Wedding RSVP Website Must-Haves

There's a lot that goes into the wedding planning process and creating a wedding website can really help collate all the important event information in a handy online one-stop shop. Whether you have a wedding planner helping you along the way or you're DIY-ing your big day, having virtual wedding information stored on a wedding website instead of a formal invitation will help you 100%. Your wedding party can refer back to check up on details such as dress codes as often as they like, RSVP directly at the click of a button and even share photos of your special day for all to enjoy. But what to include on your wedding website? At Say I do we've been designing and creating 1000s of wedding websites for many years now so don't worry, we've got you covered! Keep reading to ensure you don't forget any important details and we'll also help you get things ticked off your to do list.

When to set up your wedding website

You can start to create a wedding website as early as you want during wedding planning, but remember to only share with your nearest and dearest when you've got a confirmed date, time and venue. You can add extra info at any time but wait until the key details are booked definitively before you start sharing everything! A rough guide as to when to share with your wedding party is six - eight months before the big day. This allows out of town guests to sort transport and accommodation with enough notice. If you're opting for a destination wedding though, it's beneficial for wedding guests to know the details well in advance to ensure they can budget for it and secure things like time off work and childcare. Regardless of whether you're going all out and hosting a wedding weekend, rehearsal dinner or any special events it's always good to allow people plenty of time to plan ahead.

The where, what and when

It may seem obvious but don't forget to include these things on your wedding website: your wedding date, wedding location and venue information - including timings. The more information you can include the better, so don't forget details such as where to park and how long it takes to travel between your ceremony and reception venues. What might seem obvious to you might not be for others, the more details you include on your wedding website the more questions you'll be able to bypass later on. Plus, the joy of creating a wedding website is that you have space to play with that you wouldn't necessarily have with traditional paper invitations so include everything; from the dress code, to your wedding hashtag and even a link to your wedding registry. Wedding websites can also give you the luxury of being able to communicate other wedding events such as wedding rehearsals, a post wedding brunch and even a space for an online guest book.

Schedule of events

People like to know what's going on! So whilst you don't want to give away ALL the exciting details, certainly share a rough plan of the day with your guests. Include details such as your ceremony time, cocktail hour, reception, speeches, first dance and cake cutting. This will put your guests at ease and ensure no one misses any vital parts of the day.

Dress code

Whether you're opting for a relaxed, festival-style wedding or an elegant black tie celebration, your guests will need to know what to wear to save anyone feeling underdressed or totally overdressed. It might be worth including whether your guests will need a change of clothes or footwear as well, especially if you plan on taking part in fun activities such as garden games.

Catering

Your wedding party will thank you for noting down what food will be at your wedding and the estimated time it'll be served so they don't spend the day with an empty stomach if you're eating late. After all, no-one wants hangry guests! You may also want to let your guests know the drinks situation - will it be an open bar, or do you advise they bring cash or their own refreshments? Remember to ask your guests to note down any allergies or dietary requirements they may have when they confirm their attendance via their digital RSVP, this is really important and will save any stress on the day itself.

Online RSVP date

The 'confirming your attendance' section on a wedding website is arguably one the most useful features. Say I do is a user-friendly wedding platform with an especially handy digital RSVP feature. It saves you having to organise replies from different sources and keep all your RSVPs in one easy to access place. We recommend communicating an ideal RSVP deadline date on your wedding invitation so you (hopefully!) won't have to chase any late repliers.

Plus ones and kids

Children and plus-ones can be a difficult subject to bring up so make life easier for all parties by politely but firmly stating on your wedding website whether children or plus ones are welcomed. This will save any awkward questions, ensure everyone is on the same page and give people a chance to organise childcare if necessary.

Wedding gifts

Don't feel embarrassed to include details of your online wedding registry. Alternatively if you've asked for a contribution to your honeymoon fund and people are wondering how they can make a donation, your wedding website is the perfect place to communicate this. The risk of not having any gift registry or wishing well information is that loved ones might shop off-registry for items that you may already have or don't need. If all you've asked for is their presence over any presents, another idea is to suggest a charity for guests to make a donation towards.

Local accommodation and transport

Get in touch with local hotels, guest houses and Airbnbs in the area to see if you can enquire about reserved room blocks, this will help guests who are travelling to the wedding and who may want to stay close to the venue location for ease. It's also worth communicating various forms of transport in the local area, remember everyone's coming from different locations. Maps are really useful to include too and details on parking and distances between venues. Have all this information in a quick and easy reference point so guests can find information with ease.

Social media at your wedding

Let your guests know if you've opted for an unplugged ceremony, loved ones will play by the rules as long as you communicate it early on! However, if you're open to guests sharing content on social media, create a wedding hashtag too so you can see all your photos and videos in one place.

Contact information

Adding your and your partner's contact details is a really great idea. Friends and family members might want to ask you specific questions about the main event so making information like this easy to find on your website is invaluable.

Share your love story

Make your wedding website a reflection of you and your partner by adding your personal details so guests can get to know you both. It's also a nice addition to write up a bio for each other and include fun facts for your guests to read ahead of the big day. You could also introduce your bridal party, parents, and your MC so guests will know some faces from the off! Adding a photo gallery is also a really nice touch to make your wedding website your own. You could think about adding photos from when you and your partner first met, engagement photos, wedding photos and even honeymoon photos to really continue to share the love!

Safety first

Inform your guest list of the safety precautions you and your venue will take to ensure their safety and well-being on your wedding day. Make sure your guests are aware that you will be keeping the site updated if requirements change. One of the best things about having a wedding website is that information can be easily adjusted at the click of the button.