Your Wedding Website
With society gleaning most of its information from the internet, it has become essential to create a well-curated website to share the details of your big day. But where do you start and what should it contain? Chong Seow Wei draws up a guide to creating
A guide to creating an online memory link to share details of your special day
Down To Specifics
Invitation cards are a must but can get lost in the mail or become forgotten beneath other letters. A wedding website is handy for listing (and updating, if there are last-minute changes) basic details about your wedding ceremony, such as the date, time, venue and directions. Make the details immediately visible when guests arrive at your site, even for less tech-savvy visitors. An early heads-up about your wedding can be given by posting a Save-The-Date alert several months ahead, to boost RSVPs later.
Share The Love
If you’re not one of those who likes to narrate the story of how you and your spouse-to-be met, fell in love and got engaged to everyone you meet, pour it all out on your wedding website. No long novel-standard text needed; take the short and sweet approach. “Giving a glimpse into the personalities of you and your spouse-to-be helps to excite the people on your invitation list,” says Hannah Chong of Heaven’s Gift. So, go ahead and share both of your nicknames, hobbies, the causes you advocate, and life mottos.
The Bridal Entourage
Apart from the bridal couple, guests will want to familiarise themselves with your wedding party. Use the website to share how you met them and why they fit their respective roles. It gives a glimpse into your relationships with important people in your lives. Make it a fun read, Chong advises: “Think of quirky sobriquets for your bridesmaids and groomsmen when introducing them online, to hint to guests of the vibe they can expect at your event.”
Post It, Like It
Build the hype with behind-the-scenes photos and videos of your proposal, final gown fitting session or pre-wedding photo shoot. But don’t stop there; consider your wedding website to be an online memory bank and continue to put up photos and videos after your wedding.
Affirm The Agenda
Tease your guests with the programme lineup for your ceremony. For selected guests, such as your bridal party, create a page with a detailed schedule that they can refer to for the timings and locations of each event— including your rehearsal dinner, gatecrash and tea ceremony—as well as their respective duties for the day. You can lock this page with a password to avoid confusing other guests with information they don’t need.
Gifts To Give
It isn’t a faux pas to share your gift registry on your website. In fact, most guests are accustomed to looking for wish lists on your website which can be accessed easily on the go. To make a social impact with your celebration, your website can double up as an avenue to raise awareness and funds for the causes you want to support. “With a website, you have room to provide relevant content and encourage your guests to contribute to a charity you wish to advocate through your wedding,” says Chong.
Click To RSVP
In this digital age, what was once frowned upon—sending electronic invitations—is now relatively common practice, but e-invitations should complement traditional cards rather than replace them. “Websites these days can have an RSVP function that allows guests to confirm their attendance online and consolidates this information,” says Chong. Also consider gathering information of your guests’ dietary restrictions and mailing addresses, to which you can send a formal, hard-copy invitation to your wedding and a thank-you note after.
Tourist Friendly
For destination weddings, make the trip less stressful for out-of-town guests by playing travel guide. Provide a curated list of hotels your guests can stay at, the attractions to visit, restaurants and bars to try, and other activities to do. Recommend activities that will get them acquainted with a place that is close to both your hearts.
Etiquette-To-Knows
Avoid awkward situations of poor drunken behaviour and inappropriate attire at your wedding by sharing your top etiquette rules on your website. Approaching the topic in a light-hearted manner is great for getting your point across, and this can range from posting fun articles on social etiquette to recounting anecdotes of bad behaviour you have personally encountered.
Honeymoon Plans
The wedding may be over, but that shouldn’t stop you from giving your guests a peek of your first adventure as newlyweds. Highlighting the agenda of your honeymoon trip may be useful for gathering suggestions from guests on places to stay and eat at, and visit at your destination.