Guide

How to use KindredKay

A shared wedding plan for the couple, their planner, family, wedding party, vendors and guests. Start with the tutorial, then jump to the guide for your role.

I’m getting marriedOr I’m the planner. You see and control everything. I’m a parent or familyYour tasks, the guest list and the events you host. I’m in the wedding partyTasks, attire and fittings, showers, shared costs. I’m a vendor on the teamYour contract, payments, times and lists. I want to list my businessGet found, send proposals, get paid, earn reviews. I’m a guestRSVP, find your table, give a gift, leave a note.

Getting started tutorial

This walks a couple (or their planner) through the first hour. Each step takes a few minutes. When you first open your plan, a short on-screen tour also points out where things live; you can replay it any time from Help → Take the tour.

Create your planGo to the home page and choose Start planning. Enter both names, your email, a password, your currency and a web address such as ava-and-jordan. That address becomes your guest website: yoursite.com/w/ava-and-jordan.

Answer the questionnaireFive short steps: the two of you, the date and place, what you’re including (videographer, welcome party, hotel block…), your people (planner, maid of honor, best man, parents) and how you want seating and money tracked. Pick your own name at the end so KindredKay knows who you are. KindredKay builds about 120 dated tasks, budget lines, a wedding-day timeline, your events, tables and open questions.

Look at OverviewYou’ll see the countdown, progress, Updates for you (smart checks), Open questions, and the Add details box. Press Get recommendations for an AI read on where you stand.

Tell it what you already knowIn Add details, type in plain words what’s decided: “Venue is Rosewood Estate, $18,000, $5,000 deposit paid, balance due May 1. Photographer is still open.” Or attach a contract PDF or a photo of one. Press Review changes, untick anything you don’t want, and press apply. You can undo it right after.

Set your budgetOn Budget, press the Total budget figure at the top to set your total. The category plan fills in with typical splits you can change. Try What-if scenarios to compare guest counts.

Invite your peopleOn People, open each person and press Give access. Enter their email and choose what they can see. They get an email to set a password. Your partner should get Full access; make them a co-owner from Logins & access.

Start your guest listOn Guests, add guests one by one, or use Import & clean up to paste a messy list and let the AI split households and remove duplicates. Then share the address link so guests send their mailing addresses themselves.

Make your websiteOn Website, choose a theme, add a cover photo, and use Write with AI for your story, travel details and FAQs. Turn on the AI concierge so guests get answers without texting you.

Set up your registryOn Registry, press Set up payouts (an account owner does this once), then add gifts and a cash fund, or link registries you already have elsewhere.

Turn on what helps youOpen Account → Message settings to choose payment reminders, the Monday digest and smart reminders. Use Sync to my calendar to see tasks and payments in your own calendar. Install the app on your phone from the Account menu.

Rule of thumb: whenever something changes, put it in Add details. KindredKay keeps the checklist, budget, timeline and website in step, and asks about anything that’s still unclear.

Who sees what

The couple decides what each person can see. The server enforces it, so hidden information never reaches anyone’s browser.

Access	Typically	Sees	Can change
Full access	Couple, planner	Everything, except other people’s private vow and toast chats, and any album kept a surprise from them	Everything. Approves suggestions from others
Family	Parents, close family	Every task, guest list and seating, events, day-of timeline, updates for them. Budget only if allowed	Their tasks, guests and seating, events they host, their attire, shared costs they’re in. Can suggest anything else
Wedding party	Bridesmaids, groomsmen, maid of honor, best man	Their tasks, day-of times, the party hub, shared albums, announcements and polls	Their tasks and attire, events they host, shared costs they’re in, photos in shared albums, votes
Vendor	Anyone you hire	Their budget line (contract, payments, files), tasks and times tagged to them, the music and photo lists, the call sheet, albums you share with them	Their task status, files, “played” on songs, “done” on photo shots
Guests	No login	The wedding website and their personal invitation link	Their RSVP, address, gifts, guest-book notes, song requests, photos, check-in

Extra toggles on each person add Budget & payments, Guest list & seating, Every task or AI tools.

Guide for the couple & planner

With full access you can do everything below. Most screens have an AI button; every AI change comes to you as a checklist to approve.

Overview

Add details: type news or attach contracts, quotes and invoices. The AI drafts updates across the plan and lists questions it still has.
Suggestions from family, the wedding party or vendors wait here for your approval.
Brief & recommendations: where you stand, what to do this week, and what couples often forget.
Weather & season: typical weather, rain odds and sunset for your date and city, with Plan for the weather.

Checklist

Tasks are grouped by how far out you are, dated from your wedding, and assigned to people. Late starters get catch-up dates.
Filter by person, category, key tasks or overdue. Open a task for notes, files, AI help and a message draft.

Budget

Each line holds the estimate, contract total, payment schedule, quotes to compare and files. Mark payments paid as you go.
Upload contract reads a PDF or photo and proposes the line, payments and deadlines.
What-if scenarios compare guest counts, venue fees, catering per head, seasonal pricing and cuts side by side.
Cash flow shows payments by month. Set a monthly comfort level and months above it turn red.
Change the currency by pressing the Total budget figure.

Guests, seating, check-in and travel

Guest list: households, sides, A/B lists, per-event RSVPs, meals, dietary needs, plus-ones, addresses, and whether save-the-dates and invitations went out. On each guest you can set Keep apart from and Seat near.
Email or text guests: RSVP reminders, address requests, website announcements. Use {name} to personalize.
Seating: drag guests onto tables; choose assigned seats, assigned tables or open seating. The Seating check flags conflicts and split households; Suggest fixes proposes swaps.
Check-in: a door list for the day, plus guests can check themselves in from “Find your table”. Print a QR sign for the entrance.
Travel & hotels: room-block pickup against your contract, shuttles (shown on your website), arrivals from RSVPs, and out-of-town guests.
Reports: caterer headcount, escort and place cards, rentals counts, dietary list, vendor contact sheet, run of show, RSVP status. Print, export CSV or email them.

Website

Pick from seven themes; your digital and printed cards match.
Add languages and press Translate our text with AI; guests switch languages at the top of the site.
Turn on RSVPs, address collection, the AI concierge, guest photos, the guest book, song requests and, on the day, Find your table and a livestream link.
Set a password and choose whether search engines can find the site.

Registry

An account owner presses Set up payouts once. After that, guests can give by card and the money goes to your bank.
Add gifts with a photo, price and quantity. Group gift lets guests chip in; Cash funds take any amount. Link other store registries too.
Card gifts and “I bought this” claims log themselves under Gifts received. Draft thank-you notes with AI.

Invitations

Choose Save the date, Invitation, Thank-you card or Announcement. Your names, date, venue and website fill in.
Pick a theme, layout and photo; press Write the wording for AI help; press Save.
Email to guests: each guest gets a personal link. You see who opened it, and invitations include their RSVP.
Print & mail: choose who gets one, add your return address and pay. Cards are printed and mailed for you, one per household with an address.

Inspiration

Ready-made albums (décor, ceremony, tablescapes, lighting, stationery, attire for each of you, wedding party, hair & makeup, rings, poses, engagement shoot, must-have moments, cake, food, favors) plus any you create.
Album settings control who sees it: the whole team, only the two of you, or specific people (including vendors). Keep it a surprise from hides an album from someone, even your partner.
Love photos, tag them, and add links. Summarize this album writes a style summary and a brief you can paste to vendors. Ask the team turns photos into a poll.

Vendors

Search the marketplace by category and city. Message vendors; your date, guest count and city go with your first message.
Vendors can send a proposal. Press Check it with AI, then Review & sign. Signing books them and fills in the budget line and payment schedule. If they take cards, pay the deposit right there.
Leave a review once a vendor is booked. If a vendor cancels, A vendor canceled? builds a recovery plan, finds backups and can bring in a human advisor.

Day-of

Timeline for the day before, the day and the day after, with who needs to be where.
Live mode shows what’s happening now and next. We’re running late pushes back the rest of the schedule and texts everyone affected.
Music: songs for each key moment, must-play and do-not-play lists, and guest requests with votes. Your DJ sees it all.
Photo list: build a shot list with AI from your family and wedding party. Your photographer ticks shots off.
Kit & contacts: an emergency kit checklist and a vendor call sheet with tap-to-call numbers.

People, party hub and updates

People: everyone helping, with roles, contacts and access. Logins & access shows who has signed in; remove or restore access, add co-owners.
Party: attire tracker with sizes and fittings, private events like the shower and bachelorette with their own to-dos and budgets, and shared costs with “who owes whom”.
Updates: announcements and notes, Polls for quick votes, and a Decisions log so nobody re-opens settled questions.

Ask

Guided AI conversations: start, vision, budget, guests, venue, ceremony, reception, attire, family dynamics, vendors, the day, vows, toasts, honeymoon, and a calm-down chat. Vows and toasts stay private.
Turn into plan updates converts a conversation into changes you approve.
Talk to a human advisor sends a message to a real person; replies arrive here and by email.

Account

Change your password, switch weddings, plan another wedding, sync to your calendar, adjust message settings, see sent messages, install the app, and replay the tour.

Guide for parents & family

The couple invited you by email. Open the link, set a password, and you’re in. Next time, sign in at the planner link with your email and password, or ask for an emailed sign-in code.

Start with “For you” on Overview: your tasks and the questions waiting for you. Check tasks off when they’re done; the couple sees it immediately.
Share news in Add details (“My side has 12 more guests”, “Booked the rehearsal dinner at Lucca, $2,400”). It becomes a suggestion the couple approves.
Guest list and seating: if the couple shared them, add your side’s guests with addresses and help seat them.
Host an event: on Party → Events, plan the rehearsal dinner or shower with its own date, budget, attendees and to-dos.
Shared costs: log what you paid for a group event and split it fairly.
Updates: read announcements, reply to notes for you, and vote in polls.
Calendar: Account → Sync to my calendar puts your tasks, events and wedding-day times in your phone’s calendar.

You won’t see the budget unless the couple turns it on for you. You can still suggest budget changes through Add details.

Guide for the wedding party

Accept your invite from the email and set a password. Install the app on your phone from Account so it’s one tap away.
Check “For you” on Overview for your tasks and questions. Tick tasks off as you finish them.
Add your attire on Party → Attire: what you’re wearing, store, color, size, order-by date, arrival, fittings and who’s paying. You’ll get a reminder the day before each fitting.
Plan the shower or bachelorette on Party → Events. Hosts can add to-dos, set a budget, pick who’s coming and use Plan it with AI.
Split costs on Party → Shared costs: add the Airbnb or brunch bill, choose who’s splitting it, and see who owes whom. Press Mark paid when you settle up.
Inspiration: browse albums the couple shared and add your own photos to albums open to the team.
Polls: vote on the couple’s quick questions in Updates → Polls.
On the day: Day-of → Live mode shows what’s happening now, what’s next and where you need to be. If the schedule shifts, you’ll get a text.

Guide for vendors on a couple’s team

When a couple gives you access, you see only what relates to you.

Your contract: your budget line with the payment schedule and files. Upload revised contracts or invoices there.
Tasks and times: anything tagged to you on the checklist and the wedding-day timeline.
Day-of: the music plan (DJs can mark songs played), the photo shot list (photographers tick shots off), and the call sheet with every vendor’s contact.
Albums the couple shared with you, such as their décor inspiration and style brief.
Updates tagged to you. Add the schedule to your calendar from Account.

Guide for vendors: the marketplace portal

List your business so couples find you, message you and book you. Go to /vendor and choose Create a free listing.

Create your listing: business name, category, city, email and password. New listings are reviewed before they appear in the directory.
Complete your profile: areas you serve, starting price or price level, an “About” that explains your style and what’s included, website, Instagram, phone, and up to 12 photos (your first photo is your cover).
Set up payouts under Get paid by card so couples can pay deposits when they sign.
Answer inquiries: couples’ messages arrive with their date, guest count and city. Reply in the thread; they’re notified by email.
Send a proposal: in the conversation, add line items with prices, the deposit and due dates, and your terms. The couple can sign it electronically and pay the deposit by card. You’ll see “Signed” and “Deposit paid” on the proposal, and can open the signed agreement any time.
Mark status as “Booked” or “Not available” when you reply.
Reviews: only couples who booked you through KindredKay can review you. Reply publicly to any review.

Guide for guests

RSVP: open the couple’s website, go to RSVP, and type your name as it appears on your invitation. You’ll reply for everyone in your household, choose meals, add dietary needs and, if invited, your guest’s name. You can change your answer until the deadline. If the couple sent you an emailed invitation, RSVP right from it.
Travel: hotel blocks with booking codes and cutoffs, shuttle times, and things to do. If asked, share your arrival dates and whether you need a shuttle when you RSVP.
Registry: give toward a cash fund or group gift by card, buy a gift in full, or buy from the store link and press I bought this so nobody duplicates it.
Ask a question: the concierge (bottom right) answers from the couple’s details and passes anything it doesn’t know to them.
On the day: Find your table shows your table (and seat), who you’re sitting with, and lets you check in. Scan the QR sign at the entrance to get there fast.
Guest book, songs and photos: leave a note for the couple, request songs and vote for others’ requests, and share photos from your phone.
Language: choose your language at the top of the site if the couple offers more than one.
Unsubscribe from any email with the link at the bottom; reply STOP to texts.

Guide for professional planners

One login, many weddings: couples give you Full access from their People tab. Every wedding you can open shows in Planner Pro at /pro.
Dashboard: upcoming weddings sorted by date, with tasks done, overdue tasks, payments due in the next 30 days, RSVPs, open questions and suggestions waiting for review.
New client wedding creates a wedding you own; invite the couple as co-owners from Logins & access.
Use Sync to my calendar in each wedding to see all your clients’ key dates together.

Guide for site owners & advisors

If you host KindredKay for others, your email goes in PLATFORM_ADMIN_EMAILS. Create an account at the home page with that email, then sign in at /admin.

Advisor requests: couples’ “Talk to a human” messages. Reply, then keep open or mark resolved; couples get an email.
Vendors: approve new listings, hide listings, or send them back to pending.
Reviews: hide or restore reviews.
Email & texts: recent sends and failures, with error messages.
Print orders and Weddings: status and payouts at a glance.

Setup (email, texts, payments, printing, AI) is in the README that ships with the code.

How the AI works

It proposes, you decide. Every AI change appears as a checklist. Untick anything, apply the rest, and undo right after if you change your mind.
Others suggest, the couple approves. When family, the wedding party or vendors use AI or Add details, their changes wait for the couple.
It always asks what’s missing. Each proposal comes with questions for the right person.
It reads what you share. Contracts, quotes and photos you attach are read to fill in amounts, deadlines and terms. Album photos are read only when you press Summarize or Sort.
Guests only see what you published. The concierge answers from your website’s information, never from your budget or guest list.

Questions & troubleshooting

I can’t sign in

Use Email me a sign-in code on the sign-in screen, or Forgot password?. If you were invited and the link expired, ask the couple to press Resend in Logins & access. If you have a personal code instead of an email login, choose Personal code.

I don’t see a tab someone mentioned

Tabs follow your access. Ask the couple to change what you can see in People → your name → Give access.

Someone shouldn’t see something anymore

In Logins & access, press Remove. They’re signed out on their next action, and their calendar link stops working.

Changes aren’t showing

The dot next to your name is green when live updates are connected. If it’s grey, check your connection; the plan still syncs every few seconds.

Guests say they can’t find their name

They should use the name on their invitation. Check spelling on the Guests tab, or add them. For couples, the household name works too.

Emails or texts didn’t arrive

Check Account → Sent messages for failures. Guests who unsubscribed or replied STOP are skipped.

Can I use it on my phone?

Yes. Open Account → Install the app on this device, or use your browser’s Add to Home Screen. iPhone photos (HEIC) upload normally.