So what should you NOT do and what SHOULD you do, when it comes to wedding websites?
Well I'm going to share with you 8 top tips on how to use them!
I also signed up to the wedding website JOY to give you an insight on how easy it is to use and how best to use it so check out my Youtube video below to watch me go inside this website in more detail.
Which Wedding Website is Right for Me?
Firstly you need to decide whether a wedding website is right for you, as you may prefer to have traditional invites sent to guests. However a wedding website is a cost effective way to help save you money and does exactly the same as an invite and even a little bit more!
There are a few specific wedding website sites that you can use including Joy, Minted and The Knot, these have loads of templates to help create your website and you can personalise these with different fonts, styles and colours making it super simple to use and easy to create!
Or if your tech savvy you could look at creating your own website from scratch using Wix or SquareSpace however this may cost slightly more and why make life more complicated if it doesn't have to be!
What Do I Need to Include On My Wedding Website?
1. Story
Firstly, you'll need to add your story and a little bit about the both of you. Looking inside Joy, they already have a section for you to fill in, so this could be your engagement story or how you first met, and yes, your friends and family may (or should!) already know this but it's always nice to be reminded this and makes the website more personal.
2. Schedule
You need to include a schedule, this tells your guests the timings of the day, when the wedding starts, when the reception starts for any guests that are coming later in the evening and the end time for guests to organise transport home.
You may even be having a wedding weekender with different activities happening over the weekend which will need to be included as well, so it's important that your guests know exactly where to be and what they're doing at what time!
On Joy there are options for you to group certain guests together to give each person a personalised schedule(!) as you may only invite certain guests to certain activities or sections to the wedding, which in my opinion is pretty handy tool!
3. Privacy
Don't panic you will not get random people turning up at your wedding because you have put all this info onto a website! Only those that you have sent the link to will know the website link and you can add a password for your guests to access this website for extra privacy!
4. Guest Experience
Enhance the guest experience by giving your guests as much information and detail about logistics of the wedding day as possible!
So, what might that include?
Travel & Transport - what are the closest airports or train stations, are you providing shuttle buses or coaches, do they need specific directions to find the venue, does the postcode take them somewhere random therefore what landmarks are nearby to help find the venue, is there parking available, that kind of thing.
Accommodation - do some research into local accommodation and include links to their websites so, if your guests do want to stay local then you've provided this information already for them. You may even be able to get special rates for your guests if you speak to local hotels and therefore include a reference or discount code on the website as well.
5. FAQ's
Anything that you didn't put on the guest experience page include on the FAQ's page. This can tackle all the questions your guests will mostly message you about such as, are my children invited, can I bring a plus one, what's the attire, what the weathers like (in case it's an abroad wedding). I would also recommend including what your social media views are, whether you have a NO SOCIAL MEDIA rule during the day and if you want to include a # when guests do starting posting photos. Read more about managing Social Media at your wedding here!
6. Guest List & RSVP's
One of the most important things your website will do, will be to collate your wedding guests and collect their RSVP's. I mean, how amazing is that!
On Joy you can add guests to the guest list, this then adds their first and last name and email address. You can then add them into different 'labels', for example you could create a bridal party label that includes all your bridesmaids and groomsmen, who you may want to have a special dinner with the night before so, by adding this label to those guests it will then allow only them to see that part of the schedule that's specific to that activity! See, how amazing and easy is that!!
The site then includes a RSVP section for guests to complete, which takes guests on a question journey. It will start with whether they can attend and depending on their answer will take them onto another question. For example if they can attend it may then go onto a food question, would they prefer fish, meat or veg or do they have any allergies, once answered it then goes onto another question such as accommodation. You can even include things like song suggestions or anything else you want to know that's a little quirky for your wedding, it's completely up to you!
6. Gifts
Not many people want to do a gift registry anymore but it's always helpful for guests to know your views on this, as your guests will want to get you something. You may want gifts or items for your home or you may want them to contribute to your honeymoon, just have a think about what you want and let your guests know!
You will most likely still get random gifts, but take them with a pinch of salt, they could be quite funny or really thoughtful!
So there you go, wedding websites are super easy to use, easy to follow, easy to make and cheaper than invites, with so much more info that your guests will be left speechless!
Happy planning!
Lauren xx
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Photos by: 1 & 4. Sophie Duckworth Photography, 2 & 3. Ross Hurley Photo
