Question 1

What does 'Colara' mean?

Accepted Answer

Colara is a constructed name inspired by real Latin roots: colligo (to gather together), collecta (things gathered), and colere (to cultivate, to care for). It carries the essence of gathering and cultivating — which is exactly what wedding planning is about. You're gathering vendors, guests, and logistics into one place and cultivating order out of the beautiful chaos of planning your day.

Question 2

How do I get started with Colara?

Accepted Answer

Sign up for free — no credit card required. You'll choose your role (couple, planner, photographer, vendor, or guest) and your dashboard is tailored from there. Couples get most features free with the option to upgrade. Planners, photographers, and vendors all start on a free CRM with no trial clock. Couples can begin with wedding details and a timeline; professionals can begin with their CRM.

Question 3

Is Colara meant to replace my wedding planner or photographer?

Accepted Answer

Not at all. Colara is built to work alongside your planner and photographer, not replace them. Think of it as a shared workspace where everyone — couple, planner, photographer, and vendors — stays on the same page. Planners can manage multiple couples from one dashboard, photographers can build expert-crafted timelines, and everyone sees the same schedule, floor plan, and vendor list in real time.

Question 4

Does Colara replace a wedding website?

Accepted Answer

Yes — and then some. Colara includes everything you'd expect from a wedding website (guest-facing details, RSVP, photo gallery, registry links), but it goes much further. Behind the scenes you get a full command center: timeline builder, budget tracker, seating chart, vendor management, checklist, vision board, floor plan, documents, and messaging — all in one place.

Question 5

What roles are available and what can each one do?

Accepted Answer

There are five roles: Couple (bride/groom), Planner, Photographer, Vendor, and Guest. Couples have full access to every planning tool. Planners and photographers can manage multiple weddings, build AI-powered timelines, and coordinate with their clients. Vendors get a free portal to manage their jobs across multiple couples. Guests can view wedding details, RSVP, and upload photos. Planners can also control exactly which pages are visible to guests, vendors, and photographers.

Question 6

What features does Colara include?

Accepted Answer

Colara connects wedding planning, professional CRM, and collaboration in one workspace. Planning tools include timelines, checklists, budgets, guests and RSVPs, seating and floor plans, vendors, galleries, wedding websites, documents, and wedding-day coordination. Business tools include contacts, pipelines, jobs, lead forms, proposals, contracts, invoices, payments, questionnaires, scheduling, email, expenses, templates, and reporting. Teams can also use permissions, client and collaborator portals, workflow automations, integrations, mobile access, and AI-assisted tools. Availability varies by role and plan.

Question 7

How much does Colara cost?

Accepted Answer

Couples get most features for free and can upgrade to Couples Pro ($99 one-time). Planners and photographers start on the Free CRM with one timeline-enabled wedding, and can add Starter or Unlimited tiers for the full wedding workspace. Vendors start directly on Vendor CRM Free with unlimited leads, clients, proposals, contracts, invoices, and payments. Manual payments are fee-free; card payments include a 1% platform fee plus Stripe processing. Vendor CRM Pro is optional at $29/month. Guests always use Colara for free. Visit Pricing for current rates.

Question 8

What CRM access is free for wedding professionals?

Accepted Answer

Planners and photographers keep the full manual CRM after their Pro trial, and vendors start directly on Vendor CRM Free: unlimited contacts, a visual pipeline, proposals, contracts, invoices, finances, notes, calendar, tasks, scheduling, questionnaires, and templates. Vendors also keep accepted wedding jobs and shared wedding details in the same account. Manual payments have no platform or Stripe fee. Online card payments on Free include a 1% platform fee plus Stripe processing; paid plans remove the platform fee and add advanced tools.

Question 9

Do vendors and guests need to pay?

Accepted Answer

No. Vendors start directly on Vendor CRM Free with unlimited leads, clients, proposals, contracts, invoices, payments, and accepted wedding jobs. Manual payments have no platform or Stripe fee. Card payments include a 1% platform fee plus Stripe processing; clients never pay extra. Vendor CRM Pro is optional at $29/month and adds advanced tools. Guests use shared wedding features at no cost.

Question 10

What's included in every paid plan?

Accepted Answer

Every paid plan — whether for couples, planners, or photographers — gives full access to the entire platform: AI timeline builder, budget tracker, seating chart, guest management, vendor directory, photo gallery, checklist, vision board, floor plans, documents, messages, and more. The difference between planner tiers is how many active weddings you can manage at once.

Question 11

Can I cancel my subscription anytime?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can manage your subscription through the Billing page at any time. You'll continue to have access through the end of your current billing period. If you chose the one-time payment option, your access continues through your wedding and beyond — no subscription needed.

Question 12

What happens if my planner invites me to Colara?

Accepted Answer

If a planner or photographer invites you as a couple, you get full access to the platform at no cost — your planner's subscription covers you. The same works in reverse: if a couple invites their planner, the planner gets access to that wedding. No one has to pay twice.

Question 13

Can I manage multiple weddings at once?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Planners and photographers get a dedicated command center where they can see all their weddings in one place. You can switch between clients, manage timelines, track budgets, and coordinate vendors across all your active weddings. The Starter plan supports up to 3 active weddings, and the Unlimited plan has no cap.

Question 14

How does the AI Timeline Builder work?

Accepted Answer

The Timeline Builder walks you through a guided intake — ceremony time, venue details, photography priorities, and more — then generates an expert-crafted timeline that protects your light, your portraits, and the calm flow of the day. You can send the generated timeline for approval to the couple or other team members before adding it to the shared timeline. It's built on 15+ years of real wedding experience.

Question 15

Can I send timelines for approval before finalizing?

Accepted Answer

Yes. After generating a timeline, you can send it for approval to anyone — the couple, other planners, photographers, or even external contacts who aren't on Colara. Recipients can review the timeline, edit events inline, leave feedback, and approve or request changes. External recipients get a secure link they can share with their own team.

Question 16

Can I add my couples to Colara myself?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. You can add couples directly from your dashboard — just enter their email and they'll get an invitation. Once they sign up, they automatically get full access to the platform through your subscription. You can also invite other planners or photographers to collaborate on a wedding.

Question 17

Can a photographer also be a planner?

Accepted Answer

Yes. If you're a photographer who also coordinates weddings, you can use the planner tools alongside your photography workflow. You'll have access to everything: timeline builder, budget tracking, vendor management, seating charts, and the multi-wedding command center.

Question 18

Can I edit the timeline after the AI generates it?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Once you apply the AI-generated timeline, all events appear on your Timeline page where you can edit times, add notes, remove items, drag and drop to reorder, or add new events. The AI gives you a solid starting point, and you customize from there.

Question 19

What is the Vision Board?

Accepted Answer

The Vision Board is a visual inspiration tool where you can search and save photos from Unsplash, build color palettes, and collect ideas for your wedding aesthetic. It includes color extraction tools to pull palettes from any image, and quote cards for capturing your vision in words.

Question 20

How does the Checklist work?

Accepted Answer

The Checklist supports multiple named sub-lists — so you can organize tasks by category, timeline, or priority. You can move items between lists, and there are pre-built templates to get you started quickly. Both couples and planners can create and manage checklists.

Question 21

Is there a budget tracker?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Budget Tracker lets you set an overall budget, add line items by category (venue, catering, florals, etc.), track payments and deposits, and see how your spending compares to your budget at a glance. It's available to couples and planners.

Question 22

Can I build a seating chart?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Seating Chart feature lets you create tables, assign guests, and visually arrange your layout with drag-and-drop. It works alongside your guest list, so you can see RSVPs, meal preferences, and dietary notes as you plan your seating.

Question 23

How does photo moderation work?

Accepted Answer

When guests upload photos, they go into a pending queue. The couple, planner, or admin can review each photo and approve or reject it before it appears in the main gallery. Photos uploaded by the couple or admin are automatically approved.

Question 24

What is the QR code sign feature?

Accepted Answer

The QR Sign generator creates a printable sign with a QR code that links directly to your gallery. Place it at your reception and guests can scan it with their phone to upload photos instantly. You can customize the headline and message on the sign.

Question 25

Can my photographer share their gallery through the app?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Vendors and the couple can add external gallery links (like Pixieset, ShootProof, or Google Photos) to the Gallery page. This keeps all your wedding photos — guest uploads and professional galleries — in one place.

Question 26

What happens to finished galleries?

Accepted Answer

Older, inactive gallery originals automatically move into long-term storage. Galleries remain online and clients can continue viewing and downloading their photographs, so photographers do not have to delete finished work just to make room for newer galleries.

Question 27

How do vendors use Colara?

Accepted Answer

Vendors sign up for free, choose the Vendor role, and enter their company name and specialty. They start directly on Vendor CRM Free with unlimited leads, clients, proposals, contracts, invoices, payments, and core business tools. Manual payments have no platform or Stripe fee. Accepted wedding invitations join the same account, including the shared read-only timeline when visible. Vendor CRM Pro is $29/month and adds automations, AI assistance, inventory, team tools, and no online-payment platform fee.

Question 28

How do guests RSVP?

Accepted Answer

Guests log in and visit the Guest Info page where they can RSVP with meal preference, dietary restrictions, plus-one information, and notes. The couple and planner can view all RSVPs at a glance. Guests can also view wedding details — venue, times, dress code, parking, and anything else the couple has shared.

Question 29

Can guests upload photos?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Guests can upload photos directly to the gallery from their phone or computer. The couple or planner reviews and approves them before they go live. You can also set up a QR code sign at the reception so guests can upload photos on the spot.

Question 30

Is my data secure?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Colara uses industry-standard security: encrypted connections (HTTPS), secure session cookies, password hashing, rate limiting to prevent abuse, and security headers to protect against common web attacks. Payment processing is handled entirely by Stripe — we never see or store your card details.

Question 31

Who can see my wedding information?

Accepted Answer

Only people you invite. Your wedding data is private by default. Planners can control exactly which pages are visible to guests, vendors, and photographers. No one outside your wedding team can access your information.

Question 32

What kind of documents can be uploaded?

Accepted Answer

The Documents page supports floor plans, contracts, day-of timelines, shot lists, and any other planning files. The couple, planner, photographer, and vendors can all upload documents, keeping everything organized in one shared space.

Question 33

What can clients do in their portal?

Accepted Answer

Each CRM client can have a private, personalized portal where they review proposals, sign contracts, view and pay invoices, complete questionnaires, follow to-dos and events, access shared vendors and files, and message you. You can share a personal link without requiring the client to create an account, and you control which sections and individual documents are visible for each client.

Question 34

Is there a messaging feature?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Colara includes built-in messaging so your wedding team can communicate without leaving the platform. You also get an AI planning assistant that can help answer questions and provide suggestions based on your wedding details.

Question 35

What is Digital Contract Signing?

Accepted Answer

Colara includes built-in digital contract signing for planners and photographers. You can create contracts with configurable fields, send them to clients for signing through a secure public signing page, and counter-sign once your client has signed. Every signature is tracked with timestamps, and you can monitor the status of all your contracts from your Clients dashboard.

Question 36

What is Couples Pro?

Accepted Answer

Couples Pro is a one-time $99 payment that gives couples full editing control and access to every feature on Colara — no subscription required. It covers your entire planning journey through your wedding day and beyond, so you never have to worry about recurring charges.

Question 37

Can someone gift me Colara Pro?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Anyone can purchase Colara Pro as a gift for a bride — no account needed. The bride receives an email notification with her gift. If she already has a Colara account, Pro access is granted immediately. If she hasn't signed up yet, her Pro access is activated as soon as she creates an account.

Question 38

What client management features does Colara have?

Accepted Answer

Colara includes full-featured client management for planners and photographers. You get a visual pipeline to track clients through customizable stages, create and send proposals and invoices, manage contracts with digital signing, build reusable email templates with scheduled sending, set up automated client workflows, track expenses with manual entry, CSV import, or SMS receipt photo scanning, and manage your team with role-based permissions. Everything is connected so you can see your full client picture in one place.

Question 39

Can I collect payments through Colara?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Colara integrates with Stripe Connect so you can collect payments directly from clients. Create invoices from your Clients section, send them to clients, and receive payments straight to your connected Stripe account. You can track payment status, send reminders, and keep all your financials organized alongside your client management tools.

Question 40

What is the Expense Tracker?

Accepted Answer

The Expense Tracker helps planners and photographers manage business expenses. You can add expenses manually, import them in bulk via CSV, or snap a photo of a receipt and text it to Colara for automatic scanning and entry via SMS. Categorize expenses, attach receipts, and generate reports to keep your finances organized.

Question 41

How does the Jobs system work?

Accepted Answer

The Jobs system lets planners and photographers manage all their events in one place. Create a job with the event date, type, venue, budget, and linked contacts. Track job status as it moves through your pipeline. When you create a job, Colara automatically creates a linked wedding workspace so you can start planning immediately. You can define custom job types and tags to organize your work however you like.

Question 42

Can I collaborate with a team?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Paid professional plans include team seats with individual logins, role-based permissions, optional page-level access, and client assignment controls. Admin, Planner, Coordinator, Editor, Assistant, Viewer, and Custom access options make it possible to match each person's access to their work. Teams can assign tasks, review personal task lists and workload, and collaborate through activity and comments without sharing an account.

Question 43

Can I automate my client workflow?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Build reusable workflows that respond to moments such as a new job, a pipeline change, an invoice payment, or a completed questionnaire. Steps can send email or text messages, deliver questionnaires and gallery links, create and assign tasks, notify the team, and schedule follow-ups. Automations are available on paid professional plans.

Question 44

What integrations and exports are available?

Accepted Answer

Colara supports two-way Google Calendar sync, iCal feeds, Zapier, Make, signed webhooks and API keys, and a direct QuickBooks Online connection that syncs customers, invoices, and payments every 15 minutes. Mapped monthly CSV exports remain available if you would rather hand your accountant a file. Connection availability depends on your account and provider access.

Question 45

Can I bring clients over from another CRM?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The self-serve importer accepts CSV, Excel, and supported account exports from HoneyBook, Dubsado, and Táve, suggests column mappings, previews records before creating them, and safely matches duplicates. Planners and photographers can also request a free concierge migration by sending their export to support.

Question 46

Can I manage sessions and events that aren't weddings?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Create required project types such as Wedding, Elopement, Mini Session, Portrait, Event, or Consultation, and add your own reusable types. Wedding-related projects can create a full wedding workspace automatically. Other projects stay in the CRM unless you deliberately create an event workspace. Session events can also provide public booking, time slots, pricing, deposits, documents, and follow-up emails.

Question 47

Can I use my own branding with clients?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Professional accounts can set their business identity and brand styling for client communication and documents. The optional White Label Add-On removes platform branding from client-facing pages and replaces it with your own brand across proposals, invoices, contracts, client portals, wedding websites, galleries, and emails. It is available after signup in Settings.

Question 48

What is the Wedding Day Command Center?

Accepted Answer

The Wedding Day Command Center is a real-time coordination tool for the day of your wedding. Post live status updates so everyone knows what's happening, track delays with notes and time adjustments, and send SMS notifications to all participants. Guests can also register for SMS updates through your wedding website so they stay informed throughout the day.

Question 49

What is the Family Photo Checklist?

Accepted Answer

The Family Photo Checklist helps you organize every family grouping you want photographed. Organize shots by bride's side, groom's side, and combined groups. Track parent status, add sibling and grandparent names, and create custom groupings for any other shots you need. Share the completed checklist directly with your photographer so no important combination is missed.

Question 50

Does Colara include a wedding website?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Colara includes a fully customizable wedding website with multiple templates, adjustable colors and fonts, and a variety of sections you can enable or disable — including your love story, travel details, schedule, RSVP, photo gallery, and registry links. Set a custom URL slug, add password protection for privacy, configure SEO settings, and even record an audio welcome message for your guests.

Question 51

Can guests upload photos through the wedding website?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Your wedding website includes a guest photo upload feature. Guests can submit photos directly through the site, and those photos go into a pending queue for you to review and approve before they appear in your main gallery.

Question 52

Can guests get SMS updates on the wedding day?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Through your wedding website, guests can register their phone number to receive SMS updates from the Wedding Day Command Center. As you post status updates or announce schedule changes on the day of, registered guests receive text messages to stay informed in real time.

Question 53

What is the AI Planning Assistant?

Accepted Answer

The AI Planning Assistant is a conversational AI built into Colara that helps with every aspect of wedding planning. Ask it questions, get suggestions tailored to your wedding details, and receive help with timelines, vendor coordination, and logistics. Your conversation history is saved so you can pick up where you left off, and the assistant uses tool-calling to access your wedding data for more accurate, personalized responses.

Question 54

Can I interact with Colara's AI via text message?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Colara offers SMS Text-to-AI powered by Twilio. You can text questions to your AI planning assistant and receive responses via text message — perfect for quick planning questions when you're on the go and away from your computer.

Question 55

How does scheduling and online booking work?

Accepted Answer

Colara includes a full scheduling system for planners and photographers. Set your weekly availability, create session types (consultations, engagement shoots, planning calls, etc.) with custom durations and pricing, and share a public booking page with clients. Clients can see your open slots and book directly — no back-and-forth emails needed. All bookings sync with your calendar automatically.

Question 56

Does Colara sync with Google Calendar?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Colara offers two-way Google Calendar sync. Connect your Google account, choose which calendars to sync, and your Colara events push to Google while Google events pull into Colara. The sync also checks for scheduling conflicts using Google's free/busy data, so you never accidentally double-book.

Question 57

What is the Partner Program?

Accepted Answer

The Colara Partner Program is for photographers, planners, and creators who want to earn by sharing Colara with their audience. Partners receive a paid collaboration fee starting at $250 plus 20% recurring commission on every planner or photographer who signs up through their unique referral link. You get a Partner Dashboard to track referrals, earnings, and payouts. Apply through the Partner With Us page and once approved, review and sign your partner agreement to get started.

Question 58

How do payouts work for partners?

Accepted Answer

Partner commissions are tracked automatically when someone signs up through your referral link and subscribes. Payouts are processed through Stripe Connect — you connect your bank account from your Partner Dashboard, and payments are sent directly. You can view your referral history, pending commissions, and payout history at any time.

Question 59

What is the Shot List?

Accepted Answer

The Shot List helps photographers and couples plan exactly which photos to capture on the wedding day. Create custom shots, use pre-built templates for common groupings, add reference photos for inspiration, and organize by category. You can share the shot list with your photographer so everyone is aligned on must-have shots before the day begins.

Question 60

What is the Floor Plan / Venue Layout tool?

Accepted Answer

The Floor Plan tool lets you visually design your venue layout with drag-and-drop. Place tables, chairs, the dance floor, DJ booth, bar, photo booth, and other elements. Save multiple room layouts, create snapshots for different configurations, and share the layout with your venue, planner, and vendors so everyone knows the setup before the day.

Question 61

Can I use Colara on my phone?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Colara is a progressive web app (PWA), which means you can install it directly to your phone's home screen — no app store needed. It works like a native app with offline support, push notifications, and a full mobile-friendly interface. On iPhone, open Colara in Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen. On Android, tap the install prompt or use the browser menu.

Question 62

Does Colara send push notifications?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Once you install Colara as an app on your device, you can enable push notifications to stay updated on new messages, timeline changes, RSVP responses, and other important updates — even when you're not actively using the app.

Wedding Planning FAQ — Common Questions Answered