As a bride and/or groom, I am sure your mind is filled with scrambled tasks that need to be completed for the big day. Checklists, post-it notes, wedding planning binders, emails, contracts, timelines.... AHHHH! It can be totally overwhelming and there is a TON of information that pertains to your big day that needs to be communicated to your guests.
Something to help that? A personalized wedding website.
A website strictly for the bride and groom's special day is not only useful for the happy couple themselves but EXTREMELY helpful for the guests. After reading this far in the blogpost, you're probably one of 3 different types of people.
1. Those who have no clue what a wedding website is
2. Those who think it is an unnecessary expense
3. Those who know what it is and are already planning on using it!
A wedding website is a site customized strictly for the couple on their wedding day and I recommend including these 10 things:
A place for guests to RSVP - this is the number one most important thing you need from your guests because everything else hinges on this number!
Directions + Maps. Where is the wedding going to be and how do they get there? After receiving the invite, this is going to be one of your guests very first questions so it should definitely be included on your wedding website.
If you're planning a destination wedding, it's also incredibly helpful to provide destination information for your guests. What hotels can they stay in? Is there a room block? What type of activities can they do in their free time? All of these are great questions to answer so that your guests feel comfortable and knowledgeable about the unknown destination they're going to for your big day!
Your registry! Paper invitations are gorgeous but they also get lost! Oops. Everyone has the best intentions but if the invite accidentally gets thrown away or misplaced, your guests will still have access to ALL of the information you need (including the link to your registry!)
Invites, bridal shower / bachelorette party invites -- Having a wedding website can help you save money too! By having it all online, you can avoid sending out paper invites completely if you're really on a tight budget. You can send a single invite out directing them to your website where ALL OTHER INFORMATION lives and save hundreds on prints and postage! Did you know that there are companies that help build your wedding website and might also over to help cover costs for paper invites? One company that does this is OurBigDayInfo.com
They typically run anywhere from $50-$180. Of course, you can find some for a little less and others for more. The reason for choosing this extra expense is because it can actually save you money. Most couples who build an online presence will still send out paper invites, but just one.
A shout-out to your vendors. The BIGGEST "Thank You" that you give to your incredible vendors is to refer them to your friends. By having them listed on your website you are already giving them credit for the work they've put into your big day before it event happens. Your vendors will be incredibly grateful for the shout-out and your friends and family will hopefully hire them for their own weddings + events when they see what a phenomenal job they did!
Personality - this is YOUR wedding website and should capture your unique love story. Some guests might not know both of your and might not even know how you met! Don't be afraid to personalize your website with engagements photos, a timeline of your relationship, a blog about your love story, a quiz for everyone to get to know the bride and groom, information on the bridal party, or even a place for people to submit wedding advice!
Want to know the BEST part about a wedding website in 2020 COVID Times? FREE UPDATES. So many brides had to pay for extra prints/postage to send out additional COVID information, rescheduling 'save the dates' and other information with all of the changes 2020 brought. By using a wedding website, you have one centralized location for ALL CHANGES to live (without the extra costs!)
Not only can a wedding website be an extremely useful tool, but it can be a great place to get the guests excited to come and keep them up-to-date on anything and everything they might need or want to know about your big day! Hopefully, this article was persuasive enough to convince you to build one. Have fun with it!
Eventfully, Jacqueline
