“How are you going to plan a destination wedding for 150 people in four months?” a friend asked. “You’re not hiring a wedding planner? How are you going to manage it all?” said another. “No wedding designer? How are you going to ensure that everything looks cohesive?” a concerned colleague exclaimed.
A little ingenuity. Decisiveness. A healthy amount of delusion. A lot of grit. Oh, and ChatGPT. That’s how.
After I got engaged last November, I spent months considering the increasingly common quandary for brides in their late 30s—whether to forgo a traditional wedding and get started on family and “life,” or to live out my Pinterest and Vogue Weddings-fueled dreams with our nearest and dearest, making memories as timeless as my inevitable meticulously sourced vintage wardrobe. Eloping or a micro wedding was simply not an option for us, as our close circle of friends and family is positively Italian-sized. And as someone who works in the wedding industry, as head of social and brand partnerships at Minted, the reality of anything decidedly low-key or anti-bride was a non-starter and counter to my maximalist tendencies.
My professional wedding experience, in part helping celebrity and content creator brides hone their vibe and bring it to life through stationery, has led me to consider my own wedding far longer than I’ve been engaged. Yet, when it came time to consider my big day under a self-imposed four-month time crunch, I needed support while also challenging myself—in a similar manner to my scholastic habit of cramming for an exam the night before, yet still acing the test.
I considered bringing on one of the ingenious planners I’ve befriended over the years via my work at Minted, but as a person who majored in college in event management and has produced plenty of large-scale events over my career, I have always wanted the challenge and opportunity to see if I could make it happen myself. (I am an Aries eldest daughter, after all).
Enter my mAId of honor, creative brainstorming partner, fashion historian, meteorologist, travel agent and personal assistant: ChatGPT.
While some brides have started using the tool to figure out ways of stretching their budgets or negotiate contracts, I found my AI partner-in-planning best suited to hone my creative vision and drill into the details with the precision and speed necessary to pull off this feat (and fête) in just four months.
