Should I have a wedding website?
When it comes to inviting guests to your wedding and letting them know about your big day plans, you have so many options. Equally, you have many ways to get them to respond to your invitation, too. More frequently, couples want ways to reduce waste and have flexibility with their wedding planning timeline. In steps the wedding website!
Why have a wedding website?
The most common reason couples opt for a website is that they don’t have all the details of their wedding ironed out yet. Having something online that you can add to and edit means that your guests get the most up-to-date information, and you can take the stress out of having to have everything in place before sending out invitations.
You can add links to hotels, things to do in the area, galleries of images - The opportunities to give your guests helpful information and more of an idea of your plans are endless. You can direct them to the site and they can explore everything in one place. In the past, I’ve had pages on wedding websites which include timelines for the day, videos and music that mean something special to the couple, dress-code examples and introductions to the wedding party.
Wedding websites reduce the amount of paper used, which is always a good thing for the planet. You can have loads more information than paper invites at no extra cost and using no more resources.
And one more thing - Even the scattiest of guests can’t lose a web address like they can a physical invitation, so that’s a handy bonus!
Where can I get a wedding website?
There are plenty of free and subscription-based website templates for you to use. If you’re a web developer, you can of course build your own from scratch. For all the web and graphic designers out there - You can use Wix or Squarespace to create something that works really well across mobile, tablet and desktop devices really quickly and easily.
Most people aren’t either of those, but you still have some options. A quick Google search of ‘wedding websites’ gives you a heap of choice. Keep in mind they will usually have a template in which you can edit the colours - but more often than not, these use lots of traditional florals and calligraphic-style fonts that leave anyone with more alternative tastes wanting. A general rule of thumb is, if it’s free it’s going to be relatively rigid in terms of style options, what you can integrate and how it works on mobiles, tablets and computers.
Of course, I can build you a completely bespoke website that has a custom domain name of your choice, web hosting and a design that you love. I use Squarespace because it’s easy for you to edit the details, it always looks perfect on all devices and it’s fairly quick for me to build. It’s really flexible in terms of what content you can add and it has some great integrations with Google Fonts, Instagram, You Tube and more. It covers all the bases for less than £15 a month, which is great value. There’s a big discount if you pay for the year upfront, too - and pretty much every podcast I’ve ever listened to have a discount code!
Can I have paper invites too?
Almost all of the couples I’ve helped with websites have printed invites too, which include the web address or a QR code*. They set the tone in terms of style and they provide the preliminary details. It allows you to send something out that feels like a formal invitation, but still save paper and offer you flexibility in terms of what you plan and when.
These can be the usual A5 or 5 x 7 postcards, or simply a business card size. Anything you have in mind, we can make it work! The designs for these will flow beautifully from paper to screen, so everything feels consistent and recognisable.
* A QR code is an array of black and white shapes which can be read by a smartphone camera to direct the user to a website. These cost money to host, so factor that in if you want this option.
What should I do about a gift list?
Lots of couples like to have a gift list online, and having a wedding website means you can easily link to these, or even embed them right into your site. A lot of people opt for Prezola, but my top recommendation for wedding gift lists would be Patchwork. You can create bespoke items for guests to purchase, and they give 50% of their fees to fund environmental charities. They also just have really lovely looking templates!
What about RSVPs?
There are a few ways you can get your guests to let you know if they can make it to your wedding. The simplest is via email or a short form on your website. You can prompt them to let you know about allergies, songs for the dance floor and if they want a room in a hotel.
I tend to integrate RSVPify, which allows you to see an overview of responses and guest numbers, and to group and label individuals, customise the design of the form and export all your data to an Excel spreadsheet.
You can also mix and match digital with traditional paper RSVPs. Whatever works best for you!
I’m on a budget but I need help with a wedding website. What can With Bells On! do to help?
You may decide to design and build your own website. This is a good option if you have more time available to you, and are more flexible on how the website looks. We can work together, and I can provide you with assets to use - like a logo, icons and images - to make it feel more consistent with your paper invites and / or wedding day stationery.
I want a wedding website but I don’t want to build and manage it myself. What can I do?
So glad you asked. I can design and build you a website with unlimited pages and any web address you like. It can match perfectly with any paper invites you may have and flow seamlessly into your wedding day aesthetic too. It can have images, video, music, maps and all the information you could possible want to share with your guests. You can log in to manage the site yourself, or you can just email me additions and amendments as they happen and I can do them for you - free of charge.
If this sounds like something you’d like, read more info, check out prices here, or just shoot me a message!