April 30, 2015
While I’ve loved sharing my input in this “As a Bride” series about how to plan a wedding – it is about to get even better! I’m starting to receive posts from my past brides about experiences that they’ve had. This advice comes from Joyce, whom I absolutely adore! If you would like to share some advice, please send me an email at emily [at] theganeys [dot] com! 🙂
I’ve always been a fan of Google. I’m a token nerd so I find their projects and new innovations to be interesting and cool. When Google released Gmail and it was invite only, I was on that bandwagon. The same can be said about Google+ (which, to be fair, was probably a failure in Google’s book). So when Google Drive was a thing, I was one of the first to try it.
In about 2006, I had my first experience with Google Docs, which would later become part of the Google Drive suite in 2012. The main “awesome” point about Google Docs is that it allows for real time editing from multiple users. This means that if myself and Emily were looking at the same document, we could both in real time:
- See each other looking at the document
- See each other change the document
- Chat about the document
We could also leave comments to be read later if needed. These features were absolutely vital to my planning process. I had a large party and a lot of people that wanted to be involved with picking dresses, coming up with ideas, and also have “all things wedding related” in one place. The only way I could effectively organize this was through Google Drive.
Eventually, my husband and I had our budget on the Excel section to review the numbers together, all of our contracts within a generic “uploaded stuff” section, and essentially our entire wedding plan within Google Drive. We could control who could access what pieces, and we were also able to pull the drive up from anywhere with internet access (and the app from our phones).
Google Drive became the hub for all of our wedding details. Itinerary? Check the drive. Driver setup? Check the drive. Vendor list and details? Check the drive. Emergency Contact information? It’s on the drive!
Pros
- All of it is in one place that can be accessed by any device with an internet connection.
- Who can see/do what is directly controllable by the owner of the document. You want people to only be allowed to read something? Read-only access. Want them to be able to add other people to document? Read / Write / Change access.
- Supports more than just documents. Excel sheets, powerpoints, drawings– you name it, Google supports it. Even our wedding song is on there!
Cons:
- Google can see all of your things. While they’re a little more trustworthy than Facebook, it’s still a concern if they ever get hacked.
- Everyone who wants the ability to change anything needs a Google account. While any email address can view a document (if access is allowed), a gmail address is necessary to use it effectively.
- Not everyone may know how to use Drive– this may not be a good idea for the average user.
Google didn’t pay me to write this, but they did make my wedding planning experience a lot more organized. Their platform allowed for a cooperative and crowd sourced experience that didn’t end with lost documentation or details. Some people prefer a wedding binder, or even a full on planner, but I preferred a setup that I was already relatively comfortable with– Google Drive.
