What To Include On Your Wedding Website
This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, you will not pay a penny more, but I’ll receive a small commission. I would recommend these products regardless of the commission.
It has become more and more common to have a wedding website.
And honestly? Having a wedding website makes things SO much easier for everyone.
You save your sanity by making one link that’s easy to share. And your guests get the answers to the questions they have about your wedding.
Win – win!
Okay, this sounds great… but where do you even start? “What to include on your wedding website” is a very common question. From how it works, and what to include, I know this part can sound a little overwhelming.
Not to worry, I’ll break it all down.
What is a wedding website?
Your wedding website is your little space on the internet where you can share the details of your wedding with your guests.
Think of it as the quick answer to wedding FAQ’s – from where you might be registered, a reminder of your wedding party’s names, what time your wedding ceremony starts, the address for your reception (if it’s at a different location).
Since it’s YOUR space on the internet, you can choose whether you’d like your wedding website to be fully public (and accessible by anyone who stumbles upon it), or privately accessible via a password. This is where you might want to think about what sort of information you’re sharing on your website. For instance, you might want to let your registry information and general wedding date remain public, but set more personal details (like your exact ceremony time or venue) to be accessible only via password given to those guests with an invitation.
Your wedding website can be used to just share information. This can be especially helpful if you’re having a destination wedding and want to help your guests figure out how to get there.
Or you can also use your wedding website to collect RSVPs for multiple events. Again, your wedding website is your living, breathing space on the internet for you to share the information that YOU think would be helpful and valuable for your guests.
Should you have a wedding website?
In most cases, the short answer is yes.
Having a wedding website truly makes things easier for everyone involved.
Your wedding website can be the catch-all homebase that’s the perfect reference point for your wedding guests.
It is where you can park all of the answers to any questions they may have. And, in return, instead of answering all of the questions all of the time, you can simply refer your guests to your wedding website.
When should you start creating it?
I usually recommend starting very early on. Even if you don’t know all of the details – that’s fine. Just start!
As soon as you have an official wedding date and venue, start building your wedding website.
Keep in mind that your website will constantly evolve and need updating as you gather more information and plan more details.
But let it do the heavy lifting for you.
It’s COMPLETELY acceptable to have pages that have “more info coming soon” – especially when you’re still 12+ months out. This will also let guests know that they can check your website (instead of texting you) for updates. Ideally, you should have your website started BEFORE you send your Save the Dates so you can include your link on them. This can help your guests get even more excited to celebrate with you and start making their travel plans if needed.
Plus, if your website link is included, and you happen to have your registry linked on it, it never hurts to have a guide if someone would like to send you a gift when they receive your Save the Date).
It’s so much easier to build and add information as you get it. Breaking the process into bite-sized pieces makes the information easy for guests to digest, and a much less daunting task for you and your partner.
What platform should you use for your wedding website?
Choose what platform to use for your wedding website by first figuring out what your needs are.
On the whole, most platforms are fairly easy to set up and may give you suggestions for what information to add.
If you’d like a much more custom look, you can also DIY your website if you have the skillset. Though this can become a bigger task than you may want to chew amidst all of your other wedding to-do’s.
The same goes for the actual link you’ll be using for your website. On most free platforms, your website domain will include the platform’s website name. So if you want a custom domain, you’ll be paying a small amount to have it. But it keeps it shorter and easier to share, so it’s usually worth it.
Next, let’s think about what features you might want, or need, before committing to a platform.
Do you just need to share information?
Do you want it to also collect RSVPs?
Would you like to have a registry tie-in, where you can easily share registry information?
Privacy options are also something to consider.
The best platform for you will be the one that fits your needs. There are plenty of free and inexpensive options out there, so I’m going to share a few of my favorites.
AppyCouple
AppyCouple is a beautiful platform that allows you to use either a computer or app, and the design you choose is automatically mobile-friendly. You can test out and choose what you like from more than 500 boutique or luxury designs before activating your paid account. There’s also the option to easily upgrade to a custom URL.
You can manage your guest list, and select which events each guest can see information for as they visit your website to RSVP digitally, if you choose. This digital guest list management also ties into the privacy settings – allowing your guests to enter with an access code, or guest list match, or have unrestricted access. Photo sharing is also included.
Minted
Minted offers hundreds of beautiful designs that coordinate with their paper products (available separately, of course). Most features are free, although you may upgrade for a low fee for a custom URL, password protection, photo galleries, and custom pages. (DPNAK clients score this upgrade for free).
Once you choose from hundreds of designs, you can personalize your website by adjusting the colors, and editing the text. Photo layouts can also be changed on many pages, including details pages for all of the information you’ll need to share.
There’s a guest list tool that can integrate into your website setup to assist with digital RSVPs, and can also be used across the Minted family to address envelopes for invitations if you’d like to purchase those separately.
Joy
Joy is a free platform for building your wedding website that gives you a fun website domain without customization. Most websites created through Joy start with a domain of “withjoy.com” which is pretty adorable for a wedding URL, right? (You do have the option to add-on a custom URL if you’d prefer.)
Their privacy settings allow for flexibility for each guest – some information can remain public (like your registry so that a co-worker who isn’t on the guest list could send a gift), while other events or details may be password protected. Some events could be shown to some guests, while others won’t (a great solution for = rehearsal dinner information). You can also allow guests to share photos through the Joy app.
As a new feature, Joy is now the only cash fund registry with zero fees. So, not only can you fully integrate your registry from anywhere, you can also include those cash funds.
Riley and Grey
If design and ease, with lots of customization is what you’re looking for, Riley and Grey might be a great platform for you. Test drive the platform for free, and if you love it and want to make it public, it does require a fee.
Inside, there’s high-end designs, a custom URL, and they focus only on wedding websites. By default, websites on Riley and Grey are set to be hidden from search engines to protect your privacy so you won’t have to think as much about password protection.
There’s also guest list address collection, and a great RSVP collector.
It’s very user-friendly and beautiful. As a bonus, there are digital files included for all of the paper goods you might need – from your save-the-dates, to your ceremony programs and menus. These files are equally as beautiful as the websites. And printing can be coordinated through Riley and Grey. Just like that, half of the design work for your wedding can be done and crossed off your list.
Zola
Zola started as a registry platform that allowed couples to add gifts from multiple stores in one place, rather than having multiple registries.
They have since expanded, and offer wedding websites with clean layouts. Custom domains are offered as a paid upgrade, currently starting at $14.95.
Privacy settings allow you to decide whether or not you’d like your website or registry to be private. You can also set a password with a reminder for your guests.
Digital RSVPs are easy to set up with Zola, and you can collect meal preferences there too. All replies are compiled in an easy-to-use spreadsheet “Guest Tracker.” Their “guest list” tool also allows you to manage multiple events and RSVPs to those events.
Even if you are not using Zola to set up your wedding website, it’s a good option for your registry if combining multiple stores into one registry list seems appealing to you. Zola also makes it incredibly easy to set up monetary gifts (like Honeymoon Funds, or New House Funds) directly on your registry.
What should a wedding website include?
Whew, so now you’ve thought about what features you need, and picked a platform to use – what the heck do you even INCLUDE on your wedding website?!
Take a deep breath. Don’t let this step overwhelm you.
Remember that you can add all of this information along the way, as you figure it out.
Overall, it’s important to have enough information that your guests know that they are looking at the right website. From there, you can have the option to elaborate, and be really helpful to guests. Again, think of your website as the quick answer for any questions your guests might have. Let your website work for you.
Start with the Obvious
Let’s start with the obvious information. You want your guests to know they’ve landed on the right website. Make sure you’re including the basics, starting with your names.
(I know this may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised by how many times this information can be overlooked when making a wedding website.)
This is also helpful if your Save the Date included only your first names.
Next, include your wedding date and general location. If there are other dates or locations (if you’re celebrating over a few days), include those dates and locations here as well. You may want to include street addresses for specific venues to help with directions when your guests are traveling.
Add Your Itinerary
This is where you’ll include a breakdown of your wedding weekend.
At minimum, you’ll include your ceremony location and start time, and your reception location and start time. If everything is at one location, back-to-back, then you can include the one location and the guest arrival time.. If not, adding both locations and times is really helpful for your guests if you have a longer time period between your ceremony and reception.
Any other events that all guests are invited to attend should be included here, like a Farewell Brunch or Welcome Party, along with the start time and location. Include dress codes with each event, especially if you’d love to have a theme, like a welcome party where everyone wears a particular color.
PRO TIP: Don’t include private events that all guests aren’t invited for, like the Rehearsal Dinner or a Wedding Shower.
Get Personal and Share Photos and Your Love Story
Share your love story! This section is a great place to share the story of your first date, your engagement, or why you chose this particular city and/or venue to get married. Your guests will enjoy learning more about your history, and they will feel even more included by learning about those special moments in your relationship.
While you’re sharing your story, be sure to include some photos of the two of you as well. It’s fun to share some candids of the two of you through the years, and a great place to share all of those incredible engagement session photos. Your guests may not have seen these bits of your love story, and will love going through the memories when counting down to your wedding day.
Give Love to Your Wedding Party and VIPs
This section is more optional, in my opinion – but can be really fun when there’s a story attached as to why each person was chosen for the role. This is where you can introduce your VIPs to the whole guest list and share that funny story about your roommate or relative. It allows a face to be put with a name, and gives a little more depth to your VIPs.
Help with Accommodations and Travel
This is where you want to add all of that info that is so incredibly helpful and important to getting your guests there to celebrate with you. Hotel room blocks, shuttle times, and more. It keeps it tidy and is so much easier to include on a website than in endless invitation inserts.
I recommend adding your hotel block information here as soon as you have it. This lets your guests know where they should stay and how to book. Be sure to include the address of the hotel, along with any booking information your guests may need including:
A booking link
Group code
Date to reserve their room by
Phone number to the hotel
Address
Make it easy for guests to plan where they’ll crash after the party.
If you’re having a shuttle service to pick up your guests, you can also add transportation information (and shuttle times) here.
PRO TIP: I recommend cheating the shuttle times you share with guests. For example, if your shuttle is set to depart the hotel at 4:30pm, put 4:20pm on your website. This will help make sure your shuttle can continue to run on schedule, even if someone left their sunglasses upstairs in their hotel room, or missed the elevator. Give everyone a little grace by cheating those numbers a little bit.
If guests are traveling a long ways, include information on the nearest airport for any guests that will be looking for flights. While specific directions aren’t really necessary anymore (if they can access the site, they can probably navigate Google Maps), noting that the hotel is “20 minutes from the nearest airport”, for example, is helpful info to share. If it’s a bit farther and you recommend a rental car, this is also good to note so your guests can go ahead and book that together.
Share your Registry
Heads up: It’s considered “tacky” to include registry info with the invitation.
But… you can easily include your website link on your invites which CAN have your registry information.
Make sure that your website can link directly to your registry to make this step easy for your guests. If you’re having a wedding shower, this is a very helpful step to take care of prior to your wedding shower, because guests love being able to buy something that you’ll love.
Prefer to have guests contribute to your honeymoon or new house fund? Link to that instead! (Zola has a good integration for adding fund gifts as part of your registry.)
Some guests may prefer to feel like they’re buying you more of an actual gift, so you may want to consider listing experiences or parts of your honeymoon experience as separate amounts or monetary gifts. For example, you could list your flights, welcome drinks, a couples massage, or another experience you’re looking forward to as separate gifts with a monetary value.
And don’t be afraid to add some bigger items to your registry. It’s a great option for friend groups or co-workers who want to go in on something together.
For more tips on wedding registries, Episode 67 of the Put A Ring On It podcast is a good one to check out.
Give Suggestions of Things To Do
This section is great for destination weddings where a lot of the guests aren’t from the area. If you’re picking a location with special meaning for you two, be sure to share some of those personal highlights and your favorite hangout spots. Things like local cafes,coffee shops, parks, museums, hidden gems – any attractions that you would love to know about on your first visit to the area.
It’s also good to include ways to easily get around in this section. Is it best to rent a car, or use public transit? Are there bikes around town? Are most locations very walkable? This will help your guests plan their trip a little more thoroughly. Maybe it’s better for them to walk to your favorite coffee shop before fitting in a quick park visit, but they should drive over to another restaurant for lunch. If you have that insider knowledge that will be helpful for your guests, share it!
Collect RSVPs
Having guests RSVP digitally is becoming more popular and many wedding website platforms make this possible and super easy. If this is a feature that’s important to you, you may also be able to customize your digital RSVP form to include other information than just a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response – like entree selections and dietary needs..
Some platforms allow you to customize your digital RSVP system to show certain events to select guests, rather than everyone on your guest list. This is especially helpful with getting guest counts for showers, post-wedding brunches and welcome events.
Take Advantage of FAQs
The FAQ section of a wedding website is always a personal favorite. It’s a great place to add lots of details in a way that makes it easy for your guests to read and digest. Even if those details can be found somewhere else on your site.
Here’s some great examples of questions (and quick answers) frequently found here:
What should we wear?
Hopefully, you gave general guidance on your dress code with the itinerary or on your invitations, so this is where you can give your guests helpful tips like “It gets cool at night, so bring an extra layer” OR something like, “The terrain has a lot of grass, so wedges or flats are best.”
What if we have dietary restrictions?
“No problem. We’ve already discussed some options with our caterer. You’ll have a spot to let us know more on your RSVP!”
Where should we park?
Obviously, this depends on your venue and shuttle set up, but here’s an example of a common answer:
“There is limited parking at our venue. We encourage guests to take the designated shuttles leaving the Marriott Hotel at 4pm and 4:15pm. The shuttle will return at the end of the night. More details can be found on our Accommodations Page.”
Be sure to match those times to the slightly cheated times on your Accommodations Page.
What should we expect?
This is a great question for weddings that are blending cultures, traditions, or religions. If there are things that guests should know beforehand, share this information here. You can also consider sharing more of this information in your ceremony programs.
Are kids invited?
Again, this is always up to you. If you’re planning to have an adults-only celebration, here’s a great response:
“We’ve decided to keep the celebration for adults only. But we’ve arranged to have a babysitter on-site so you can bring your littles and still party with us on the dance floor. If you plan on doing this, please let us know!”
Have questions?
“Contact [person you’ve asked to be a point of contact for guests’ questions] at [their phone number] or [their email address].”
Remember that you can change this throughout the process, although I wholeheartedly recommend that you and your partner are NOT the points of contact. You don’t want someone trying to reach you while you’re getting ready for your wedding ceremony because they aren’t sure if they missed the shuttle or not.
How to Share It
So, you’ve made your wedding website. How do you share it so that guests know where to find all of your thoughtfully curated information?
The best (and easiest) way to share your wedding website is on all of your wedding stationery. Make sure that your link is somewhat short and easy to type in, and add it to any wedding stationery that gets mailed to your guests.
For your Save the Dates, you can include your names, wedding date, location, and your wedding website. This allows guests to start thinking about their travel plans. If you send your Save the Dates in advance of having your hotel room blocks figured out (or any other info for that matter), you can easily put “More Info Coming Soon” in that section.
If you’re having a wedding shower, your wedding website link is perfect to share on the invitations. It saves you from the clunky wording about where you are registered. Having your registry ready (or started) and linked on your website prior to your shower invitations being mailed is very helpful to your guests.
REMEMBER: Do NOT include your shower information on your wedding website unless ALL guests are invited! We never want someone to feel “less than” if they didn’t make the cut for your shower, but they’re still on your guest list.
On your wedding invitations, websites can be easily included on a “details” card. This looks so much cleaner than having multiple inserts for hotel room blocks, transportation, travel, and more. If you’re celebrating over multiple days, or having multiple wedding events, including your website on a details card also saves you from needing to have the times determined for every single event prior to having your wedding invitations printed.
A simple, “For more helpful information, please visit our website at www.yourweddingwebsitelink.com” works great!
You Got This
Whew, take a deep breath. Don’t let this task stress you out.
Take it in small, bite-sized pieces at a time and build it throughout the planning process. As you work through the details, it will be easy to add information as you figure it out. Again – it’s a living, breathing hub that lives online to help answer all of your guests’ questions.
Know that building this wedding website along the way will be saving time for “future you.”
When someone has a question about your wedding details, instead of searching for the information to share, you will be able to easily share the link.
BOOM, let the website do the heavy lifting.
You will have already put in the hard work.
If you’re an awesome couple that might need some help with more of the planning process I’d love to help. DPNAK couples get reminders along the journey to update their site once related decisions are made.
Like I always say, I got you!
This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, you will not pay a penny more, but I’ll receive a small commission. I would recommend these products regardless of the commission.
