacks," posits Harutyunyan.

Benor echoes Harutyunyan's sentiments and adds that "so much of the planning process, and why it's invaluable to have a (human) wedding planner, is related to personal experience and expertise. My decade and a half in the industry can speak to why certain room configurations or styles of dining service just don't work in a space, or which vendor is a better fit for a particular couple's personality or aesthetic."

"AI is a tool that can assist and augment the work of professionals, but it cannot replace the human artistry and connection essential to creating a memorable wedding," reiterates Smith.

The Debate Over AI Photos and Wedding Design Renderings

If you've perused Instagram or Pinterest lately then there's a chance you've seen an AI-generated photo mixed in with ones captured by a human behind a lens. Is that cutting-edge and creative or is that a slippery slope that needs to be approached with caution?

Some designers use AI renderings as a starting point for communicating designs. However the technology is often criticized when it's used to create unrealistic ideas or when it causes couples to undervalue human creativity.

Firstly, McWilliams flags that there is a core ethical component that needs to be kept in mind. "It would be poor etiquette and potentially illegal to use AI to manipulate and professional photos or videos," she says.

But what about AI renderings during the planning stage? "On the design front, AI facilitates the creation of design boards and previews, but these are still directed by experienced wedding designers," says Harutyunyan. "Generative AI, while capable of producing beautiful and fun images, is often criticized for creating visuals that are unrealistic and impractical."

Gray echoes Harutyunyan's sentiments that AI renderings can set unrealistic expectations that may lead to disappointment. "Couples are seeing unrealistic images that, in theory, should inspire them, but ultimately make them feel as if their realistic wedding planning will never live up to the fictional images they are being fed through AI images." She adds that some couples may not even realize they're being shown AI images. "When in doubt, look for the 6th finger and run," she advises.

Benor has dipped her foot into the world of AI renderings, but even she notes that there are drawbacks to the technology. "I have also started playing with AI to create renderings of my designs for weddings, but still in the beginner state. I think this could be extremely useful in communicating my vision. That said, I've seen AI renderings of gorgeous wedding designs that look great but don't make real-life sense. Real-life limitations like gravity and square footage are ignored. These images can mislead couples who develop unrealistic expectations of what's possible."

Ultimately, Harutyunyan summarizes it nicely: "AI is great for certain tasks but not all. For now, it serves as an excellent management tool at best. Nonetheless, the advancements and developments in AI over the coming years promise to be an exciting time for the wedding industry."

Sarah Hanlon contributed to the reporting of this story.