Your Wedding Website: Everything You Need to Include
A wedding website is the best way for you to communicate with your guests and keep them updated with the plans for your big day; from letting them know all the vital information, to browsing your gift list, it’s great to have all of your wedding details in a central hub that your guests can access with the click of a mouse.
Why to Have a Wedding Website
When it comes to wedding planning, your guest will have A LOT of questions. Traditionally couples included the key information in their invites (when, where, dress code) but nowadays there’s so much that guests need to know, you’d end up sending a full booklet out with your invites – not very environmentally friendly!
A wedding site can house everything your guests need to know, including accommodation suggestions local to your venue, taxi numbers, how to get to your venue, and gift list information. Trust us, having a website to direct your guests to rather than answering never ending text messages and phone calls will be a god send when your wedding is just weeks away.
A website also saves you money on postage – there’s no need to send out paper save the dates, nor is a physical RSVP necessary if it’s available online. People are much more likely to reply to an online RSVP than popping one in the post, saving you the stress of chasing people for menus choices and plus one information.
Of course, any elderly guests might not be comfortable RSVPing online, or using a computer at all, so it’s worth creating a few paper invites for people no so au-fait with the online world.
The beauty of a wedding site is that you can constantly update and change the information – if any of the plans change you can easily update your site rather than having to contact every guest individually.
How to Build a Wedding Website
There’s a whole host of platforms to help you build your wedding website, no matter how technically savvy you are.
From building your own from scratch to using templates that you drag and drop pictures and info into, there are many ways to create the wedding website of your dreams, some platforms worth considering are:
What to Include on Your Wedding Website
As we mentioned, a wedding website it the perfect place to store absolutely everything your guests need to know.
“Anticipate people’s questions and easily direct them to the answers,” says Vivian Hernandez of website building site Wix.com
“People generally ask for directions or facilities-related questions. Thus, consider including directions and a map, as well as linking venue phone numbers, thereby eliminating the couple as an intermediary.”
Here’s what to include on your wedding website, from the blindingly obvious to the things you might not have thought of.
- Wedding date and time
- Wedding venue and a link to the website
- Facilities at the church / venue (baby changing, bathrooms)
- Directions to the venue and a map
- Nearest public transport, including taxi numbers
- Accommodation options
- Gift list information
- RSVP section
- Menu section – including dietary requirements
- Info on the local area (things to see if people are staying around)
- Timelines of the day
- Bar information – ie. Is it an open bar, or a cash only bar
If you want to get really creative, there’s a whole host of other information you can include on your site, from a music request section, to biographies of the bridal party (just for the giggles!) to photos from throughout your relationship.
When to Create Your Wedding Website
We recommend creating your website as soon as the date and your venue are confirmed. Unlike traditional wedding invites, you can update the website as you go along, so there’s no need to worry if details change.
How to Design Your Wedding Website
Just like traditional wedding stationery is designed to reflect your wedding style, your website should too. Building your wedding website on Wix allows you easily set up a beautiful website in no time; the site has a variety of wedding templates, so you can find site design inspiration or if there’s none that suit your wedding vibe, you can make one from scratch.
“If a couple is hosting a white-tie affair, then it may not make much sense to have an informal tone or playful images on the website,” says Vivian.
“By matching the website style to the event, guests will understand how to dress and what to expect.”
With your wedding site sorted, check out our advice for how to plan your wedding at work – without getting in trouble with your boss.
