A wedding website is the perfect tool to help you plan your wedding and to make things easier for your guests – especially the ones who are travelling from far afield.
It also helps your family and friends to feel involved in the build up to the big day. Inevitably, there will be guests who one of you doesn't know very well and this gives them a chance to get to know a bit about you.
Your site is your chance to tell people everything you want them to know about your wedding and to share the experience before and after the event. It makes those happy memories stay fresh longer.
All you have to do is put in the address of the ceremony and the reception (and to make it even easier, a lot of popular venues have been preloaded so you just have to pick your one out) and the map will tell the guests how to get there so you don't have to. And they have no excuse for being late.
Back to topYou can let Google choose hotels in the area or you can put in the accommodation you've sourced and you can make things easier for your guests by dividing them into luxury, hotels, budget and B&Bs so no-one is left out. You can also tell guests if you have negotiated a special rate.
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We like this a lot. Chuck those ripped up scraps of paper in the recycling. This software is easy to use, fun and makes a difficult job simple. Just load your guest list, choose the size and shape of tables and you are off. You can colour-code guys and gals, link people who you would like to sit together and those you definitely don't. It's easy to move people around and you can even make a note of who is vegetarian, who has a food allergy and those requiring children's meals – the caterers will love you!
Back to topThis is always a tricky one but we've tried to cover all bases. At the end of the day most guests are going to buy you a gift and many are grateful for a wee bit help. You can word it tastefully (in fact we've preloaded some words we prepared earlier which you can customise as you choose). The site comes preloaded with most of the main sites which offer a wedding service or you can choose to set up your own with saveourdate or a combination of both. Or you can ask for money to be sent to charity. Save Our Date does it all. And if you find the idea of any gift list offensive, you can simply delete the section.
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An electronic record of who you've invited, who has accepted and who has declined.
You can also record who has special dietary requirements and who wants a seat on the bus if you're having one.
You can also print out a list of names and addresses, ideal for sending a thank-you note.
Back to topYou can keep track of what you've already spent or what you are budgeting for various services. What more can we say – it's not glamorous but it's necessary!
Back to topYou can put up favourite photos of the two of you before the wedding or a brief journey through time from baby to babe (for those who don't know you to get to know you or to remind those who know you well). After the wedding you can post the wedding pictures – the official ones if your photographer grants permission – or get friends to upload the pictures they took (you have to approve them before they go online so you can delete any you don't like) so everyone can see.
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Again, it's up to you how you want to use this feature. It can act like a guest book at a wedding – friends and family can leave messages of good luck or congratulations before or after the wedding, words of advice or a favourite poem or song. They can use it to tell funny stories (don't worry, you can vet them so you don't offend granny!) or reveal happy memories they have of you.
Back to topWant to make absolutely sure everything runs smoothly? Make sure everyone has all the most up-to-date contact information for the wedding party. Include phone numbers and e-mail addresses for those involved. You can also list numbers for local taxi firms or other useful services here.
