Your Destination
Wedding Website
by
Tamara Baker
You’ve made the big decision to have a destination wedding
and you now face the daunting task of making sure that people from
around the globe meet up in one location for your special day. Meanwhile,
you want to be free to enjoy one of the most joyous events of your
life. Admittedly, it can be a difficult balance to strike, but there
is help. A well designed wedding website can facilitate good communication,
something any wedding planner will tell you is a critical ingredient
to ensuring the success of and simplifying the planning for your
destination wedding. Your guests need to know all the necessary
information about your wedding so they know where to go and how
to get there. At the same time, feedback from your guests can give
you the information you need to plan an event everyone will enjoy.
An informative and interactive wedding website can help open the
lines of communication between you and your guests and thus make
the event more enjoyable for everyone involved.
In order to reap the full benefits from your destination wedding
website, you’ll need to take what are some common features
in wedding websites and adapt them to accommodate the special
needs presented by your destination wedding. Here are some features
to look for and some tips on how to use them to their full potential.
An online RSVP can be a handy tool for any wedding; for a destination
wedding, however, it can really be put to work. A creatively designed
RSVP gives your guests a convenient way to give you their vital
information as well as their input on your wedding plans (if you
want it!). In addition to asking for the typical information,
you might consider additional entries such as flight information
and arrival date, hotel where the guests would like to stay, any
special requests they might have for activities and anything else
pertinent to your wedding plans. Arrange to have the results sent
to your wedding email address and you’ll have all this useful
information stored away in one place for future reference.
Since its likely that not everyone can make it to your destination
wedding, two common website features take on an even greater importance
for your wedding website. First, a guest book allows all your
friends and family to send well wishes across the miles. Their
messages can be sent to your email and/or posted on the site for
all to enjoy. After the wedding, these messages can be saved and
treasured as part of your wedding memories. Second, having links
to your online gift registries provides your friends and family
a quick and convenient way to send gifts whether they can make
it to the wedding or not. Obviously, this is a great deal for
them and for you!
Last but certainly not least come the critical information pages
that provide the meat and potatoes of your site. Some important
things to detail for your guests include local information such
as maps and directions; local travel information (airports, ground
transportation, etc.); restaurants and local activities to keep
them well fed and entertained; local weather links and wedding
specifics. In providing this information on your site you will
have created a handy reference for your guests and a simple way
for you and your family to avoid having to repeat information.
Be sure to include any other information or deals you’ve
arranged for your guests such as airline discounts, hotel deals,
rental car arrangements, and anything that you feel would be of
use to your wedding guests. If you’re planning pre- and post-wedding
activities a wedding itinerary may also be a useful edition to
your site.
Finally, lets take a look at some helpful tips for making the
most of your wedding website. If possible, its best to announce
your web address with your save the date cards. This gets your
web address to everyone who needs it and clues your guests in
on your plans to communicate with them via your site. By no means
does this mean that you have to have your website completed by
that time. Having at least one working page with a welcome message
and a note on the how you plan to use the site is sufficient.
The critical factor is that your guests know to check your site
for updates. This alone can save you hours of phone calls and
other correspondence. You might even consider creating a mailing
list for guests who would like to be contacted via email when
your site is updated. This point leads us to our final necessity
for a successful destination wedding website: flexibility, and
lots of it! Since wedding plans evolve over time, you will need
a website designer that is willing to update your site as information
comes in and as it changes. Make sure you understand your designer’s
policies before committing to any one company. A cheaper site
may not end up so cheap after you’ve made 8 changes at $15
per update. You might consider making an advance agreement for
a certain number of updates at a price you’ve agreed upon
in advance.
Ready to start simplifying your destination wedding with a wedding
website? Yes or no, you’ll do well to remember the cardinal
rule of weddings: if things get too overwhelming, too involved,
or just plain too much, you can always elope! Rest assured that
no matter how you choose to wed your website wont be wasted. Should
you cut the guest list to two, you can always use your site to
display your photos and tell everyone about the wedding they missed!
AuthName: Tamara Baker
Author's
Information:
Tamara Baker
Celebrate Our Lives Wedding Websites
Phone: 949-726-1101
http://www.CelebrateOurLives.com
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