The Most Helpful Features to Add to Your Wedding Website, According to Past Brides
Between dress hunting and picking your bridal party, you, Ms. Bride, are one busy lady! And that's not even beginning to address your inbox flowing with questions from guests ("Where are you registered?", "What should I be wearing?"). Before the floodgates open, our advice to you is to set up a wedding website, STAT, to address all of these items in one resourceful space. Luckily, our friends at Squarespace make that easy (because let's be honest, most brides don't have time to put learning to code on the itinerary!). Their user-friendly website builder is the all-in-one platform that includes the templates, tools, analytics, and security you need to create a beautiful hub to direct all of your friends and their plus ones. Better yet, they make it so simple to customize templates in the look and feel you want, all in just a few clicks. So, now that we've got that covered, we tapped several past brides for their expertise on must-include items to make the most of your site. From geo-tagged maps to integrated registries, trust us when we say these tips will save you from stressing as you approach your big day!
Photography by Annmarie Swift"Integrate your wedding theme throughout your website." "Don't create a site, just for the sake of having a one," says one bride. Make it really feel like it's a natural extension of your day from the cursive font you use to the clever custom domain name you choose, she suggests. Luckily, Squarespace offers an extensive selection of award-winning wedding templates to cater to your event, whether you're hosting a black-tie affair or a backyard bash. Then, once you have a template selected, you can adjust banners, edit pages, and add functionality to tailor it to your guests and their questions. "It's that easy," she adds.
Photography by Will Reid"Add RSVP functionality." Dealing with extra stamps, postage, and follow-ups when it comes to your guest attendance is never fun. So one new Mrs. emphasized how helpful it was to integrate RSVPs directly on her website. (Since every Squarespace wedding website template comes with a built-in and customizable RSVP form, there's no heavy lifting required on your end to make it happen!) This way, family and friends can simply click through to the page to mark their attendance and meal request, while she could manage all of the responses on the backend in a streamlined Google Drive document.
Photography by Tara Bielecki"Showcase activities to do in the area." If you have several guests coming in from out of town, it's a good idea to recommend options for them to fill their time over the course of the weekend. One newlywed found people appreciated a dedicated page of things to do in the area close to the venue. "We included our favorite brunch spots, watering holes, even places they could go to get their nails done," she says. They also encouraged their friends to use their wedding hashtag so they could integrate all of the fun via photos in an Instagram block on their account.
Photography by One Love Photography"Provide a helpful map for guests to plan out their weekend." There will be many moving pieces throughout the course of your special weekend. And all of these (think wedding-facilitated events, hotel check-ins, and ceremony location) require some coordination. Keep your family and friends in the know by including a map on your site, pinpointing the key places they need to know, suggests another Mrs. Bonus: Squarespace allows you to geotag these spots too, so everyone will have the addresses they need to navigate from hotel to ceremony, effortlessly.
Photography by Joseph Rogero"Plan to include as much information as possible." Another helpful approach for creating your domain? Include everything they'll need to know on the site (including questions that come up during planning). Day of details, like what to wear, the timing of events, parking, and transportation were all "much appreciated by guests," says a newlywed, noting that several of her pals didn't even bother bringing the stationary with them because of this. Just make sure your page is mobile compatible, she adds. (Psst: All Squarespace templates are automatically mobile-friendly, thank goodness for that!) There you have it. Five bride-approved ways to make your wedding website standout. Now, if you feel like you're in a better place to start designing your own site, head to Squarespace.com/STYLEMEPRETTY for a free trial to get you started. Then, when you’re ready to launch, use the offer code STYLEMEPRETTY to save 10% off your first purchase. Now go put those creative skills to the test!
Photography by The Lovely Drawer| Wedding Website: Aubrey by Squarespace