Sometimes, even geeks end up getting married. However, just because we are facing reality, it doesn’t mean we need to abandon our love for virtual reality.

We know for a fact that when a process goes digital, it gets better. Take, for example, paperless offices and electronic banking, etcetera. So why should we shy away from using this vital time and energy-conserving medium to help ease our wedding preparations?

This is one of those situations where a one-size-fits-all solution simply doesn’t exist. But in a perfect world where tech is king, the following are some options to help digitise your wedding and perhaps help take some of the load off.

There are many similarities between planning a wedding and managing a project, so it makes perfect sense that we employ the tools that project managers commonly use. First things first, let us first designate a dedicated project coordinator. It’s also important that this project coordinator be tech-savvy, because they will be using a lot of different tools to accomplish their tasks.

Step 1

The first thing the project coordinator will need is a project management tool; I recommend something like the app Do (by Salesforce) or Asana, whichever is easier to get a hang of. Once the coordinator has familiarised themselves with the project management app, they will identify all the people who will be helping with wedding preparations (managers), and will jot down how each manager can be contacted, including what devices they use, like a smartphone, 'dumb' phone, or perhaps something in between (like Symbian).

Step 2

Once this list has been prepared, all managers must be brought on the same page. This will take place on a social business tool like Convo, the same results can be achieved with Facebook or Google Plus, but dedicated tools are always better. The purpose of the social tool will be to share daily progress and task updates with everyone, and this will tell the project coordinator if things are going as planned.

Step 3

Now for individual tasks. There will be one person in charge of selecting a venue (location manager). This used to be a long arduous task involving going to each venue, haggling over costs and finally getting started; but since the advent of social media, we have a much easier approach. Just go to the venue's social media page and read what the users are saying, browse their albums to see how the place looks. If you think this opinion is biased, check out some online forums for what people have to say and perhaps even get some inside information based on others' experiences. This will reduce the grunt work significantly.

Step 4

Once the venue has been identified, it’s time for food selection. Since digital odour emitters are not fully functional and digital taste emitters don't yet exist (both apply the same logic of converting taste/smell into bits of code), you will eventually have to evaluate the food personally, there is no way to digitise this. You can check the same message boards/social media pages to get people's opinion of their experience with different caterers, though.

Step 5

The next step is to have an announcement centre; this is where all the information goes for everyone who gets invited (keeping them up to date and whatnot), and I recommend Facebook for this step. It would be wise to advertise the venue's location via maps and maybe a QR code with the coordinates printed on the invitation (there are literally thousands of QR code generator apps), this will come in handy down the line.

Step 6

Now, the invitation. This step is straightforward, you can have one designed by a professional graphic designer, if you do not know one, I recommend finding one using services like Odesk or Elance (select someone with a portfolio). This design can be printed and also shared on the Facebook page. Also, social media can cover a lot of things, such as identifying and evaluating clothes and decoration, this will be pretty much the same as selecting the venue; the same goes for the salon/parlour and selecting a photographer.

Once all of that is done, we return to the project coordinator who will manage a list of everyone who responded 'yes' to the invitation.

Step 7

One person will manage the pickup of dresses (wardrobe manager), one will manage pickup of any and all items from the printers, and one will manage logistics (step 8). Once these tasks are assigned, the coordinator will update him/her with every update, delays, and completions so everyone is on the same page. This way, if one task is delayed then everyone else knows to pick up the slack.

Step 8

The logistics manager will decide how the wedding will reach the venue and in what pairing everyone will go. We recommend that the manager assign one individual with a GPS-enabled device in each vehicle so they know if anyone goes off track.

Step 9

Once the wedding is underway, you might want to consider streaming the event live for family and friends who are unable to attend, but still want to be part of the whole thing. Depending on the facilities provided by the venue, you can cover the entire thing via CCTV (also identified using social media) or you can do it via a webcam. Note: Live streaming anything above a webcam will feature a significant cost.

Technology will not improve the process 100 per cent, but it will definitely relieve the pressure, and no amount of technology can replace a good coordinator. Seriously, do give them a (real) gift!