Do you really need a wedding website?
The short answer is “yes’ you do! But let’s get into why you need one, where to make it and what to include on it.
Obviously, no one NEEDS a wedding website and people have been getting married for thousands of years without them, but they can make communicating with your guests much easier. When it comes to planning your wedding, who doesn’t need something to be easy, right? The wedding website doesn’t take the place of any traditional wedding steps. You’ll still want to send out your invitations, save the dates and RSVP cards. It can, however, provide a lot more information to your guests about the wedding day than an invitation alone.
Where to make a website…
First, you’ll need to find a website builder. There are tons of great sites out there with prices ranging from free all the way to hundreds of dollars, I’m sure. Here are three that will get you started. If none of the sites I’ve listed here strike your fancy, a quick internet search will give you almost endless possibilities.
1. The Knot – This one almost seems like a no-brainer if you are already using TheKnot.com to plan your wedding. They have some great free options for creating your wedding website as well as some premium features for a small fee. Since weddings are what they specialize in, you’ll have no problem getting the information and features you need to create an informative website for your guests.
2. Squarespace – They are a leader when it comes to website design and everyone I know who uses them absolutely raves about it. I tried this website builder early on in my wedding photography career and there was a fairly steep learning curve for me. Now, building websites is not my specialty (I prefer wedding photography), so I’m not sure that this says too much, but that was just something I noticed when I used it. For many, Squarespace is the perfect platform. They don’t have a free option, but at just $12 per month, they aren’t that far off.
3. Wix – Another great option for a free website builder is Wix. The free version will likely give you everything you need to create a stunning website and the paid features are an option for even more flexibility.
All of the platforms listed above are user friendly (maybe a little challenging for someone like me who isn’t always friendly with computers) and you don’t need to know how to code to make a great-looking, informative website for your wedding.
What To Include On Your Wedding Website
Once you’ve decided on a site to build your website on, you’ll need to add something to your page! This is the minimum of what you’ll want to add:
1. Your love story – how you met, what you love to do together, plans for your future together
2. Wedding location – all the information that was on the invitation should be here
3. RSVP link – let your guests RSVP online and streamline the process for them
4. Registry information – include links here so guests can easily click through to get your gift
5. Date/venue change information – in the event that your wedding date and/or location changes, you’ll want to let your guests know.
Those would be the bare minimum, but more is better. There’s a lot more you can share!
1. Dress code information – If you are having a black tie wedding, tell your guests so your cousin doesn’t show up in jean shorts and a baseball cap from 1986. Themed wedding information could also go here.
2. Health and safety information – Now that we are in a pandemic, your venue may have certain requirements that you and your guests must follow. It’s a good idea to talk to the venue about their requirements and let your guests know what is expected.
3. Wedding party information – your guests will likely know all about you and your fiancé, but they probably won’t know anything about your wedding party. This is a great place to add a little bio about each of them and what they meant to you.
4. Technology preferences – If you want an unplugged wedding, let your guests know that you would prefer they turn off their phones. If you want your guests to be able to take pictures and share them on social media right away, let them know here. You might also want people to refrain from posting on social media, especially if you want to be the first to announce your marriage.
5. Transportation and lodging – For your guests that may be coming from out of town, they may be looking for recommendations for places to stay and possibly even getting a ride to and from the wedding. Give them ideas here.
6. Fun things to do – Guests coming to town for your wedding might make a little vacation out of your wedding and will be looking for fun things to do in the area as well as some great places to eat. They will appreciate your suggestions.
7. Menu – If you have a lot of people asking what food will be served at the wedding, you could list the menu on the website and direct people to your page.
When Should You Make Your Wedding Website?
You’ll want to create your website at the same time that you send out your save the date cards. Adding your website information to the save the date is an easy way to let your guests know about it. This is usually done about 6-8 months before the wedding, but you can send these out earlier or later as needed for your situation.
Ways To Share Your Wedding Website
There are a few ways you can spread the news about your wedding website. As we already mentioned, you’ll want to add the information to the save the date cards. As a backup or simply for redundancy, you can add a separate card to your invitation suite with the information. For anyone who may have still not seen the link, you can also send it to them in an email or text.
Looking for more tips? See our Sample Wedding Day Timeline
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