If you’re in the middle of wedding planning, chances are you’ve struggled with your wedding website wording during *gestures* all this. We have written in the past about how to write the best copy for your wedding website, but nothing from the old world seems to apply anymore, so we decided it was time to tackle the subject all over again. Because if there is anything that folx in 2020 deserve, it’s one less thing to worry about.
Halfway through 2020 (already!?), your wedding plans have likely already changed, or you’re in the process of trying to figure out what’s going on (if like me, you got engaged more recently). And communicating with your people can feel wildly overwhelming. Should you make a wedding website? If you have one already, should you update it? What should it say? When you hardly know what the heck is going on with your plans, how on earth are you to tell anyone else what’s happening? I know how it feels to freeze up in the face of even small wedding decisions right now, so we’ve taken on some of the work for you and written up some copy that you can literally just steal and plug into your website.
If, like me, you’re more recently engaged and haven’t put together a website yet, we’ve got you covered. Thanks to our 
longtime partner, Squarespace, we’ve got all the step-by-step guides and helpful information you could possibly need. Check out our 10-step guide to creating a wedding website… do it while you binge old episodes of The Office, it’s good for the soul. Having a wedding website will allow you to direct your friends and family to one location where they can get updated information and will let you off the hook from personally texting and calling every one individually when adjustments happen. Heck, you could even have an email list set up through your Squarespace site, so that it’s even easier for you to shoot out email updates to your family and friends. (Remember: Squarespace has all the tools that you need for a high powered business site, and there is no rule that you can’t use them to make your wedding planning life easier.)
And now, back to the topic of what the heck your wedding website wording should be. If you’re looking for some very specific wording just for 2020 weddings and events, you’ve come to the right place… just borrow the wording we’ve created, and you’ll be well on your way to an actually helpful and informative website in no time.
Scenario 1: wedding website wording for When You’re Recently Engaged
So, you got engaged… in 2020… hey, me too! Congrats, and yay for silver linings in the weirdest year ever. Are you already feeling overwhelmed with questions from family and friends? Feeling like you can’t possibly make any decisions just yet? Or, perhaps you’ve already made a plan to have a micro wedding as soon as possible, and a big party when you can. No matter what your plans are shaping up like, or if they haven’t shaped up at all (hi, that’s where I’m at)… a wedding website will allow you to put all the information in one place and give you a place to send people so you don’t have to have the same convo on an endless loop. So hop over to Squarespace and build yourself a totally custom (and totally easy) wedding website, and steal some pre-written wedding website wording.
DON’T: Leave it blank. There’s no need to wait until you’ve got it all figured out to share your news. Everyone is curious about what you’re thinking, so you may as well give the people what they want.
DO: We’re so happy that you’re excited about our upcoming wedding. This year, we all need things to celebrate, and we’re currently enjoying the newly engaged glow. Unfortunately, COVID has presented us with some really big questions as we begin wedding planning. There are no plans set in stone just yet, but we promise to keep you updated right here as the plans unfold. (Hint: we’re thinking late fall 2021, and we can’t wait to party with you—hopefully without masks, and with lots of hugs!) Use this moment to ease everyone’s mind, share what you can, and keep it real. People will appreciate any hints you can drop, but will totally understand that you’re in a holding pattern right now.
PRO-TIP: Share your engagement and/or love story. You’ve got a website going, and you may as well fill it with some love and joy. You can share photos and videos, the story of how you and your beau met, and the details of how you got engaged. You know your Great Aunt Peggy wants to know the story anyway, so why not put your wedding website to work? Then you can come back once the details start to come together.
Scenario 2: wording for When You’ve Postponed
We’re so sorry if you’re in the large group of folx who’ve had to postpone their weddings. You had the whole thing planned, the outfits ready, and then 2020 came in swinging. Ugh. If you’ve postponed, or are preparing to officially postpone, your 2020 wedding we’ve got some tips just for you.
DON’T: Forget to update your wedding website. Honestly, at this point, possibly the worst thing you could do for your guests is leaving them hanging. As an invitee to a number of 2020 weddings, I can vouch… my calendar is marked and remains that way until I hear otherwise. Would I go to those weddings if they proceeded? Hard to say. Will I continue to keep a proverbial (Google Calendar) candle burning for them anyway? One hundred percent. So, I’m here to be your reminder… hop over to your wedding website right now and let everyone know what’s happening.
DO: Same time. Same place. Totally different date. We’re going to try this again… but, in 2021 this time. We hope you’ll toast to us on September 12, 2020, and save your dancing shoes for September 12, 2021! Keeping our family and friends safe is obviously our top priority, and we simply can’t dance the night away from 6 feet apart, so we’ve decided to postpone our wedding to next year. Thank you so much for your love, patience, and well wishes, we can’t wait to hug you really tightly… just as soon as it’s allowed. You can choose to be a little funny and light-hearted, or more formal, but one way or the other, it’s time to break the news to your friends and family. If you have a new date, share that now. There’s probably folx who will need to cancel or change their travel plans, and release reservations at a hotel—they’ll be grateful to know. If you don’t have a new date yet, it’s okay to be more vague, as long as you’re super clear in all your wedding website wording that the original plan is no longer happening.
PRO-TIP: Are you and your partner extroverts, do you feel like you need something joyful to look forward to? It might be fun to host a virtual happy hour on your original date. Share the details and the plan on your wedding website, and take a moment to say hi to all your people who were beyond ready to celebrate with you. Talk about a way to celebrate the date!
Scenario 3: what to say on your website When You’re Having A Virtual Celebration
Did you decide to have a virtual wedding? Good for you! Are you going to invite your friends and family to join the celebration? Time to tell them.
DON’T: Leave any detail unclear. While virtual weddings have gained in popularity in 2020, not everyone has attended one. You’ll want to be overly detailed, if anything, as you share when, what, and how. This is when you’re going to want your wedding website wording to be super clear… repetitive even.
DO: We’ve decided there is just no way that we can possibly have the wedding of our dreams with everyone six-feet apart. So, let’s be even further apart, but feel closer together. Since we can’t have the wedding we originally planned, we’re going to meet online on our same wedding date for a virtual celebration. We’ll be at home in our backyard, and you can be on your couch in pajamas (or a ball gown) if you want. We sure hope you’ll join us in making our day as special as can be. Hosting a virtual wedding may not be what you had in mind for 2020, but your friends and family will no doubt be overjoyed about the chance to watch you say ‘I do,’ and raise a glass to you and you both.
PRO-TIP: Read our guide to virtual weddings, and be sure to triple check, and test, all your tech details so that your grandparents can successfully join the fun. Make sure you include the details about when it’s happening, how to sign on, and if folx should prepare to share a toast, make a drink for themselves, or any other fun details that will help everyone feel close even from far apart.
Scenario 4: wedding website wording for When You’ve Cancelled
For some people, the idea of postponing and essentially re-planning a wedding is just… not in the cards. You know what, I respect that. If you’ve landed on canceling your wedding, but simply don’t know how to tell the people, we’re here for you.
DON’T: Again, the main thing here is to not leave folx hanging. If you’ve made the choice to cancel, you’ll need to let people know as quickly as possible so that they have the chance to cancel their travel plans and adjust accordingly—don’t leave any room for misinterpretation of your wedding website wording.
DO: Friends and family, we hate to be the bearers of bad news (well, actually we’re going to blame that on COVID), but we have decided to cancel our big wedding party this fall. We were so looking forward to celebrating with all of you, and we are beyond grateful for your love and light during this time. We haven’t decided exactly what our nuptials will look like, but we wanted to be sure that you all were first to know about our decision to cancel. We’re sending you all well wishes and healthy vibes, and we hope that we can see you as soon as it feels safe. Love and (virtual) hugs. Be clear about your plans, and your intentions—don’t leave any questions in the air. Give your people the ‘out.’ For the example above, I created a pop-up so that it would be super visible to anyone who visited the website.
PRO-TIP: You might want to refer to our note below where you thank folx for the gifts they may have already sent, and leave the door open for further gifting. Hey, if people want to treat you to something nice… I say, let them.
Scenario 5: wedding website wording for When You’ve Eloped
So, you and your partner have decided to run off and get married just the two of you, or have a micro wedding. Congratulations. If you’re looking for how to share the news with your family and friends, here’s how.
DON’T: Well, don’t do anything you don’t want to do. I tend to believe that your elopement will be intimate and magical, and you might not be ready to talk about it yet. And honestly, you don’t have to. If you’d like to share the details, the photos, or the plans… you should. But, if you would rather keep the details to yourselves, that’s totally okay, too. You’re allowed to use the ‘postponed’ or ‘canceled’ verbiage from above, and never tell anyone about your elopement, if that’s what you want to do.
DO: Guess what? With all the change and sadness of 2020, we decided we just couldn’t wait for our silver lining. We decided to get married anyway! On June 20, 2020, we snuck away to City Hall, just the two of us, and made it official. If we could have changed one thing about that day, it would have been having all of our favorite people with us. But, in light of everyone’s safety and well being, we knew the best thing we could do was to play it safe. We sure hope you will revel in our joy with us because y’all… WE’RE MARRIED! If sharing some of the details of your special day is something you are both comfortable with, why not? It can feel daunting to figure out the wording for your wedding website when… well, the wedding kind of already happened. Just know that your family and friends will be overjoyed to learn this happy news, so share as much or as little as you’d like.
PRO-TIP: If you have any photos or videos you’re willing to share, this is the time. (You can see how Meg used her Squarespace website to share pictures after her anniversary party right here.) Most people are feeling pretty down and out about all the things in life that are delayed and canceled, so if you’ve got some good love juju… why not share? Your family and friends will surely be beyond excited to join in the joy.
SCENARIO 6: website wording for When You Still Want Some Registry Love
Whether you’ve eloped, postponed, canceled, or otherwise… you may have already created a gift registry full of things you’ve been eyeing and needing for a while now. Heck, you may have already started receiving some gifts leading up to your original wedding date. What now?
DON’T: Give up on your registry completely. Registries take a lot of time and energy to create, and even if your original wedding plans have changed, it sure doesn’t mean folks won’t want to treat you to something special. In fact, they may be even more inclined to buy you that $200 gravy boat since they won’t be able to celebrate with you in person anymore. I say… let them.
DO: We wanted to take a moment to say thank you so much to everyone who has been so generous and sent us such lovely and thoughtful gifts from our registry. We are beyond thankful for all of the beautiful items we have received that are making our time at home that much more comfortable. While our plans have changed, and our wedding is delayed, we didn’t want anyone to think that their thoughtfulness has gone unnoticed. There are some additional costs incurred with an adjusted wedding date. As such, we’ve added a cash gift option to our registry for anyone who might want to help with that. But mostly, we hope that you will all still be able to join us on our new wedding date. Truly, that will be the greatest gift of all. Figuring out wedding website wording around registries is always hard, but especially during all the uncertainty of 2020. I think the best thing you can do is be totally honest.
PRO-TIP: The ‘rules’ of the wedding registry are sort of odd… you can’t exactly ask for gifts, or ask for no gifts. But you can just leave the option open for folx. Squarespace makes it super simple to link to your wedding registry, or build it right into your wedding website—you can even add a donation block to create your own cash registry for a honeymoon or those extra costs. That way it’s easy for people to find and shop, and you don’t have to come across as pushy or needy at all.
No matter where you’re at in your wedding planning, your wedding website will give you an easy and simple way to keep all your friends and family abreast to the changes and plans to come. Wedding planning in 2020 can be wildly overwhelming, but…. and I can’t stress this enough… don’t be the person who leaves your favorite people hanging. They’ve got your Save The Date on their fridge, and they are really looking forward to knowing what the heck is going to happen—whether or not they’ll be involved in your new plans, they’re going to be so happy to hear about it from you. Think of it this way: you’re either giving them an action plan, some great news, or something to look forward to.
Do you have something specific you need to share on your wedding website and just don’t know how? Ask us in the comments, we’d be so happy to help you craft a graceful way to update your family and friends.
This post was sponsored by Squarespace. In more peaceful wedding planning times and these more hectic times, a simple wedding website that you can update easily will help save you some stress. We’re so grateful to Squarespace for helping us share these tools with all you folx who are currently navigating weddings in 2020. Click here to get your website (of any kind) started today with a free 14-day trial from Squarespace. They have all the best templates, tools, and 24/7 help if you get stuck. APW readers get 10% off your first Squarespace purchase when you use the code APW2020 at checkout.
