22 Jun CREATING A WEDDING WEBSITE
Personalised wedding websites are becoming more and more popular, and can lead to having less information included in the physical wedding invitation, or even an electronic or email wedding invitation with no physical/posted invitation at all.
Putting together a wedding website could be just another thing to have to tick off your wedding to-do list. Collecting everyone’s emails, inputting all of your information, creating a visually appealing layout… or it could be the solution and missing piece to minimizing some of the stress that comes with planning a wedding and in turn truly make it what it is supposed to be; an enjoyable journey.
Here’s some insights on what to include in a website for your wedding…
KEY DETAILS FOR THE WEDDING
It’s important not to overload your guests with information on your wedding website. Make sure to only include relevant and valuable information.
To begin with include key details such as who, when and where. Let your guests know the obvious; who is getting married, when, the location for the ceremony and venue for the reception, and the date for RSVPs. The RSVP section could be a simple online form, that includes the name of the guests, if they attending and a section for any dietary requirements. It’s helpful to also include a map of the venue (linking to Google Maps!), directions on where to park and some hotel or B&B suggestions nearby (for guests travelling over a few hours to attend). It’s also important to include the dress code required and any other requirements that are relevant for guests.
WEDDING SCHEDULE
Next you can provide an summary of the schedule for the day. Will there be drinks nearby for guests in between the ceremony and reception (while the couple is having photos), or is there a brunch the day after? Don’t forget to include both the time of the ceremony and start time for the reception.
OTHER IDEAS
On your wedding website you can also make it clear whether or not children are invited and if a plus one is included (if they are and you know their name, include that info at the top of the invitation). You could also include where you stand on gifts and what you would prefer. For example you could link off to a gift registry, you might prefer that guests make a contribution to a wishing well instead of brining a wrapped gift, or you might want to clearly state no gifts. You have the opportunity to also personalize your website experience for your guests. It’s your wedding so it needs to reflect you. Something fun to include on the website could be the story of how you and your partner met and fell in love. You could even include a fun little questionnaire/quiz for your guests to fill out. For example: ‘Who is more likely to be late to the alter?” or “Where did the proposal occur?”. This could provide some fun content and ideas for your wedding MC to bring up during the reception. Another layer of information to include is details, bios or fun details about the wedding party and share any particular social media and technology guidelines for your wedding, and maybe even include a personal hashtag if you have one.
Creating a website for your wedding limits having to answer the same reoccurring questions from guests. The time it takes to originally create your website pays off with all the time saved having to repeat and clarify information and chase RSVPs (you could set up an auto reminder for anyone that doesn’t RSVP by the date). When you think about it, a wedding website provides the perfect platform for sharing updated information with guests, especially any last minute changes.
TOOLS FOR CREATING A WEDDING WEBSITE
There are many online sites that take all the hard work out of creating your own personal website. They are self-explanatory and quite simple to create, so don’t let any self-doubt about your own skill level stop you from giving it a go. See below for some great websites to help you to get started:
- Easy-to-use drag-and-drop builder
- Guest list management
- Budget calculator
- Checklist and planner
- Free, standard and pro plans
- 34 unique templates that can be further personalised
- Free website trial
- Mobile optimised
- Manage contacts
- Hundreds of templates
If you have a tight budget that you need to stick to, you might consider one of the free wedding website builder tools.
At the end of the day have fun with your wedding website! In addition to the key information you need to communicate, you could even have a section to let your guests request songs for the reception or create a poll of drink recommendations, have a chat section for people who want to car pool to the wedding and reception, etc. A wedding website is a great way to not only organize your day but for your guests to come along for the ride!
For more tips on planning your special day: