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I love seeing a wedding website URL in a save-the-date envelope: “Head to this website for our whole story.” YES! I want to see photos, I want to see cute anecdotes, I want to see if you're planning any cultural traditions that I can read up on, and maybe I even want to RSVP there.
Some guests may not get into wedding websites (and we have suggestions for that!), but a lot of the time, your wedding website is your key to telling all there is to know about your wedding. Not everyone chooses to have a wedsite, but since many offbeat weddings are themed, costumed, outdoors, interfaith, or just plain need a little extra explaining, a wedding website is often perfect for making sure you give everyone a heads up.
Plus, now that we live in a future where it's easy to find a free wedding website builder, it's pretty easy to make a gorgeous, mobile-friendly wedding website.
Here are six tips for giving your wedsite some extra zing.
1. Include an FAQ
Guests will have questions… maybe many, maybe frequently. Maybe on the day of the wedding! These might include:
- The date of the wedding (sounds obvious, but it's the detail everyone needs most)
- How do I get to the venue(s)?
- What should I wear?
- Is there a dress code?
- What kind of shoes should/shouldn't I wear?
- Are there any colors that guests should avoid wearing?
- Are kids welcome?
- Can I bring a date?
- Does your wedding have a theme?
We have LOTS more suggestions here for what to include on your FAQ. You could even include a “who to call” cheat sheet online so that anyone can access it on their smartphones in those we-need-to-know-this-NOW moments.
2. Tell your story
How I'm using my wedding website to explain my mixed-faith wedding to dubious family members
Our wedsite FAQ will be how 80% of my (very Catholic) family will have the "Surprise! I've converted to a different religion!" news broken to... Read more
Most guests will already know what you are all about, but when it comes to guests' dates, extended family, coworkers, and the like, a little romantic/cultural/interest-y background may be welcome. If you're having a Star Trek theme, guests would love to know that you guys met at Comic-Con. It may feel a little me-me-me, but it might make those less close folks feel more aligned with your luuuurve. Plus, warm fuzzies are always welcome, amirite?
3. Let guests RSVP online
If your wedsite of choice has a wedding RSVP tool, take advantage! (Personally, Joy is my favorite RSVP tool.) Younger guests may be totally phone- and snail mail-phobic (trust us, we're right there with you), so an online RSVP is perfect for when you want to collect and track the headcount without having to track down those glued to web like we are. RSVPing in my underwear? Yes, please.
4. Include a map of the area with key points of interest
This is one of those so-useful-it-hurts additions for anyone from out-of-town. Most guests can Google nearby sites, but if it's your town, you probably know the really great places to see, to eat at, or in which to get sloshed. Don't leave your guests hanging — dish, baby!
5. Include your registry information
If you are planning to register for gifties, it is pretty efficient to find that information on your wedsite. This is especially true if you're going to use an online registry where guests can browse and buy.
6. Make blog-style updates
This one is so not required (as are all of these tips, really), but if you're planning to remember key elements of planning or DIYing (or want to submit to a certain website), a blog updating your planning progress can be super helpful and even cathartic at times.
About the Author: Catherine Clark
Catherine Clark loiters at her local library, makes art, watches movies en masse, plays video and tabletop games, poorly cooks healthy things, cuddles with her feline fur babies, and blogs at BijouxandBits.com.
FAQs and online RSVP are 2 of my top suggestions. Adding as much information as possible to your website will keep guests from repeatedly contacting you. Plus, giving guests some idea of what to wear, shoes, outside, etc keeps guests from being embarrassed or uncomfortable.
AGREED! I went to a wedding once where, despite the invitation indicating we would be at a particular BUILDING, we were actually in the park outside it. Lots of guests wore spike heels. For a wedding in the grass, in october in the Pacific Northwest, while it was raining. I mean, just drizzling, but wet dirt + spike heels + 60 degrees in dress clothes = COLD, UNCOMFORTABLE GUESTS. And there wasn’t even any good beer to warm us up inside. Thankfully I just RANDOMLY had a spare pair of chunkier-heeled dress shoes and a wrap in the car, but there were a lot of ladies who simply planted at their seats with suit coats on and had their flat-shoed buddies grabbing plates of food & drinks, and no one really danced. Like seriously, just a note of “we may be outside depending on weather” would have made all of us reconsider our outfits.
Just don’t be too specific on clothing to not seem controlling or condescending. Traditionally, stating a dress code is considered to imply that you think your guests are too stupid to figure out what to wear based off of the tone/details of the invitation, the setting and time of the ceremony and reception, and the fact that it’s a wedding.
For those who have thoughts on this, we’ve got a LOT of posts with advice about guest dress code, including posts like “Encourage, don’t enforce: 5 clever ways to tell guests what to wear” and “How to ensure no one shows up to your halloween wedding wearing a kitty bikini.” More here: http://offbeatwed.com/tag/dress-code
The depressing thing is we had our site chock full of helpful info, and guests were still asking our parents.
For a tasteful alternative to a registry, you could host an online spreadsheet on which guests can post what gifts they’re planning on getting and already got, and thereby tip off other guests on what has already been “taken,” thus eliminating redundant gifts. Bonus points for figuring out an additional setup through which guests can pool money for larger gifts.
Another nice touch would be a forum, as I’m sure guests would like to discuss what to do while everyone’s in town, where to stay if traveling, what to wear, how to meet up for independent functions, and what gifts to buy
And please, put the date, location, and time on first page. Chances are really high that I lost the invitation and that I am trying desperately to find where to go and when so that I don’t have to call you on the day of your wedding to ask where it is.
Cannot agree with this enough!!! I don’t know if it’s the default theme for some of these wedsites, but I swear I’ve gotten urls for 3 of ’em recently where I *could not find* the date of the wedding. I was at work & didn’t have the invite & just wanted to confirm when the wedding was, but the date was NOWHERE to be found on these wedsites. What up???
Agreed! I’ve added this to the post to reflect the obvious, but somehow missed, bite of info! 🙂