A lot goes into planning your wedding- making a wedding website is one task that shouldn't be kept to the end of your to-do list. Your wedding website is the easiest way to share must-know information with your guests in one convenient place. Plus, there are tons of free resources where you can create your wedding website. Creating your very own custom site can be fun and does not have to be complicated at all. Consider it a creative distraction from the rest of your wedding planning tasks. If you're not sure what to include on your wedding website, never fear your trusty wedding planner is here to help.
Once your wedding website is created, it'll be the best reference point for your guests. With all of the important wedding info just a click away, your guests won't have to text you with random questions like, "What's the dress code?" or "Can I bring my kids to the party?" But in order for your wedding website to be effective, you will need to determine what to include on your wedding website first. Think of your site as an extension of your wedding invitations.
If there are some details you really want to send out with your invites, we recommend adding enclosure cards to your stationary suite. They can be used to share information about the dress code, hotel room blocks, directions and other helpful details. Plus, you can use detail cards to share your wedding website (which is still really important for listing special requests and registry info, by the way). To make things as easy as possible for guests, sites like The Knot and Zola allow you to share your wedding website in the form of a QR code on your enclosure cards.
Read along for more information on what to include on your wedding website along with what to include on both your wedding invitations as well as what not to include at all.
What to Include on Your Wedding Website Only
Once you make an account on a wedding website host provider such as The Knot or Zola, you can customize your wedding website as much as you want. (In fact, the more creative you get, the better!) This is a great opportunity to highlight you and your partner's personalities or the aesthetic of your wedding. But before you get carried away with fonts and color schemes and engagement photos, here's the wedding website information that you need to be sure to include.
Registry Details
Wedding invitations (and Save-the-Dates) are still no place for your registry information since it's not mandatory for guests to purchase a gift for you. Leave all implied gift requests to your site so it doesn't look like you're expecting presents off the bat. With sites like The Knot and Zola, you can easily sync your wedding registry to your website. Your guests will have no trouble finding your wish list, newlywed or honeymoon fund or preferred philanthropies.
Adults-Only Announcements
Deciding to forego having children present at your wedding is fine. Some couples would prefer to host an adults-only wedding but avoid direct mentions of your official invites. Instead, address the outer envelope of each invitation to exactly who it's meant for. For example, write "Mr. and Mrs. Jones" not "The Smith Family". Your wedding website is the place to announce you are keeping the party a grown-up affair- or that, if you are inviting children, you'll be hiring a babysitter or other accommodations and activities to keep the kids entertained.
Dress Code Details
It's perfectly fine to print a brief mention of the preferred attire in the lower part of your formal invitation. For instance, if you're hosting an upscale event with a strict dress code, terms like "black tie" or "cocktail attire" are acceptable to include. However, there's no need (or room) to elaborate. If you want to get specific, use your wedding website to give guests a little vocabulary lesson on what exactly you mean, especially if your terminology is a bit elusive (like "dressy casual"). Wedding guests will always appreciate having as much guidance as possible when it comes to picking an outfit for your big day.
The Wedding Party
You likely won't have space (or the budget) to add full bios of your wedding party on paper invitations. The bridal party, groomsmen and other VIPs should get a mention on both your wedding website and the ceremony programs. With infinite space online share brief biographies, fun facts about your crew, epic photos, and how you're related or how you met.
Transportation and Lodging
If you've arranged hotel room blocks or wedding day transportation, share these logistics on your wedding website. Your out-of-town guests will appreciate it if you've reserved room blocks at a nearby hotel or arranged for scheduled car services to and from the ceremony and reception venue, so include all the info they need on your website.
Your Love Story
In addition to sharing logistical wedding details and answering FAQs on your website, we encourage you to include sweet facts and anecdotes about your love story as well. Guests will enjoy reading about how you and your significant other met and what the proposal was like, along with other details you'd like to share (like why you chose your wedding location or how you incorporated your favorite foods in the menu) Since you have unlimited space on your wedding website, divulge as much as you'd like about your love story- guests will have fun getting to know more about you and your soon-to-be spouse.
Social Media Rules
Consider your wedding website a one-stop-shop for social media guidelines. If you'd like to encourage social posts, share your wedding hashtag so all of your guests' photos and videos can be easily found online. Or, if you're planning an unplugged wedding, share the request on your site so guests will know waht to expect by the time they arrive.
Date Change Information
Sometimes, wedding postponements happen- and that's okay! If you need to move the date of your nuptials, inform guests by updating your wedding website and sending change-the-date cards. Always be sure that your wedding website information is accurate to avoid confusion among guests.
Local Recommendations for Guests
One of the best ways to personalize your wedding website is to add local recommendations for guests. Since some will be traveling to your wedding location, there's a chance they'll have downtime when they arrive or in between the ceremony and cocktail hour. Make the most out of your website by sharing local recs for food, drinks and sightseeing activities to help them plan a full schedule of events. (This is especially important information to add to your destination wedding website if the majority of guests will be traveling from out of town) Your guests will be thankful you took the time to help them plan a memorable itinerary of events during your wedding weekend.
What to Leave Off Your Wedding Website & Invitations
It may be hard to believe, but there are some things that should not go on your wedding website or invites. Follow along to find out what you should avoid sharing below.
Exclusive Events
Still a little unsure of what information to include on your wedding website. Avoid mentioning any exclusive events to which only close family members and your wedding party are invited. This includes celebratory events like bachelor and bachelorette parties, engagement parties and the rehearsal dinner. These events should get their own separate invites, and they shouldn't go on your formal invitations or website- that's when things get confusing, and feelings may get hurt.
Inappropriate Photos and Anecdotes
Don't post or mail anything you wouldn't want your loved ones to see. (Read: You might want to exclude those potentially compromising photos of you and your significant other from college). Remember, once something's online or on paper, it's hard to get rid of it. Avoid any awkward moments by keeping your wedding website and invites appropriate for all recipients.