Yes, you need a wedding website. That’s the simple answer in this day and age – although the reason may differ from couple to couple. Perhaps a majority of your guests are coming from out of town and you want to give them ideas of things to do. Or maybe you will be providing shuttles and want everyone to know the schedule beforehand. But even without a very specific reason, most people have been trained to search for answers online for everything – and your wedding is no different. You’ll definitely want to have your website live before sending out your save the dates, as that is when people will start to look for hotel info, registry, etc.

Here are the things your website should have to serve any real purpose:

– Wedding Date, Time, Location, Directions
– Same above for any other events surrounding the wedding that everyone would be invited to (welcome hour, golfing outings, etc.) Only include the Rehearsal Dinner if everyone is invited, otherwise this requires a private + separate invite.
– Accommodations info + any hotel block or discount info
– Registry Info
– Dress Code (people will ask)
– Info for any provided shuttle or guest transportation from hotels, etc.
– Inclement weather info (as in – in case of rain, or reception to take place rain or shine – that kind of thing)

And some other things you may want to include:

– A little story about how you met, how you got engaged, etc. Most people will already know this, but it can be fun.
– Engagement photos, or other photos
– The Wedding Party or important guests
– Who exactly is invited. Is this an adult-only wedding?
– Travel tips, weather info for that time of year
– Info on things to do near the hotel/reception site – a few fave spots to eat or sightsee for out of towners
– Child care info if you are providing.

 

Things you can skip (‘cause no one cares):

Date Countdowns, Message Boards or ‘Guestbooks’, Menus, Directions from the airport (we all have maps on our phones now).

There are tons of great wedding websites out there!

Most have all the same basic functions and features, and there are a bunch of different designs. Free sites are usually basic info, and you must have their website tag on your domain. Example:

www.janeandjohn.weddingwire.com

The pay services usually include RSVP tracking, etc. and are usually a bit nicer.

Free Sites:
https://www.theknot.com/gs/wedding-websites
http://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-websites.html
www.weddingjojo.com

Free Sites that have matching invitations:
https://www.minted.com/wedding-websites
https://www.zola.com/  (Zola also has registry built in!)

Also some good pay sites, some with free options, or that are all inclusive:
https://withjoy.com/
https://www.rileygrey.com/
https://www.appycouple.com/

 

Website photos above // Top: WithJoy, Bottom: Minted