Brand

Voice & tone

PlanJolly sounds like a clued-up, calm friend who has been to a lot of weddings – practical when there’s a job to do, warmer when there’s a moment to mark. The voice talks to the couple, never as a brand-with-feelings.

The voice is constant everywhere; only the tone flexes – terser in the app, more room to breathe on info pages. Every “do” example below is real shipped app copy.

We are / we are not

We areWe are not
Warm – a clued-up friendSentimental – no “magical day”, no “fairy-tale”
Practical – direct, action-ledCold or clinical – never an admin tool
Knowing – says where weddings go wrong, plainlyPreachy – never lectures
British – UK spelling, terms and humourAmerican or generic – no “vendors”, no “yay”
Calm – assumes the couple has thisPushy – no fake urgency, no panic countdowns
Specific – names the actual thingVague – no “experiences”, “journey”, “curated”
Trusting – offers steer, not rulesPrescriptive – never “you must”
Self-effacing – the tool, not the protagonistSelf-promoting – never “we/us/our” as the brand

Lead with the verb

Do
Pack your wedding-day emergency kit
Don’t
Tips for preparing everything you might need on the day

Every task title is an imperative. No “How to”, no “Tips for”, no throat-clearing.

Name the actual things

Do
Plasters, safety pins, painkillers, stain remover, spare tights, snacks, phone charger. Hand to someone you trust.
Don’t
Make sure you pack all the essential first-aid and emergency items you may require.

Comma-stacked specifics beat categories every time.

Warmth without schmaltz

Do
Wind down early. Bath, no screens, light dinner, water by the bed. You’ve earned it.
Don’t
Relax and get ready to enjoy your magical day – you deserve perfection!

One earned line of acknowledgement. No exclamation marks, no “magical”.

The knowing aside

Do
Songs you’d consider. Listen to the full track – the bridge can throw you.
Don’t
It’s important to consider whether the whole song is suitable.

Quiet expertise, named plainly. Spaced en dash – never an em dash, ever.

Real stakes, stated once, calmly

Do
Attend the appointment. Legally must happen at least 29 days before the wedding.
Don’t
Don’t miss this crucial deadline – time is running out!

Deadlines are facts, not alarm bells.

Steer, don’t prescribe

Do
Edible, useful or genuinely lovely. Optional if budget is tight.
Don’t
Every bride must have something old, new, borrowed and blue.

The couple decides. Optional framings: “If you’d like one”, “Optional but lovely”.

The couple is the protagonist

Do
The timeline takes shape around your venue date.
Don’t
We’ll fold it into your timeline – we’ve got you covered!

PlanJolly never says “we”, “us” or “our” as the brand. Name the product only when describing what to do in the app.

British throughout

Do
Give notice at the register office. Order buttonholes. Decide on guest favours.
Don’t
Meet your vendors, order boutonnières and pick wedding favors.

UK spelling, UK terms, UK dates (“Saturday 24 July 2027”), £3,500.

Wit yes, gags no

Do
Heels-wearers will thank you. Future-you will be grateful. Don’t laminate it.
Don’t
It’s aisle be alright on the night!

Dry observations, no puns or memes. The test: would the line still land in twelve months?

Inclusive by default

Do
Choose your partner’s outfit
Don’t
Choose the groom’s outfit

“Your partner” is the default everywhere; “bride”/“groom” appear only for traditional outfit categories.

Only features that exist

Do
PlanJolly builds the timeline around your venue date.
Don’t
The AI assistant scores your shortlisted suppliers automatically.

Every feature claim is a promise. Describe only what the app ships.

Celebrate small, land true

Do
Venue locked in. The big one’s done – everything else hangs off this date.
Don’t
Congratulations!!! You did it! 🎉

One genuine moment, no fireworks, no emoji in-app.

Format rules

  • Sentence case everywhere – titles, buttons, navigation. Never Title Case, never ALL CAPS.
  • No full stops on titles or button labels.
  • Spaced en dash (–) for asides; the em dash (—) never appears.
  • Hyphens for compound modifiers: “save-the-date card”, “first-dance song”. Dropped when the noun stands alone.
  • Contractions on – “don’t”, “you’ll”. The voice is informal.
  • No Oxford comma by default.
  • Numbers one to nine spelt out, 10 and up in digits. Money, ages, times and dates always digits.
  • Dates UK style, no ordinals: “24 July 2027”. Currency: “£3,500”.
  • Emoji: never in-app. Marketing only, deliberate and infrequent.

Words that never appear

If a draft contains one of these, the draft isn’t finished.

vendormagicalperfect dayfairy-talejourneycuratedseamlessdream daybig daytying the knotnuptialsbridezillawe believeour missionwe’ve got you coveredhusband materialblushing bride