How to Create a Wedding Website

Wedding websites are gaining popularity as more and more friends and family prefer to get information via the web. A wedding website can be a great tool for your guests to gain directions to your wedding events, information on the wedding party, and registries. It can be a great tool for the bride and groom because it can disseminate large amount of information to your guests at once and be a cost-effective alternative to a lot of snail mail. Here are a few tips for creating a wedding website that will suit your needs.

1. Decide on your needs.

Many couples want a wedding website only to publish information about and directions to the ceremony. Others want a website they can use for RSVPs to the ceremony and other events. Still others want a place to blog about the wedding planning experience and share stories about their relationship and background on VIP wedding personnel. Decide what function you want your wedding website to serve.

2. Decide on your budget.

Also decide on a budget for your wedding website. Some sites, such as TheKnot.com and ewedding.com, host their most basic wedding websites for free, while they and many others charge monthly fees (usually $5 to $20) for wedding websites with more advanced features. Generally speaking, the more features you want your wedding website to have, the more you can expect to pay a site per month to host it.

3. Choose a host site.

There are hundreds of websites available that host individual wedding websites. Using your needs and budget as a guide, choose one that is right for you. Consider things like the look you want your website to have and its capacity for media such as photos or video, if you plan to incorporate those. Also consider the URL address you want to use. Most websites charge an extra fee for a unique URL, such as “www.donandcathy.com.” While this is an added expense, remember that your guests might find a website with a unique URL easiest to access.

4. Create your wedding website with your guests in mind.

Remember that your wedding website is ultimately for the benefit of your friends and family who will be attending your wedding events. Post information that will be most useful to them. This may include directions to the locations of your events, lodging information, weather predictions, fun things to do in your area for out-of-towners, and stores at which you are registered. Whatever information you include, be sure to post your contact information (including a phone number for guests who may not have internet access) so that your guests may call you with any additional questions. While your wedding website may be a great alternative to some snail mail, remember that not all your guests will have internet access, so do not disseminate the most critical information through your website only.

Image Credit: Wedding Photography by Jon Day, Flickr