Creating A Wedding Website Card: A Step-By-Step Guide

Wedding websites are a great way to give your guests all the information they need to prepare for your big day. From digital RSVPs to accommodation suggestions, wedding websites can be incredibly useful. But how do you direct your guests to your wedding website? That's where wedding website cards come in. These cards can be included with your invitations and often feature a QR code that guests can scan to be taken directly to your wedding website. You can design and print these cards yourself or use a service like Etsy, which offers a range of wedding website card templates.

Choosing a website design

Define Your Wedding Style and Vibe

Before selecting a website design, it's crucial to have a clear understanding of your wedding's overall style and vibe. Do you envision a classic and elegant celebration or a fun and whimsical gathering? Are you going for a rustic barn wedding or a glamorous city event? Defining your wedding style will help you choose a website design that aligns perfectly with your vision.

Cohesion with Wedding Stationery

For a seamless guest experience, consider choosing a website design that complements your wedding stationery suite. This includes matching the look, feel, and colour palette of your invitations, save-the-dates, and other paper goods. By doing so, you'll create a cohesive and unified aesthetic that will impress your guests.

User-Friendly Layout

When selecting a website design, opt for a layout that is intuitive and easy to navigate. Choose a design that allows guests to easily find essential information, such as event details, RSVP options, and accommodation suggestions. A well-organised layout will enhance your guests' experience and make it effortless for them to access the information they need.

Customisation Options

Look for website designs that offer customisation options. This includes the ability to change colour schemes, font styles, and page layouts. By customising your chosen template, you can make it truly yours and reflect your unique style. Whether you want to showcase your engagement photos or include a heartfelt welcome message, customisation options will help you create a website that truly represents you as a couple.

Mobile-Friendly Design

In today's mobile-centric world, it's essential to choose a website design that is optimised for mobile devices. Ensure that your chosen template is responsive and adaptable to different screen sizes, providing an excellent user experience for your guests, regardless of whether they're accessing your website on a desktop, tablet, or smartphone.

Built-in Features

When selecting a website design, consider the built-in features that will enhance your website's functionality. Look for designs that offer photo and video galleries, password protection, custom pages, and RSVP management. These features will not only make your website more engaging but also provide a seamless experience for both you and your guests.

Remember, your wedding website is a reflection of your special day, so choose a design that aligns with your style, personality, and the overall tone of your celebration. Take your time to browse through different options, customise your chosen template, and don't be afraid to ask for help from a wedding website expert if needed.

Customising the look and feel

Choose a Colour Palette

Select a colour scheme that complements your wedding theme. This will create a cohesive and stylish look for your website. You can choose from a variety of colour palettes offered by website builders or create your own to match your wedding colours.

Select a Layout

Decide on a website layout that showcases your content effectively. Most website builders offer multiple image and text layouts to choose from. Consider the amount of content you want to include and select a layout that will highlight your text, photos, and other details in an attractive and easy-to-navigate way.

Customise Design Elements

Play around with different design elements to make your website unique. This includes fonts, backgrounds, and special effects. You can use drop-down menus to select font styles and sizes, as well as add special text effects like glitter and foil. You can also upload your own photos, monograms, or logos to give your website a personal touch.

Add Interactive Features

Enhance your website with interactive features such as a photo and video gallery, music, or even a wedding countdown. These features will engage your guests and make your website more dynamic.

Match Your Stationery

For a consistent and cohesive experience, consider choosing a website design that matches your wedding stationery, including save-the-dates, invitations, and other paper goods. This will create a seamless look and feel for your wedding brand.

Seek Inspiration

If you need inspiration, browse Pinterest or other wedding websites for design ideas, including illustrations, colours, fonts, and decorative elements. You can also seek inspiration from your wedding venue, theme, or personal style to create a website that truly reflects your taste.

Remember, customising the look and feel of your wedding website card is a fun process, so enjoy experimenting with different designs and elements to create a website that you and your guests will love!

Creating a custom URL

Choose a website builder

Firstly, decide on a website builder that suits your needs. Some popular options include Minted, Paperless Post, Evite, and Riley & Grey. These platforms offer various features such as custom URLs, RSVP tracking, and design templates.

Select a domain name

When creating a custom URL, you'll need to choose a domain name that reflects your wedding website. For example, you could use a combination of your names, such as "couplename.com". It's important to ensure that your desired domain is available and not already taken by someone else.

Purchase the domain

Once you've decided on a domain name, you can purchase it from a domain registrar service like GoDaddy. This step involves registering the domain name and paying a fee to own the rights to use that name for a specified period.

Build your website

After purchasing your domain, you can either build your website from scratch or use a wedding website builder like Minted. A website builder will provide templates and tools to help you create a stylish and functional site.

Forward your domain

If you've built your website on a separate platform, you'll need to forward your custom domain to that platform. This process involves updating the domain's DNS (Domain Name System) settings to point to your website's server.

Test and share your website

Before sharing your wedding website with guests, be sure to test all the features and functions to ensure they work properly. Once you're satisfied, share the custom URL with your guests via your save-the-date cards, invitations, or email communications.

Adding wedding details

The wedding details card is what turns your invitation suite from beautiful to informative and helpful for your guests. It's where you can include all the extra information that doesn't fit on your main invitation card.

• Accommodation details: Offer a few different lodging options for your guests, with a range of budgets and preferences catered for. Be sure to include clear contact information and any booking codes or special arrangements.
• Transportation information: Let your guests know if there will be a party bus to transport them to and from venues, or any other details about getting from the ceremony to the reception.
• Directions and/or a map: Include clear instructions and visual aids like simple maps or landmarks to help your guests find their way.
• Dress code: Give your guests a clear idea of the formality of your wedding, and any specific details they should keep in mind, like the terrain or weather conditions.
• Itinerary: Outline the key events of the wedding, including timings, locations, and any special notes to ensure the day runs smoothly.
• Registry information: It's usually not advised to include registry details on your invitation, so your website is the perfect place for these. You can include traditional gift registries and cash registries, and a polite note asking for cash in lieu of physical gifts if that's what you would prefer.

Remember to keep your wedding details card concise, and don't try to cram everything onto one card – that's what your wedding website is for!

Sharing the website with guests

Once you have created your wedding website, it is time to share it with your guests. Here are some tips and ideas on how to do this:

• Print the wedding website URL or a QR code on your save-the-date cards and invitations: This is a common and convenient way to share your wedding website with your guests. They can simply scan the QR code or type in the URL to access your website.
• Email the link to your guests: If you have their email addresses, you can send them a quick message with the link to your wedding website. This is a good option if you want to share the link before sending out physical invitations or if you have guests who are not local and may not receive the invitations by mail.
• Use a wedding photo-sharing app: There are several apps available, such as Wedding Photo Swap, that allow guests to share and swap photos of your special day. These apps often provide a feature to invite guests via email or by sending printable information cards with your invitations. This way, guests can access your wedding website and share their photos all in one place.
• Create a wedding hashtag: Although it is not the most private option, creating a unique wedding hashtag and asking your guests to use it when sharing photos on social media can be a fun way to see all the pictures from your wedding in one place.
• Include the website link on other wedding stationery: In addition to the save-the-date cards and invitations, you can also include the wedding website URL or QR code on other wedding stationery such as RSVP cards, enclosure cards, or accommodation cards.
• Inform your immediate family and wedding attendants: Make sure your close family members and wedding party know about your wedding website in case other guests have questions. They can help spread the word and direct guests to the website for more information.
• Keep your website up-to-date: Remember to update your wedding website with any changes to the details and notify guests about the updates via email. The more current your wedding website is, the more helpful it will be to your guests, and you'll likely receive fewer questions!

Frequently asked questions