Breaking Down the Wedding Website
The use of a wedding website to communicate important details of your day to your guests is not a new concept, but it’s one that I tend to see as a flash-in-the-pan effort from many couples. Right after the engagement (and once they’ve decided on a destination affair), they excitedly create a beautiful website that shares their story and announces their wedding location. But when they dig into the planning process, it tends to fall off their radar, sitting stagnant and no longer serving a purpose.
Since communication is crucial to successful destination wedding planning, I want to encourage couples to capitalize on our connected world and use this tool to share key pieces of information with their guests throughout the planning process. From transportation and lodging, area activities and wedding day details, there is so much that people want (and need!) to know when they’re planning to attend your wedding. When used with purpose, your wedding website can aid in communication and really level-up your whole wedding experience.
Photography by: Sweet Caribbean Photography
Transportation Information
From the moment they arrive, your guests will be at the mercy of the transportation services in an unfamiliar country. Even with the most expert and professional drivers, it can feel unnerving to approach the situation if you haven’t been given all of the appropriate information. The company you choose to book for transportation services will coordinate pick-up of all your guests, aligning flight numbers and lodging sites so that the arrival and departure process works like clockwork. Compiling all of the transportation details onto your wedding website allows your guests to feel more comfortable and know what to expect from airport pick-up to drop-off.
Lodging
Information on recommended hotels and room rates is something that couples are repeatedly asked for as they prepare for their day. Again – by compiling that information on your website and making it readily available to your guest, you provide them an easy-to-find information hub with all of the most pertinent details, contact information, and specifics for their booking needs.
Activities in the Area
Your guests are going to be in a new and exciting country, and it’s not uncommon for couples to plan a few excursions to help them embrace the beauty and culture of the area. By including information on planned outings on your wedding website, guests are able to pack and plan accordingly. Additionally, it allows them to coordinate travel appropriately, arriving in time to take advantage of all of the exciting and culture-embracing events you have curated for their enjoyment. In addition to activities, you can include interesting restaurants, historical ruins, and other go-as-you-wish landmarks and destinations that your guests can enjoy if they so choose. Pick things that look interesting to you and try a few out yourself!
Photography by: Sweet Caribbean Photography
Itinerary
Perhaps the most important information you will include on your wedding website, the itinerary for the events specifically related to your wedding celebration are the ultimate need-to-know for your guests. Since these plans tend to be fluid and may not be completely solidified at the time when you send your invitations, including the information on your wedding website allows you to have a working document that your guests can reference at their leisure as plans solidify (and it’s a great way to maintain the excitement surrounding your event!). Information on rehearsals, wedding day timelines, and dress code specifics can all be included in a neatly arranged and frequently updated digital itinerary.
RSVPs
A great new feature of our digital age is the ability for couples to collect RSVP information online. Not only does it save postage, also allows couples to easily record and sort information as their guests provide it. Meal choices, dietary restrictions, allergies, and travel plans can all be collected on your digital RSVP, then exported and sent to the appropriate planning coordinator as needed. It also gives the couple a ready-made spreadsheet that can be quickly uploaded into their wedding coordination site and utilized for easy seating chart creation (cue all the praise for THIS tasks becoming easier!).
Blog
A highly underutilized function of wedding websites is the ability for couples to blog their planning experience. I know firsthand how overwhelming it can be for couples to tackle the process of planning a destination wedding, even when you have a fantastic planner. The list of to-dos is long, and it requires decisions to be made and emails to be answered and, sometimes, plans to be changed and reevaluated. Candid commentary on the entire process can help others, serving as a transparent guide to all of the hard work and ups and downs of the destination wedding planning process. It can encourage community and collaboration for brides and grooms who will come after you, and who will use your knowledge to plan their own dream wedding.
Photography by: Sweet Caribbean Photography
An added bonus? Your blog allows you to record this very short time in your life – a time when your sole focus is on the preparation of one day that signifies the start of the rest of your life together. Could there be a better story to look back on when it’s all said and done?
Taking the time to maintain your wedding website allows you to clearly communicate to your guests and document all the nuances of planning for couples to come. And when it’s over, you’ll have a time-capsule of your beautiful and completely-you wedding, just waiting for the next chapter to be written.
