The most efficient way you can give your guests all the info they need, is by creating a wedding website. Provide every detail in one place and direct your guests straight to it. Have the website link printed on your invitations so that everyone knows they can find information there. It will save you so much wasted time answering countless questions in the weeks and even months leading up to your wedding, but what exactly should you include on the website?
Time and Date
First and foremost, it's pretty crucial your guests know when they need to be available. It might sound obvious, but don't forget to include the date and time of the ceremony. It's also really important you add a finish time so that transport home can be arranged in advance.
Venue Details
It's also essential that your guests know where you're getting married. The sooner they know this, the better. Particularly if you're having a religious service, this might even be two seperate venues for your ceremony and reception. In this case, include both addresses.
Directions and Parking
It's incredibly helpful to provide your guests with directions to the venue. Include different forms of transport, such as trains, as well as directions for cars/taxis and any parking information. List different routes that can be taken incase of traffic and any specific tips for finding the venue, particularly if it's tricky to locate.
Accommodation
For guests travelling from afar or even overseas, highlighting accommodation options is a really useful thing to do. Have a look around the area for hotels and bnb's in differenet price ranges, and then link their websites so that guests can easily click through to book their favourite or most affordable option. It would also be a good idea to detail how far each location is from the venue.
Taxi Info
Not essential, but personally, I would also list local taxi firms so that guests can pre-order their taxis home. The last thing you want to be doing at the end of the night is coordinating everyone's transport. Recommend that guests arrange this beforehand to save the midnight chaos.
RSVP
A really useful tool that most wedding websites now have, is collecting RSVP's. Gone are the days when your phone number was written on the invites ready for you to recives tens of phone calls. Now your guests can repsond via your website, so you can easily see exactly who and how many guests you have attending.
Food
Not only can they confirm or reject the invitation, but guests can also go on to declare any dietary requirements they have. You may also opt to give your guests an option of 3 menu choices, which they can also select at this point. It's really handy to collect all of this information in one place, so that you can simply download and forward it onto your caterers.
Dress Code
Guests want to ensure they're rocking up in the appropriate attire and you will likely be bombarded with messages asking what the vibe is. Noone wants to feel under or overdressed, so state the dress code on your website to ensure your guests are all on the same page. This could be as simple as "Smart Casual", or if you have a full blown theme, make sure this is highlighted and not easy to miss!
Children
Though you might think guests will assume their children aren't invited when the invite is addressed to "Jim and Katie", this is not as obvious as you might think. NEVER ASSUME! You would be surprised how many weddings I've been at where uninvited children have turned up - it's awkward, and a logistical nightmare. You need to make it very clear what the rule around children is. My advice is always to have a blanket rule, whether that's simply no children, or children under 2, or immediate family children only. Whatever the rule, make it cystal clear.
Extras
There are fun bits you can add to your website as well. Your wedding is meant to be fun after all! So why not add some info about you as a couple. Most commonly, the story of how you met tends to be a good one. Add pictures of you both to make it look pretty. If you had an engagement shoot, include the photos! You could also list the people in your wedding party next to an image of them so that guests know who might be in the know on the day.
Wedding Gift List
Having a gift list might feel a bit cheeky, but actually your guests will be really grateful for it. They don't want to waste time or their money on something you probably don't want or need. Having a gift list saves everyone the agony of wedding gift shopping. There are many websites out there specifically for gift lists and you can link them directly to you website. You might decide you want donations for a chosen charity, or money towards your honeymoon. Put it on the website! It will save you recieving 20 kettles and 13 toasters you don't need
For more info on this, or any advice on wedding planning, drop me a message via the contact form and I'd be happy to help!
XxxFJ.
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