Wedding Websites

I’ve seen a lot of GREAT wedding websites for clients… as well as some less-great ones. :) After checking out a whole new slew recently I realized there are some things that make a wedding website really informative and also enjoyable for your guests.

Photos

Yes, this is the wedding photographer talking… but I don’t just mean professional photos. I do think that you should do an engagement session and include your favorites from it on your wedding website (especially if you have a main image on your pages – it looks so much classier if you have a professional, romantic, retouched photo for the world to see!). But recently I saw a couple’s website with a photo album of them being absolutely ridiculous. To make it even better, they put ridiculous captions underneath their images. It cracked me up, and I’m sure it cracked their guests up. Although this may not be your style, try to incorporate photos that do represent the two of you and your journey, and if you can, write captions to explain the images/journey to the guests who may not know. It’ll also enlighten a curious photographer who wants to capture the moments that s/he knows will be most special to you :)

A Map

A real, clickable, printable, editable (like you can type in another address to get directions from) map. Google Maps has an application just for this purpose. You can draw on it to indicate best routes, parking, different landmarks, and so much more. You can include notes in it, too. Your guests will be thrilled with the ability to access the map and see your suggestions – it’ll especially help out-of-town guests feel more prepared.

Your story, in whatever form it may present itself

Lots of couples make one of the following mistakes:

• don’t realize how romantic their story is,
• don’t think others care what their story is,
• think that everyone already know what their story is ,
• go into waaaaay too much detail about their story.

Wow, tricky, huh? I’m not suggesting you write a novella about your entire journey with your partner – I am suggesting you include a nugget or two that represents who you are as a couple and gives guests something to chuckle or “aww” about. On my first date with Brad, he was three hours late. Three hours. He was so late that the waitress for my table, where I sat all alone, tried to convince me that I was being stood up. The story goes on, and it makes people laugh and really enjoy that I stuck it out and we ended up happily ever after. It’s those sort of silly or romantic things that have shaped who you are as a couple, and not everyone who attends your wedding will know them. But a tidbit about your growth together will definitely help turn your wedding website from a generic templated HTML page to a mini representation of you two and what your wedding be like! (By the way, on our second date, Brad was only two hours late!)

An update AFTER the wedding

A lot of couples don’t realize that their guests will still be checking in after the wedding day is over. They’ll want to see pictures of how it all came together, or send a late gift from your registry. They might want to sign your guestbook to tell you how much fun they had, or find your email address and send you a note. So go back after your wedding and include a photo, a paragraph, anything to tie the whole thing together and thank your guests for their presence and celebration. I’ve had some couples also post a link to their proofs, teaser, and album on their wedding website – I’ve even had clients’ guests email me after seeing their wedding photos up to say how much they like them! At the very least, it’ll give the returning guests something to enjoy post-wedding day!