By Li-at Karpel Gurwicz, Head of Strategic Marketing at Wix.com
Weddings on Female First
Wedding planning is stressful, just ask any bride or groom. As common place modern life, technology strides in to save our time, and our ceremony.
More than a trend for the tech savvy, wedding websites can be a fun and practical tool. From gift registry to directions to your venue - a wedding website can be a handy place to hold everything your guests need to know.
With so many options available out there it can be difficult to choose the best platform and to know what to include.
Here are 10 tips on how to create the best wedding site:
Don't waste your precious time
Platforms such as Wix.com offer an array of stunning ready-made website templates that help you build your website quickly and easy. All you have to do is to select your favourite template and start uploading your favourite photos and text.
Switch to electronic invites
Handwritten invitations are a thing of the past. It's no longer necessary, or humane to chase wedding guests for postal addresses and then slave over hundreds hand written invites- but that doesn't mean you need to resort to the dreaded Facebook invitation!
Your wedding site will allow you to send wedding invites electronically and keep track of your RSVPs. This will save you time and the use of your writing hand. If you're worried about aesthetics, don't be. Your site will offer a variety of designs and colours for your invitation.
Include a venue
It's every bride's nightmare… They sneak a peek at the ceremony, only to find half of their guests are missing. Or worse, they start receiving 10 phone calls a second, from lost invitees. Luckily, instructions to the venue can be added to your site to help the directionally challenged make it to the ceremony, early for once.
Add a gift registry
If you're not careful, weddings can result in 5 separate toasters, not the new food processor you've been eyeing off. By creating a gift registry on your website, guests know what to buy you and Uncle Gary leaves the undesirables at home.
Tell your story
Wedding Websites are not just practical, but a fun way to look back on the events that got you to the isle. You can add the story of how you met by using visual timelines, or write a bio piece together.
Make your wedding conversational
Encourage guests to leave a message and allow your wedding guests to get the love party started early by leaving a comment on your wedding website. A simple hello will do, but you can make things extra interesting by encouraging your family & friends to share a favourite memory of the two of you.
Hashtag #ItsYourWedding
Make sure you have a dedicated hashtag for your wedding. Don't forget to include it in the footer on your wedding website so that guests don't forget to upload photos appropriately.
Upload your photos
Professional photography is a big part of getting married. So naturally, all your friends, family and guests want to see the finished photos. Upload them to the website so there's a central place to for everyone to view them. If you'd prefer not to give just anyone access, password protect them.
If you want you can also add a social stream onto your website so that all photos that are uploaded with that hashtag will automatically show up on your website (so long as those profiles are public).
Don't forget logistics
You want to make sure your site answers all the questions you don't want to answer on or before the big day. Add practical information like the weather by adding a weather tracker to your wedding website, a rough idea what to wear or where to stay after the wedding. This way, all your guests need to do is turn up and have a good time.
Let Everyone Know: The Countdown is On!
Counting the days 'til your big day? Help your family & friends count along with you by adding a fun countdown clock to your wedding website.
Wedding sites are the best way to share the good feelings and all those magical moments with the people who matter to you. That's where your wedding website comes in. Give it a go, it will make your life much easier.
Tagged in Wedding