Wedding Websites
How should information about hotel accommodations, travel recommendations, gift registries and things to do in the area be shared with guests?
Wedding websites are the perfect “catch all” place to share information with guests, no matter the size of the wedding or location. Having all of the pertinent information in one place is helpful for guests and can help couples avoid an etiquette faux pas like sharing registry information in an invitation. Whether you are a tech savvy wizard or website novice, there are plenty of options and tips for building a great wedding website.
Your URL: Keep it Simple
Your wedding website address should be something easy to share with your guests on printed materials like the Save the Date card. You will also want to be able to tell friends and family via email, text and over the phone. Try to avoid something complicated with lots of dashes, hyphens or periods. While there are lots of free wedding website services available, be sure to look into the URL before spending a lot of time creating your site. Often times those services are free to use a complex URL and then you need to pay for a specialized address. Do your research before you get started to save yourself a headache later on.
Know Your Technical Ability
If you have created a website in the last year, then you may be up for the challenge of creating your own wedding website from scratch using a Squarespace or Wordpress template. If you have no idea what I am talking about, then do not attempt. I repeat, do not attempt! Just as with DIY projects, some things are just not worth the heartache and time. Internet coding/web design is one of those things. If you want a beautiful site that is sophisticated and very easy to design, I recommend Riley & Grey. This is our favorite option for template designs! The designs are very user friendly but aesthetically pleasing and easy to customize. The cost is $35/month or $240 for a year. You are able to get an elegant looking website without a custom price. Here is an example of a site: http://www.knealeforreal.com/.
Info, Info, Info
Your website should be the resource that your guests can use to find every piece of information they need regarding the weekend. It’s helpful to share information about hotel room blocks, airport recommendations and any travel tips to make getting to your wedding a smooth and stress-free process. If friends and family arrive to town early or stay late, it’s nice to know your recommendations for places to eat and things to do in close proximity to the hotels and venue. Listing the schedule of events and addresses for all events such as the rehearsal dinner, welcome party, ceremony and reception can be very helpful. Guests will be able to access the site throughout the wedding weekend, in case they forget their invitation or want to link directly to Google maps. Last but not least, wedding registries should be linked on the website to help guests pick the perfect gift for you! Remember, it is considered poor etiquette to include your gift registry information in your formal wedding invitation.
Designing your wedding website should be one of the very first steps in planning your wedding. It’s a fun project to get started on early on and continue to work on along the way as decisions are made. Before your Save the Date is mailed, you will want to make sure your website contains, at a minimum, the gift registry information and travel/ hotel room block accommodation information. Just like the rest of your wedding planning, continue to work on your site throughout the process, make updates as needed, and tailor your site to your wedding. Your wedding won’t be just like anyone else’s so your site shouldn’t be either! You can have fun with your content and layout so that it’s perfect for you.
Cheers + happy planning!
Betsy