Building a wedding website

Technology has permitted so many advanced changes in our lives that are apparent in wedding planning as well. Wedding websites are now becoming increasingly popular as effective tools to manage relevant information pertaining to the wedding and to keep guests abreast and updated on various aspects. More simplistically, a wedding website is a couple’s public expression of the exciting build-up to a wedding and their way of sharing that excitement with their family and friends.

The benefits to having your personal wedding website are manifold…As most people are internet savvy and surf the web, it is a good way to share your wedding celebration and the lead-up to it, with your family and friends.

If you have family living in different parts of the world, it can help them get familiar with the bride/groom through brief profiles of the bride/groom and maybe intimate family.

After the wedding too, you can post pictures of the ceremony, reception and maybe even videos, so that those who couldn’t make it can be witness to your special day.

A website can also prove entertaining if you spice it up with witty anecdotes or engaging stories like how you first met or how the proposal took place.

A website can convey valuable information to guests in terms of accommodation or relevant weather information if they are from out of town/ state, directions to the venue, announcements of various events leading up to the wedding, wedding gift list, gift registry information, etc.

For a couple too, they can effectively use the website to convey important information to guests as well as inform out of town guests about various activities they can indulge in or places of interest, use the site for receiving RSVPs and get feedback through a guestbook.

A website also serves as a personal journal of all the fun events leading up to the wedding and once the hectic pace of wedding activities is through and the couple has time to relax, they can browse through it at leisure and relive the magical experience.

You can build your wedding website, on your own..

This can be fun and extremely challenging, but it also calls for a significant amount of time and some amount of finances. Unless you’re an expert in this field, you will have enough on your hands with planning for the wedding and will probably not have the time and effort to spend on this Herculean task. However, if you’re determined to do it yourself, there are some wedding planning websites that provide you with instructions on designing your own web page through their web address.
 
Customizing a readymade solution through a professional service for a fee A professional website company will provide you with a more attractive, easier solution for a price. This will save you a lot of time and bother and you have the added assurance that you will end up with a snazzier end product.

Think of the following when shopping around for a professional wedding website service provider:

Look for a certain ‘free trial’ period during which you can try out the services on offer and make sure you are satisfied with what they provide. It will be a good period during which to review what is on offer and at what price and to evaluate whether you’re getting your money’s worth.

The company should offer you a significant choice in terms of website designs so that you have sufficient options to choose from and don’t just have to ‘make do.’

There should be additional features provided such as wedding planning tools and arrival confirmation for guests, as well as add-ons such as games, etc. that make the site fun to surf and attractive to the visitor.

You should also be able to load pictures and possibly videos, to enable you to update the site after your wedding, so that guests can continue to share in the enjoyment of your celebration even after the big day is over.

When creating your website, keep the following in mind…

Your website should be personalized and should reflect your tastes as a couple. It should be in keeping with your sense of style and what you would like to convey to your guests.

It’s best to keep the design of your site attractive in an elegant and understated manner and the content simple. Avoid too much design and clutter. Your guests and visitors to the site may experience a feeling of ‘information overload’.

In your efforts to make the site exciting and fun, don’t get carried away and include information that is too personal or that could make a guest uncomfortable, for instance graphic details of where, when and how you exchanged your first kiss!

Beware of posting personal information that could place your privacy and that of others who you mention (like the wedding party/family members) in jeopardy. If you have to mention this information, ensure that it is protected.

If you are finding the task of building, creating and updating your website too time consuming, seek help from your attendants, a close relative or friend who can help you update information.

It is acceptable to post a gift list/ gift registry information or links to online registries on your website. In fact many guests consider it convenient, saving them a considerable amount of time and hassle. However, on a note of caution, don’t let your desire to provide convenience to guests, be mistaken for avarice or prompting for gifts. Your gift information should be discreetly placed to the side or a corner of your webpage, so that a guest has to actually look to find it and doesn’t find it staring him/her in the face, as if you’re prompting them to buy you a gift.

Don’t forget to make use of your website after the wedding too-your guests will feel privileged to be kept informed and continue sharing your joy. You could share pictures of the wedding day, honeymoon, touching moments of the celebrations, amusing incidents on your honeymoon etc. Your guests would, in all likelihood appreciate your thoughtfulness and would also be happy to be thanked for making your day a special one.

Etiquette demands that…

You avoid printing your website address on the invitations, especially if it is a formal invite. The more acceptable alternatives are on your reply cards (especially for an RSVP) or other enclosures or inserts that you send along with your invitations. Another option is emailing your guests your website address for their information so they may keep updated on the events leading up to your wedding.

You remember that not everyone is internet savvy nor has access to the internet. Therefore, do keep track of those you might need to update through more conventional means regarding events or information pertaining to your wedding that you might have posted on your website.

You proceed with caution before randomly copying material from other sites or posting your photographs, especially if your photographer has not provided you with the negatives – he might own the rights to the photos and you will probably need his permission.