One of the hottest, new and most fun trends for engaged couples today is to create a wedding website; or more popularly known as ‘wedsites’. 
Wedding websites are predominately used to provide pertinent information about your wedding to family and friends. As their popularity grows they are quickly becoming an invaluable tool.
Your wedding website should include details relevant to your wedding ceremony and reception, travel information, suggestions on local hotel accommodations, hotel room block(s), your contact information, and your gift registry. You may also choose to included engagement photos and wedding party details.
If marrying in a destination with fabulous tourist attractions, your guests will appreciate information related to local tourist hot spots and local touring companies.
Following your wedding, some couples have also utilized their wedding website as a link to guests that were not able to celebrate with them by posting photographs of their wedding ceremony and reception.
Below are a few suggestions on how to host an informative and polite wedding website:
1. Avoid using Slang terms that may be misunderstood.
2. Choose a design layout that represents you as a couple and that reflects your personalities. A fun and unique suggestion to design your wedding website in the color palette being used in your wedding.
3. Design a well organized and user friendly site.
4. Keep it “G-Rated & simple. Do not include any intimate details regarding your relationship such as first kisses, details of dates, and so on. Keep your story romantic and focused on the nature of your relationship and the pending union.
5. Do not list your wedding website on your invitations. The best ways to inform guests of your wedsite is by word of mouth, listing it on your save-the-date cards, or on other invitation enclosures such as the reception or response card.
6. Electronic RSVP’s through your website are acceptable; however, it is still necessary to enclose a response card in your invitation ensemble. Include a line on the bottom of your response card to inform guests of this new option by simply stating: “You may also RSVP through our wedding web site at ” http://www.ewedding.com/”
7. Avoid putting a significant emphasis on your gift registries. Use tact when including links to your registry retailers and do not make it the focus of a single page.
8. A traditional wedding invitation must still sent via snail mail and include all pertinent information related to your wedding as there may be a few guests who are not online.
Many wedding related websites offer to host free wedding websites for couples who register with them such as http://www.weddingwindow.com/, http://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-websites.html, http://www.mywedding.com/main/wedding_websites.html.
Have you created a wedding website? Has it assisted the wedding planning process and provided guests a feeling of inclusion?
Photos courtesty of WeddingWindow.com and Flicker – Creative Common License
I love that you are talking about creating the perfect wedding website and how to handle the registry part! I recently launched Deposit a Gift which offers the wedding website and the registry in one. Deposit a Gift makes it possible for you to register for your honeymoon, a new home down payment, a kitchen remodel, a charity or a combination of any of these things. With us, you have options and you can register for anything you can think of.
The registry looks and functions just like a traditional department store registry– easy for you and your guests. Check out our Samples to get a sense for the possibilities and then watch the Video Demos to see the site in action.
-SAMPLES: http://www.depositagift.com/sampleRegistries
-VIDEO DEMOS: http://www.depositagift.com/demos
We were just selected by TRUSTe as one of their most trusted clients for our easy user interface and high level of customer service. RecessionWire.com just gave us a big thumbs up last week: https://www.depositagift.com/press
Feel free to email me directly for personal help setting-up your registry or just to answer any questions: dana@depositagift.com
Cheers!
Dana Ostomel
Founder and Chief Gifting Officer
http://www.DepositAGift.com
https://www.depositagift.com/our_founder_dana_ostomel