Creating a Wedding Website

 

    After I got engaged, people would ask me, "How is wedding planning going?" They would go on to say that they didn't enjoy it and it was so stressful for them. However, it was the opposite for me. I enjoyed planning out and creating everything for our big day. Creating our wedding website was probably one of my favorite parts. 

    In our case, we had family and friends traveling from different states to come to our wedding. I was familiar with the area, but my husband's side was not. Creating a website seemed like the best way to communicate everything with our guests. It was a good place to access our registry and to keep track of RSVP's. Even family members that were not as great with technology were able to figure out how to access our website to get the information they needed. So started the process of creating our website.

    I created our website through The Knot. I remember trying to decide between The Knot and Zola. Both platforms seem great, but I ultimately decided to go with The Knot. It was very easy and straightforward to use. You get to choose a theme for your website, and they had many different designs. It was not difficult to design a website that followed the color scheme and theme of our wedding. 

    I started designing the website by inputting the easy stuff first. Your names, wedding date, location, wedding party, engagement photos, etc. The step that took the longest for me was the URL. I wanted the URL to be the same as our wedding hashtag. That took some time to figure out.

    The Knot has pages/tabs already generated for you to keep your information organized and easy to find. You also can add or remove some of these pages. I'll spend the next few paragraphs talking about each of the pages on the website that I used and what information you can include in them.

        HOME:  This is the first page your guests will see when they view your website. This is where you want to put your most important information. The date, location, and times are the main necessities. Closer to the time of the wedding when you have your timeline planned out, you can add more details such as the ceremony and reception times. I also included one of our engagement photos. 

        OUR STORY:  On this page, you can tell the story of how you met. You can also add a timeline of big moments you had leading up to the engagement. Once again, you can add photos to make the page even more complete.

        PHOTOS:  This is the page to show off some of your engagement photos or fun photos of the two of you!

        WEDDING PARTY:  You can add the names of your special people on this page. Best Man, Groomsmen, Maid/Matron of Honor, Bridesmaids, Flower Girls, Ring Bearers, Attendants, Ushers, give them recognition on this page. You could also add photos of each and how they are related to the couple.

        SCHEDULE:  I didn't add this page until a couple of weeks before the wedding. I wanted to have my timeline somewhat finalized with our vendors before I put it on the website. This is where you can add the start and length of your ceremony, how long your social/cocktail hour may be, when dinner is being served, and other reception events you may want your guests to know. 

        Q + A:  This is another page that you may not use depending on your situation. Since I had so many guests traveling for our wedding, I tried to think of any questions someone might have if they were visiting a location they have never been to before. I ended up researching different questions other brides have put on their website, so I wouldn't forget anything. You might want to let your guests know if your ceremony and reception locations are heated/cooled or indoors/outdoors. You could let them know what the dress code is and what you are serving for dinner. If parking would be an issue, you can mention that as well. If you are/are not wanting kids at your wedding, you could include that.

        TRAVEL:  If you are saving a block of rooms at a nearby hotel for your guests, you can include that information on this page. You can also list any other hotels, campgrounds, or lodging options.

        THINGS TO DO:  Another page that can be optional, this is where you can list some popular attractions a tourist may want to do if they were visiting. If there is some kind of festival or other event going on, you could include the information for that. 

        REGISTRY:  In my opinion, I thought this page was one of The Knot's best features. You can put all of your registries for the wedding in one easy spot for your guests to see. I had a registry at Target and Walmart, so I was able to put both of them on this page. If you are having a bridal or wedding shower, you can list your wedding website URL on the invites for guests. Then they can access all of your registries and see the items that are on your registry. 

        RSVP:  This was the last page I had on my website. I actually removed it after the RSVP deadline. This was the 2nd best feature The Knot offered, if I had to choose. Once you give your guests your website URL (I included mine on the invites), they can RSVP. It takes some time, but I had to input the names of every person on our guest list. Then, when they get on your website to submit their RSVP, their name shows up. You have the option to include their email address and phone number to send out mass messages/reminders, but that was more work than what I needed. This was a great place to keep track of who would and would not be attending. You also have the option to add some questions for your guests to answer when they submit their RSVP. I asked my guests for song recommendations to give to the DJ, and the option to add a +1. 

    Overall, creating a wedding website is definitely worth the time and effort. The Knot has tons of other features that make the wedding planning process so much smoother besides the website feature. I learned how to use the site by just looking around and clicking on things. Have fun with it and enjoy creating!

If you need some inspiration or ideas, you can visit my wedding website by clicking on the link: theknot.com/paschinforskog