What To Look For When Choosing Your Wedding Website

Wedding websites have fast become an essential wedding planning tool, to both couples and wedding planners alike. They are a modern, digital platform which serves as your one stop shop and central wedding hub where you can host all the important wedding details relating to your big day, from sharing your venue location to any additional events such as the farewell brunch. A wedding website builder not only creates and hosts your wedding website (complete with its own custom url), you can also send online wedding invitations and keep on top of your guest list here too. Your wedding website will naturally become an extremely helpful resource throughout your wedding planning process whilst also offering a personal touch to the celebrations, offering your wedding party a sneak peak into the exciting plans ahead. From the fun stuff such as the wedding day welcome drinks, the honeymoon fund and the dress code to the relevant and practical details like the wedding venues and a rough schedule, this is where to find all the key details. Wedding websites are a popular purchase for newly engaged couples due to their ease of use and cost. You can ultimately choose what you want to include on your wedding website and whether you want to send save the dates and paper invitations or stick with digital e-vites. There's no right or wrong here, just make sure your wedding website is right for you. If it all feels a little overwhelming we've listed some helpful things to include on your wedding website and what to consider when choosing your wedding website provider.

Wedding Website Design

Your chosen wedding theme will set the tone for the day and will guide every aesthetic decision from that point on. Therefore, don’t let the standards slip by selecting a wedding website design that doesn’t match! Some of the best wedding websites, such as Say I do, have a variety of beautiful designs to choose from, from floral watercolours to botanical brushstrokes and simple, stylish neutrals. Each is fully customisable with a photo album, complementary fonts and personalised wedding information. When it comes to your wedding style, consider what your wedding date is, if you want to incorporate any seasonal themes or whether you're happy to keep things super simple with a formal invitation and short written description all on the same page. Remember these are being sent to your nearest and dearest and are a sneak peek into your upcoming wedding so pick the design and custom domain that suits you best! Why not customise the template with a photo gallery and profiles on your bridal party, you can even create your very own personalised wedding hashtag, These are all custom elements which will elevate your wedding website and build excitement for the upcoming celebration!

Guest List Manager

If you’re building your guest list from scratch, doing this through your wedding website couldn't be easier! If you are super organised and already have your guest list on a spreadsheet, simply import the document to your Say I do Guest List Manager. Alternatively, you can input your invited guests one at a time, or you can even send your wedding guests a custom wedding website url and they can do it themselves! Once complete you can manage your guest list with ease. Fill in any gaps, request meal preferences, link with family members and invite individuals to multiple events such as your wedding day rehearsal dinner if you wish. However you choose to utilise this handy wedding planning tool, you can be rest assured that all your key contact information and online wedding RSVPs will be kept safely in one secure and easily accessible place.

RSVP Experience

We'd always recommend that both you and your partner test the guest list managers with a wedding guest or two to check out the functionality before investing lots of time and energy into the wedding website and then having to make edits later down the line. Consider uploading a range of different types of guests (single, single +1, couple, family etc) before checking your online wedding RSVPs work smoothly from both your point of view, and from a guest perspective before going live. When creating your e-vites, don’t forget to add the obvious; your wedding date, the wedding venue and include a link to your wedding registry but, also remember to include your wedding RSVP questions. From destination wedding and wedding weekend accommodation options to requesting guest meal choices (plus dietary requirements) - this is where to do it! Once you’ve added these in, go back and test both yes and no answers before the exciting moment of sending your save the dates and online wedding RSVPs out to the masses.

Wedding Guest Communication

Being able to update your wedding party on any changes to the plans such as the wedding location, the dress code and whether there are any cultural or religious traditions to highlight is hugely beneficial. With this in mind make sure you select a wedding website with built in email communications - these are the best of the best when it comes to wedding websites. One crucial thing to remember is to include an rsvp date on either your digital wedding invites or your physical invitations - whichever you decide to go with. Giving your guests a set rsvp date to stick to will help with the wedding planning overwhelm and hopefully keep them (and you) organised in the run up to the big day.

Wedding Gift Registry

Regardless of how you feel about wedding registries, most wedding websites will include a section for this to sit in. In fact, if you want to create one of the best wedding websites for both style and function, definitely utilise all of the possible features and fill (don't stuff) it full of helpful and relevant information. Not everyone knows what to buy the happy couple on their wedding day so providing a link to your wedding registry is a great idea and will ensure your wedding party will be able to find the perfect gift ahead of the big day. No one really likes it when guests send random gifts because they got confused and didn't know what to buy you ahead of your outdoor wedding!

Wedding Website Security

Our final but super important point to note when considering what to look for or what to include on your wedding website is security. It's fair to say that maybe you don't want anyone and everyone knowing your wedding location, details of your wedding events or who's in your wedding party - we understand. With that in mind we would highly recommend making sure you password protect your wedding website. That way only your invited guests will be able to access your custom domains and submit their online rsvp. Some wedding website providers may have upgrade options available, customisable features, and various add-ons but as long as you consider the key points mentioned here before you invest precious time and money. Believe us when we say that your wedding website and digital RSVPs will end up working incredibly hard for you and will make your wedding planning journey so much smoother!