As you poke around the internet on your wedding planning journey, there’s no doubt in my mind that you’ve found a million different recommendations for wedding websites (maybe they can match your invites, or they link to your registry, or you just input your names and date and it somehow does the rest… I don’t know.) And now you’re thinking to yourself… do I need my website to do that? Is any of this important? Do I even need a wedding website? Especially as you plan a wedding in the midst of a global pandemic, you’ve probably been asking yourself, “Do I really need ______ (fill in the blank with any wedding-related item or idea)?” And if you’ve been around APW for longer than 2 minutes, you’ll know that what we’re likely to say is “UMMM… NO! It’s your wedding, do you!”
If I’m being the most honest, though… I do really believe that a wedding website is one of those things that almost all (like… 98% of modern couples) would benefit from. So, if you find yourself on the fence of where to get started with wedding planning, or how the heck to keep in touch with all these people that you’ve invited, or how you’re supposed to make all that information fit on that little 2″ x 3″ details card… and you’re wondering if a wedding website is right for you? (Picture me using my best infomercial voice here) Have I got a deal for you! Don’t wait… make your wedding website, today!
Still wondering if now is the right time to make a wedding website? If you really need one at all? We made you a helpful flow chart to figure it out. Check it out.
To sum it up quickly… in 2021, and really anytime, if you’re actively planning a wedding, one that people know you’re planning and want to know more about… making a website will do nothing but save you headaches and time once it’s done and ready to be shared with every last friend or family member who calls for an update. Here’s exactly why you need a wedding website, even in these uncertain times.
Get (& Stay) Organized
You’re already organized, right? You’ve got spreadsheets and notebooks and email folders galore. GREAT! Frankly, one can always be more organized, and if you’re anything like me, you’re always looking for the most efficient ways to stay organized (I’m the queen of starting out really streamlined and then losing track as things get hectic.)
Pro Tip: Your wedding website can help you gather mailing addresses and emails, collect RSVPs (and details like dietary restrictions), and even share different details with each of your different guest groups. Heck, you could use your wedding website as a virtual guest book by setting up a form on your site and asking friends and family to share favorite memories or just leave you a love note right there to keep forever.
Share All The Details
This is one of the most obvious reasons for having a wedding website, but it just can’t be overstated. Your wedding website is the easiest way to keep guests in the loop about every last detail. Use your wedding website to share travel info, COVID safety plans, meal plans, your wedding registry links, details about the rehearsal dinner, and more. Your wedding website can be a one-stop-shop for folx to get the answers to all the questions that they have… without calling you 100 times between now and your party!
Communicate Last Minute Changes
If you’re planning a wedding right now, you know as well as I do that things change on a dime. During this pandemic, we have so little control over the last-minute changes and adjustments… but y’all, that’s true in ‘normal’ times, too! It’s not at the forefront of anyone’s mind, but you just never know when the weather or another emergency might change the plan.
My IRL Experience
Back when I was a wedding planner, I worked on a wedding that was set to be outdoors at a park here in California where the weather is usually pretty predictable and safe. We woke up that morning and it was raining… a lot. After the initial panic wore off, I used my wedding planner superpowers to make a new plan, and then we had to figure out how to tell everyone to meet at a new spot. The couple used all the technology and family help they could to get the message out that we were moving to a different part of the (huge) park where there was rain cover. It worked out, but it was overly (overly) complicated.
If they’d had a wedding website, with the ability to share a map and details, would have saved a lot of time and heartache. They could have just shot out a link by text or email with a note like, “Hey, something had to change, click here for details!” (Now: imagine how often things change in pandemic times, and times that by like, 100.)
Pro-tip: Have a wedding website. Save yourself some trouble.
Don’t Leave Anyone Hanging
In the midst of wedding planning, there are already so many people that you’re keeping updated. Your parents and siblings and best friends are likely the ones who get all the details in a pretty timely manner but, what about your aunt who you don’t talk to as often, but who is super on-the-ball and excited and wants to know what’s going on? (Mine has called three times this month.) If you forget to text her an update, is she going to show up to a ceremony that is now happening on Zoom? Ahhh. Don’t let that be you. Your wedding website is a place where every single guest can get every single piece of information they could possibly need… no super excited aunt left behind.
It’s Good For The Planet
Raise your hand if you’ve had to postpone or change your wedding plans. Ugh, so many of us. Let’s just play this out for a second. You ordered Save the Dates, sent those, changed plans, sent ‘Change the Dates’, and now… the plan is changing AGAIN! What now? Well, you could keep spending money and time, and energy sending a new paper update to your whole guestlist for each adjustment… OR… you could save the planet and use your wedding website for all those in-between updates.
Your Website Is Forever
Well, I mean, it can be. When your wedding is over, or after you’ve eloped, you can use your wedding website to share the images/video/story with your friends and family in one central location. You can archive the pages you don’t need anymore, and let the fun parts live right there forever. Then, if you want, you can turn your website into something else… think: family update blog or an easy way to share photos with your parents who live a few states away (you can even password protect it). Let your website work for you over the years. Not all wedding websites can convert like that, but Squarespace can!
So, APW… have I convinced you to save yourself a ton of stress and energy and just make a wedding website already? Our favorite spot for making a website that can truly do it all is Squarespace. We have tons of resources for you (Click here) as you embark. And hey, when you’re done, will you share it with us? Drop your wedding website link here.
This post was sponsored by Squarespace. Squarespace makes beautiful wedding websites happen in a matter of minutes, thanks to their user-friendly software (full of features) and modern, minimal template designs (and really great wedding-specific templates, at that.) If you, like me, are just trying to pull together the closest to your heart magical version of a wedding in the midst of a pandemic that you can… trust me on this one thing. Make a wedding website with Squarespace, save yourself a bunch of time and hassle, and make sure your guests are super informed. Click here to start a free 14-day trial and get your custom wedding website URL today (It’s free with your annual subscription). And find all our Squarespace posts with tons of helpful tips and tricks, right here.
APW readers, get 10% off yearly subscriptions when you use the code APW at checkout.
