Planning your dream wedding day will, without a doubt, be one of the funnest experiences you’ll have! From touring beautiful venues to sampling delicious food from catering companies, you’ll certainly have plenty on your to-do list leading up to the big day. Yet another item on your agenda will involve spreading the word to all of your family and friends. You’ll definitely want to share all of the exciting news with them! Having said that, your wedding planning should include both creating and sharing your wedding website. For one, your wedding website will serve as a valuable resource that your loved ones can reference with any quick and easy questions they may have. 

Throughout this week’s blog post, we’ll walk you through some of the in’s and out’s of wedding websites. Whether that be deciding when to create your own website, knowing who and where to share it, or just having an understanding of what to put on it, we’ll cover everything here!

Where to build it?

Building a wedding website has never been easier! In 2020, couples have a wide array of platforms to get a beautiful looking website up in no time. To add to it, the majority of these come at little to no expense to you! Here’s a couple that we’ve heard past Madera clients rave about:

The Knot: Unless you want a custom domain (which is pretty reasonable in it’s own right), the Knot’s website builder is completely free. While they have a number of professional-looking templates, the best part about The Knot’s website builder is it’s ease of use! You have plenty on your plate leading up to the big day and the last thing you need to be stressing about is a website! Not to mention, they have an amazing app that lets you manage all of this from your phone!

Wix: Next up on the list is Wix. Here we have a drag-and-drop page builder that also comes with plenty of wedding-related themes. It comes in a free and a paid version. In order to remove some of the Wix advertising and get a custom domain, you’ll need to opt for the paid one. Nonetheless, this is another easy website builder that will get you a professional looking site up in no time. Since it’s not a wedding-specific site though, you’ll notice it lacks some wedding-related features, such as a guest list tool.

Looking for more options? Check out this complete list from The Knot on their favorite website builders. They do a terrific job of outlining the pro’s and con’s of the various platforms to determine which makes the most sense for you and your soon-to-be spouse!

When to make it?

While some aspects of the wedding planning process need to be completed at specific times, there’s no reason why you would need to hold off on creating your new wedding website. In fact, you would be perfectly fine in launching it shortly after getting engaged. You’ll be able to add all of the important details about the big day and even post some of those amazing engagement photos!

If possible, use a theme

One of the best parts about all of the website builders is their pre-set templates that you’ll have at your disposal. First off, this will make your life easier in getting a website up there on the internet. Secondly, all of these templates make it simpler for you when it comes to tying in the color palettes and a theme with everything involved with your big day. From the invitations and save the dates to your actual wedding day, it can all become cohesive. 

Registry information

Considering registry information typically isn’t included on the invitation itself, a growing majority of couples are opting to include these details on their wedding website. Luckily, most of the wedding-based website builders have made this whole process easier than ever. In short, you certainly don’t need to be an expert coder to create a website that has everything synced together. 

Take The Knot’s website builder for example. As stated on their website, “your cash and experience gifts on The Knot Newlywed Fund and your retail registries will automatically sync, and your registry page will show all of your gifts to your guests at once so they don’t have to visit separate sites.” All in all, this small little feature will make your life (and your guests) a whole lot easier!

Include some travel information

If you have some guests traveling from out of town, you’ll want to give them plenty of information when it comes to any travel accommodations. Think about things like the best ways to get into town, names of hotels to consider and if applicable, any discounts for rental cars/shuttles. Essentially, anything that’s needed to get them to the wedding is worth including! And if you’re holding your big day as a destination wedding, the importance of this increases tenfold, as most of the attendees will be from out of town!

Keep it short and sweet

Without a doubt, you’ll want to include a section on your website telling your love story! Whether that be about your first date, the engagement proposal or anything else, it’s certainly something your guests will enjoy reading! However, this part of the website doesn’t necessarily need to be a novel! Yes, include all of the highlights about your love story and even about the wedding party, but every single detail doesn’t have to be included.

Don’t be hesitant to share it more than once

A common question we typically hear is, “how often should I be sharing our wedding website?” The truth is there’s no perfect answer to this, but don’t be afraid to keep sharing it whenever you have updated details. Considering “Save the Dates” go out awhile before the actual “I Do” takes place, it never hurts to keep your guests in the loop with important details. For example, if you choose to block off some hotel rooms for attendees, that would be a perfect time to share it!

Next Step After Creating Your Wedding Website?

Now that you’re engaged and have a date set, we’re sure you have plenty of things running through your head. Creating a guest list, budgeting, catering, you name it! With this said, one of the first decisions you should be considering is where your wedding will be held! This will certainly help simplify some of those other decisions to be made. Additionally, the majority of venues fill up months in advance, so you’ll want to ensure your dream venue doesn’t get snagged up!

Here at Madera Estates, we want to make the entire process as seamless and stress-free as possible. The best way to determine if Madera matches up with your vision is to take a look in-person. By clicking the link HERE, you’ll be able to select a time that works for you for your very own private, champagne tour! Our luxury wedding venue in Conroe, TX is inspired by the historic town of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. At Madera, your loved ones will be transported from the piney woods of Southeastern Texas to the breathtaking and luscious highlands of Central Mexico.

Need some wedding inspiration? For a look at real weddings held throughout the year at Madera Estates, we encourage you to follow us on Facebook and Instagram. 

At the same time, you’ll also want to keep tabs on our blog. Over there, you’ll find everything from behind the scenes looks at various Madera weddings to our favorite planning tips and so much more!