Planning weddings is a passion of ours, and we always aim to provide the best possible experience for our clients. As a luxury wedding planner and designer, having reliable and intuitive wedding planning process tools has been imperative behind the scenes to make our clients’ dream weddings come to life. Over the years, we’ve tested many software solutions to streamline our workflow, but most fell short in at least one area.
That was until we switched to Merri, a floor plan software that changed the way we approach planning and designing luxury weddings in New York. In this review, we’ll share our honest experience using Merri, how it has helped improve our wedding design workflow, and why we recommend it to other wedding professionals.
If you haven’t tried it yet, you can start your free 30-day trial here!
This review is sponsored by Merri, but all opinions are our own. We only ever recommend tools and templates we trust and use personally!
Why We Didn't Love Other Wedding Planning Process Tools
Before switching to Merri, we had used other software options, like Social Tables and Prismm (formerly called Allseated), both promising to be the ultimate wedding planning floor plan tools—but unfortunately, they didn’t live up to our expectations. Here's why!
1. Poor Load Times
One of the most frustrating challenges was the consistently slow load times. When you're working on a deadline and need to finalize your seating chart, waiting for a program to load is not just an annoyance—it’s a productivity killer. Both we and our clients were too busy to wait for things to load slowly too. Time is always of the essence in the wedding industry, and we can’t afford delays while software catches up. When one of our clients said “We had a fight with Allseated last night . . .” I vowed never to use it again.
2. Software Crashing and Losing Work
Even worse than the slow load times were the constant crashes. We've spent countless hours meticulously designing intricate 3D floor plans only to have the software unexpectedly crash and lose all of our progress. We are known for our details, so trust me, this was more than an annoyance. There’s nothing more disheartening than needing to recreate designs from scratch, wasting time and energy that could’ve been used elsewhere.
3. Limited 3D Rendering Capabilities
With most of the tools we tried, switching between 2D and 3D renderings was cumbersome, if not impossible. For our clients, being able to see their venue from all angles is essential—it helps them visualize their wedding day more clearly and gets them excited about the design. Unfortunately, many of the other wedding planning process tools we used didn’t offer easy ways to switch between 2D and 3D modes, which was annoying and limiting when we needed to present our floorplans and designs to clients.
4. Too Expensive
In the luxury market, we are no stranger to paying more money for better tools. But while we believe in investing in our business to deliver the best results, we also need value for what we’re spending. Unfortunately, the higher-priced floor plan tools didn’t offer functionality that matched their cost. Many of them were geared towards large venues, not boutique planning companies like ours. This left us questioning whether we were getting the best possible solution for our investment.
Why We Switched to Merri
After facing these challenges with other wedding planning process tools, we knew it was time to find a solution that better matched our needs. That’s when we discovered Merri (and honestly? We haven’t looked back since).
1. Affordable Pricing and Better Value
Merri stands out first and foremost for its affordable pricing structure, offering all the functionality we need without the hefty price tag. As planners, we’re always balancing costs while making sure we provide the most value to our clients. Merri’s pricing allows us to maximize our budget and, in turn, deliver more value to the couples we work with.
2. Comprehensive Features for Luxury Planners
One of the many things we love about Merri is the range of features it offers. From the start of the wedding planning process until the end, we rely on Merri’s tools to help us manage everything from floor plans, guest lists, seat assignments, meal choices, and rental selections. Not only does it facilitate collaboration with clients, the 3D floor plans are particularly impressive and play a big role in enhancing how we present designs to our clients. Which brings us to our next thing…
3. Enhancing Design Presentations
Merri's 3D floor plans allow us to present designs that feel tangible and real. When clients see a detailed 3D rendering of their venue—complete with tables, chairs, tablecloths, napkins, glassware, china, décor, and other elements—they feel more confident in the design process. This has two benefits. First, it speeds up decision-making. Second, it helps couples feel more confident about their investment in a luxury wedding design. There’s no guesswork because they can see exactly what their day will look like.
4. Wedding-Industry Specific
Merri started because the founder was planning her own wedding and needed a tool to help her visualize the decor in the room – specifically, the tables. No such tool existed, so she created Merri. Because of its roots in the wedding industry, Merri is constantly updating its features and enhanced with wedding planners in mind. They listen to our feedback and needs and develop the technology based on the changing needs of our industry. Other software focuses on supporting large venues with different needs, so their capabilities don't align with what we need as wedding planners.
5. Intuitive Technology
This last one is a bonus! Switching to a new wedding planning process tool can be daunting, but Merri’s intuitive design made us feel less nervous. The interface is user-friendly, so we were able to learn the ins and outs quickly and get back to what we do best—planning beautiful weddings. When we started, we watched a video training to help us get started and find our way around. In addition, they have online chat support to assist with questions that arise during the planning process.
Our Favorite Merri Features
Now that you know why we switched to Merri, let's discuss why we still love the platform. Merri has many features that have streamlined our workflow and helped us better serve our clients. Here are a few of our favorites:
1. Space Capacity Calculator
Before we do anything else in the planning process, we need to know how many guests a venue can comfortably hold. We never trust the venue's “maximum capacity.” Merri makes it easy to calculate the capacity of any space, whether it's a grand ballroom or an intimate garden. This feature helps us plan with confidence from the start, ensuring that the layout we create will accurately fit all guests.
2. Custom Design Capabilities
As wedding planners and full-service designers, we customize every detail in the design, from seating arrangements to chair and linen selection. Because of this, we particularly appreciate how Merri partners with our favorite linen and rental companies. For example, we can select tablecloths and napkins from specific rental companies so we can see exactly what they will look like. If we want different looks on rectangular tables and round tables, Merri's software lets us change them quickly and easily with a few clicks. This allows us to design with incredible accuracy and efficiency. This level of precision helps our clients get excited about the details and also saves us time, too!
3. Inventory Tracking and Rental Management
One of the most time-consuming aspects of wedding planning is managing inventory and rentals. Merri simplifies this process by tracking the quantities of every item in our design. This extra feature ensures that nothing falls through the cracks. It also keeps us organized and double-checks our work to ensure our orders are correct with our rental partners.
4. Seat Assignment Tool
Seating arrangements are one of the final steps in the wedding planning process, and Merri’s seat assignment tool makes it a breeze (even for our busy couples). With the ability to assign guests to specific tables and even specific seats, this tool ensures that everything is perfectly organized. No more last-minute changes or chaos with escort cards—Merri makes sure everything is in place well before the big day.
5. Guest List Management
Last but not least, let's talk about guest list management. Managing guest lists is no small feat, especially for large weddings. Merri’s guest list management tool allows us to import a list the guest list inside Merri, track RSVPs, and assign guests to specific tables and seats within the platform. Its export tool provides the finished guest list as either an Excel or PDF so that we can provide the list to our stationer for escort cards and placecards. It's also useful for setting up place cards on the day of the wedding. All these features save us a ton of time and ensures a smooth process leading up and on the the wedding day.
Final Thoughts on Merri
Switching to Merri has improved our wedding planning process in countless ways. We can’t recommend it enough. Whether you’re a seasoned planner or a novice, Merri’s comprehensive wedding planning process tools will help streamline your workflow and provide value to your clients. The ability to create stunning 3D floor plans and manage every detail—from seating charts to rentals—has made a huge difference in how we plan weddings.
If you’re ready to take your planning and design process to the next level, we highly recommend you start with a free trial on Merri now. Now, don’t just take our word for it—give it a try and see how it improves your process (and increases your design sales)!
Start your free trial with Merri today!
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