Creating a wedding website for your upcoming big day is not a bad idea. It is a great way to share with everyone how you and your fiancé met. As you prepare the back story on how you met you will be able to relive your love story and share your proposal story with your loved ones. This will also be your opportunity to share several important details about locations and times for your upcoming wedding.

Itinerary

Give your guests an idea of what they can expect during your special day. What time should they arrive at the ceremony location? If you will be conducting a cocktail hour, be sure to share with your guests what time they should arrive at that location. If you can avoid it, try not to leave too much time between your ceremony and reception. Since there may be guests that are from out of town, you do not want them to feel like they are left to wonder around your city while you take your formal pictures before beginning your reception. If you will be providing transportation to your guests here is where you will want to be sure to share the shuttle pickup schedule. Be sure they know what time the last shuttle will be leaving your venue so no one is stuck or inconvenienced.

Directions

Most of the wedding website templates that are offered allow you to link Google Maps so that your guests are able to click on “ceremony” or “reception” to get directions to that venue. This is an easy way to ensure that your guests have the right addresses without having to field phone calls asking for the address or directions to either venue.

R&R

Unfortunately, this type of R&R is not rest and relaxation. Not yet at least. You can enjoy that during the honeymoon! We are referring to RSVPs & Registry. Obviously, you can still utilize the traditional method of retrieving RSVPs from your guests. Just bear in mind that there are also some very tech savvy people who may not make it to the mailbox as often as others. Offering a way to RSVP online will keep you from having to make several phone calls one evening asking if guests will be attending as you try to finalize your meal count. Most wedding website templates offer a way to be notified as your guests RSVP online. You may also be able to create a field for your guests to leave comments for you as they RSVP. This is where they can share with you any dietary restrictions or simply tell you how excited they are to be attending! As for what gifts the newlyweds would like to receive, simply share a link to the various registry pages directly on your website.

Accommodations

Whether you are listing hotel accommodations or car rental information try to give your guests options. Guests that may be traveling from out of town could possibly need to rent a car if a shuttle or other transportation is not already provided.

If your reception is at a hotel and you have rooms blocked off here is where you will want to share rate information and booking details. You can simply provide a link directly to the hotel website for their convenience. Providing your guests with as much information here should ensure that your guests have a wonderful time by making planning easy. Offering these details will also help those guests plan for their trip without contacting you over and over asking for certain details.

Templates

You took the time to write a short bio about the happy couple, so let’s make sure that your guests read it! The trick to creating a wedding website that gets used is to try and make your URL easy to remember. If you will be using a hashtag to recall all of the photos from your big day perhaps that could play a part in the wedding website URL. There are a few places online that offer free website templates. You will have to do some research because each site offers different aspects. Some good free templates we found were Wix, The Knot and Squarespace. If you are stuck with your URL, try finding the perfect domain name with Hover.

Photos

What am I going to do with all of the engagement photos? Well here is a great place to display them. You can also add albums on your wedding website. This way all of the photos can be viewed by event online by your guests. Even after the deal is sealed you can add your wedding and honeymoon pictures to the site to share with everyone!

Bridal Party Link

There will be places that you expect your bridal party to be on certain days and times. Be sure to include a special link and sign in page for the bridal party to access. These wedding party exclusive events should be password protected. This will just make it easier for you to keep the information you are sharing with your bridal party limited to them. This is where you will leave particulars for the bridal party as far as dates and times for the bachelor/bachelorette party, rehearsal dinner, and arrival times to the various venues. You may also want to provide them with information for dress and tuxedo pick ups, hair/makeup times, and any other details you may want to share with your wedding party directly.

Helpful Information

Here is where you will want to list any special instructions that will help your guests prepare for their day spent with you. If you will be having a cash bar versus an open bar you want to be sure to share this kind of information with your guests so that they are not left feeling like they were caught off guard. You can also share information on the attire you expect for the evening. The more information, the better. Make your details clear and easy to avoid multiple phone calls asking for the details that your shared on your wedding website.