For many engaged couples, a personal website is an important part of the wedding planning process. Guests can often find gift list information, directions to the front desk, suggested attire preferences, and other useful information about the upcoming wedding here.
According to WeddingWire’s latest Newlywed Report, 74 percent of couples who married in 2018 created a wedding site, up from 59 percent in 2015.
Of course, not all wedding websites are created equal. What separates great websites from mediocre ones? Here are a few tips for creating a stylish, fun, and innovative website for your big day.
Go beyond standard builders
Wedding resources like Knot, WeddingWire, and Zola allow couples to create personalized websites for free. Their default templates are easy to use, which helps streamline the process. But those aren’t your only options.
If you’re looking for something a little more unique, all-in-one website building and hosting platforms like Squarespace, Wix, and WordPress.com offer more design options, but typically charge a small monthly fee.
And for the more tech-savvy, you can create a self-hosted website where you choose the software (and add your own coding) and choose the hosting company. This enables maximum customization in terms of design and function.
Design with a minimalist aesthetic
It’s okay to go for a fancy template and maybe add a few creative touches to the layout, such as: a live countdown to the wedding day, or a vibrant color scheme (perhaps one that fits your wedding’s theme or palette). But don’t overdo it.
“Keep things simple and minimal,” says Carrie Schwab, Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of JunebugWeddings.com. “Couples sometimes forget that older guests may not be able to read small text or understand how to navigate more complex websites. So my pro tip is to make your site easy to navigate and read.”
Another important tip: make sure the page is fully responsive so that it can be viewed well on different electronic devices.
Make the site searchable
Many website builders charge extra to create or use a custom web address or URL. However, it makes sense to buy one.
First, they are inexpensive (around $15-$20 per year). More importantly, a custom address like “paarname.com” instead of “paarname.minted.us” can make it easier for guests to find your site when they search for it on search engines like Google. This is something that many attendees end up doing, whether you put the URL on your save-the-date cards or wedding invitations.
Industry experts recommend keeping a website active for about a year after the wedding, as guests typically have up to a year to buy the couple a gift.
Address privacy concerns
If you don’t want your wedding details and photos to be publicly available, you can choose to password protect the entire site or just a few pages. This is an option offered by many website builders.
Ms. Schwab says most people don’t need passwords. However, she added, “If you’re getting married at home or at a relative’s, I think it makes sense to password protect your wedding website.” If you decide to go the password route, remember to keep that password on your to specify save-the-date cards and invitations.”
Create an FAQ section
Don’t just stick basic wedding information on the front page and get rid of it. Ms. Schwab recommends creating a page on your website dedicated to frequently asked questions.
Here are a few questions you might want to include:
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Is a contingent of hotel rooms reserved for guests? (Pro tip: Christine Janda, a Chicago-based wedding and event planner, recommends including relevant hyperlinks and reservation codes.)
tell your story
Share information about your relationship, such as how you met, when you knew your partner was “Right for You,” and how you got engaged. This feature “can help connect guests to your story,” Ms. Schwab said, “especially if you’re having a large wedding and don’t know everyone present personally.”
Zoe Cousin, a wedding and event planner in San Francisco, recommends simply calling this page “Our Story.”
To liven up the text in this section, you can also share photos that illustrate notable moments in your relationship, such as pictures of your engagement or eventful trips that the two of you may have taken together.
Play guide
Guests coming out of town for the weekend will be looking for things to do. Use properties on your website to share information about restaurants, museums, shops, and tourist attractions. For example, you can add directions from the suggested hotels. Ms. Janda recommends creating a map with links to make this information more interactive.
Introduce the wedding party
Include brief bios of your bridesmaids and groomsmen (or bridesmaids and maids of honor) on your website. Such information, Ms. Cousin said, is a “smart way to break the ice between all other guests and the bridal party before the wedding day,” Ms. Cousin said.
You can have fun by sharing embarrassing photos of them and small details like each person’s favorite ice cream flavor.
address sensitive issues
“I encourage my wedding clients to use their wedding website as a neutral place to educate their guests about important and sometimes tricky information that they don’t want to share with them in person,” said Ms. Cousin.
For example, if you only want monetary gifts, it’s okay to state that on your website. And if your budget is tight and you don’t want to offer an open bar, you can do that too. Ms. Cousin recommended this script: “We are so excited to dance the night away with you! Please note that we will be offering a bar throughout the evening with a wide range of cocktails, beer and wine.”
Promote a wedding hashtag
If you’re planning a special wedding hashtag that attendees can use when posting photos to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms, share the hashtag with your guests on your website.
José Rolón, a Brooklyn-based wedding and event planner, says guests often miss the hashtag on the wedding day “because they didn’t notice it on your welcome table or the 4″ x 6″ bar sign.”
“The more guests see your hashtag,” he said, “the more they’ll see and enjoy your social media feed the next morning.”
After the “yes”
The location can be rearranged after the wedding. Ms Cousins suggests changing the tone from “Here’s what to expect” to “Here’s what happened”.
You can view the photos taken by the guests and posted on social media via the wedding hashtag along with the professional photographer’s images.
These changes are a beautiful way to say thank you to your guests and share the memories of your special day with those who might not have been able to attend.
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