Wedding Websites

Samantha and I spend a lot of time with our brides and grooms explaining why we think invitation suites these days are getting a bit overloaded with extra pieces containing unnecessary information. Our clients insist that nobody will be able to find the reception location and will have no idea where to stay. We think your guests are quite savvy and you should give them a bit more credit. They will be googling the location, printing their own directions and plugging it into their GPS. They will be emailing you to find out if there are any hotels they must avoid and where the after-party will take place. And if you're thinking of your grandparents, that's awfully sweet of you, but don't you think your parents (or aunts or uncles) will be making sure Grammy and Grandpa are set for transportation and lodging? We do.

A wonderful way to include all of this information for your guests without overloading your mailed piece is to create a wedding website. Sound a bit tacky? We thought so at first too, but quickly realized how amazingly convenient they are for both you and your guests. You can update your lodging page as often as needed if venues sell out or if your group rate discount expires. You can create links so that your guests can jump right over to the hotels' websites. You can list your registry without being scoffed at by family members (no, you shouldn't include it with your invitation or your save the date). You can explain all of the events that will take place over the course of the weekend, from the welcome dinner to the rehearsal dinner to the ceremony, reception and send-off brunch. A wedding website is a wonderful way to explain your love story to family members you may not have met yet on either side of the family so that by the time the wedding rolls around, your guests will feel like they know your fiancé.

We recommend creating a wedding website soon after the engagement so that you can include the URL on your save the date. Our absolute favorite way to create a personal site is a through a company called Wedding JoJo. The reason we love them is because their designs and templates are so beautiful and understated. They aren't tacky or cheesy or overwhelming with too many colors and fonts and they are easy for your guests to navigate. Oh, also, they're super affordable.


Pretty cute, right? A few others to check out:
eWedding
the knot
Wedding Wire

Still feeling like you must include a lodging card for your guests? Send it with the save the date. By the time your invitations go in the mail (usually about 8 weeks before the wedding) it most likely will be too late for your guests to book their accommodations.

{all images courtesy of Wedding JoJo}