8 Things to Include on your Wedding Website
Creating a wedding website might feel like something you can put off, but it should be one of the first things you do. We'll give you the top eight things you should include — and three you should leave out!
Tired of fielding phone calls or texts asking if you’ve picked a venue? Or where you’re registered? Enter the wedding website. There are many places you can create your own, and most are free. The best part is you can start one early, and add details as you go along. Your wedding website is really a one-stop shop for your guests to find out everything they need to know about your big day, so you can focus on planning. To help you get started, we rounded up the top 8 details to put on your wedding website, including ones you shouldn’t put in your invitations (and why!).
What to Put on your Wedding Website
- Start with the basics. Include all the information on your invitations on the first page. This might seem redundant, but it helps guests know they’re in the right place. It also presents the information they need in an easy-to-find format in case they misplace their invitation.
- List the details. Guests have a name or address of your venue on the invitation, but the wedding website is where you can give them all the information. Provide addresses, Google maps links, photos, and even a quick blurb about why you picked the venue. If you’ve chosen a remote location, make sure Google takes people to the correct place — if not, your wedding website is the perfect place to include more detailed directions.
- RSVPs. Say goodbye to extra cards, extra postage, extra chances to get paper cuts, and say hello to the world of digital RSVPs. Having guests RSVP online has multiple benefits, including not having to worry about guests losing the card before they can mail it back, not to mention you can see exactly how many guests are coming. Since they’re on your wedding website already, guests can also easily find all the other details they need without having to ask!
- Registry information. Everyone expects you to register and then share the details, but it is still considered impolite to include the information in your invitations (or save-the-dates). Your wedding website is the perfect place for this info. Bonus: you can provide a direct link to click on so even the least tech-savvy guests can find your site.
- Dress code details. While “where are you registered” is probably the most-asked question, “what should I wear” is close behind. You can put standard wording like black tie or casual dress requested on your invites, but your wedding website is a great place to expand. This is especially true if you want guests to wear something that’s sort of in between normal levels of formality like dressy casual or creative black tie, or if you want guests to wear a specific color or theme of clothing.
- The wedding party. You want to include all the special people in your bridal party as much as possible, but sending out a brief bio of everyone involved with invitations takes a lot of space — not to mention it can rack up your invitation budget. Your wedding website is the perfect place to list a short bio, how you know each person, and a fun picture.
- Your love story. Speaking of including the backstory of people in your wedding, don’t forget yours! Most guests probably know only you or your partner, and might not know your story. Include fun details about how you met, when you know it was love, and your engagement story.
- Schedule of events. You don’t have to include everything, like your beauty appointments or first look. Do include things like the start of the ceremony, whether you’re having a receiving line directly after or greeting guests at a cocktail hour, what time you’re cutting the cake, and when you’re making your grand exit. That lets guests plan their own schedule, especially if they’re wondering if you’ll get to the cake before it’s time to get kids to bed.
Three Things you Shouldn't put on your Wedding Website
While wedding websites are a great place for all of your wedding details, there are still a couple things you should consider leaving off.
- Exclusive events. Are you having showers, parties, or other events your entire guest list isn’t invited to? Don’t list them on your wedding website! At best you’ll have to answer awkward phone calls telling people they aren’t invited, at worst you’ll have people show up unexpectedly and have to explain on the spot.
- Embarrassing pictures. Including pictures of you and your partner, or you and your bridal party, is a great way to add a personal feel to your wedding website. Make sure you steer clear of using pictures from college parties or other less-than-glamorous photos people might not want shared. The same goes for stories you share; if they’re at all embarrassing to the people involved, it’s probably best to leave them out.
- Skip the acronyms. In the midst of wedding planning, you’ll run into a ton of wedding-specific abbreviations and acronyms that others might not understand. For example, don't use MOH, just spell out “maid/matron of honor.”
FEATURED PHOTO COURTESY OF LEGACY PHOTO AND DESIGN
