Wedding websites are the perfect way to keep your guests up to date with your big day. Here’s everything you need to know when building the perfect wedding website.
What is a wedding website?
A wedding website is a personal platform for all things related to your wedding day. It is a central hub where you can put information about the day or weekend for all your guests to see.
Why do I need a wedding website?
Having a wedding website isn’t obligatory but you may find that it will make your life a lot easier when planning your wedding. For instance, if you have a large guest list, then using a website as a communication channel is a smart way to send information fast.
Also, it’s more reliable than a printed wedding invite which can easily be lost, plus it can contain lots more information. This will save you having to respond to individual messages as you can simply direct all queries to the website!
What should be on my wedding website?
Now here’s the thing… your wedding website can be totally personalised!
Of course, you want to include the most important details like the date of your big day, the address at which it is taking place, the time, the reception venue and so on.
Try to think of all the things people might ask you in the run up to the wedding day and have your answers pre-prepared!
You might, for example, list and include links to nearby hotels for accommodation needs, as well as local pubs for day guests to dine in before heading to your after party, and possibly even suggestions on days out or things to do in the area if you know some guests will be coming from further afield and staying in town after the event.
But in addition to being informative, you can use the wedding website to celebrate you as a couple.
Upload your love story, detailing how you met and how the romance blossomed for those who perhaps don’t know how you became the power couple you are now.
Be sure to feature all of your favourite photos for your guests to look through too!
What should my wedding website look like?
As we’ve mentioned, a wedding website is unique so although it is good to get inspiration from other similar sites, it’s important (and fun!) to personalise it and make it all about you.
In terms of its appearance, you might want to give your guests a sneak peek at what your wedding will look like, therefore using similar colours and styles as your theme.
Top tip: You will want to have your names clearly displayed on the website banner along with your wedding date as a reminder of exactly when the day is due to take place! This will be greatly appreciated by your guests who won’t want to have to go searching for vital pieces of information such as this!
Adopting a password system might be a good idea, since some of the data provided could be a little sensitive. By securing your site in this way, you can ensure that only your invited guests will see your images and details and then you can also set up a private wedding registry for people to view and gift directly from.
Who should I use to build my wedding website?
One of the main things you want is to make your website user friendly. Your guests won’t be expecting professional snaps and a super sleek layout – just as long as they can navigate it easily then that’s all that matters.
There are a number of companies that you can use to create a website, some of which are free yet some may charge a small fee.
Remember that in most cases a domain name will be chargeable at the very least, but this is usually no more than £10 for a year (and, of course, you don’t need to need renew it thereafter).
WordPress offers a build-your-own style website service with templates, as well as WIX and Google.
Aside from these well-known generic website builders, there are many others designed for engaged couples such as withJoy, Riley & Grey, Getting Married, Wedding Wire, The Knot and Appy Couple.
Some will even turn your wedding website into a nifty app for people to access whilst on the go!
One final reminder is to not stress too much over getting everything uploaded at once – the beauty of making your own website is that you can take control and add or remove information as you please. Absolutely anybody can create a wedding website as it really is that easy!