The perfect destination wedding website

The perfect destination wedding website

Congratulations – you’re engaged! Now…

how can you plan the perfect destination wedding website for you and your guests?

Since this process will require a good amount of pre-planning so that your guests can clear their schedules, save the date, and prepare for their trip, you will have to provide all of the necessary information in order to help them. Consider that a wedding website is the best way to communicate information to guests and keep everyone updated with all the travel and wedding-day details.  So, how can you create the perfect destination wedding website?

The Wedding Website template:

• First, once you have your date and destination set, decide on your url (website address) and choose the theme that reflects your style.
• Your wedding website should be clear, easy, and fun for your guests to read, so I would recommend choosing a simple and personalized template.
• Information has to be written in a certain order, with the most important information up-front and center. Create links for all the most important details to know, in order to simplify their navigation experience.
• It’s even better if your website is mobile-friendly, since everyone is on their phones these days, and so we usually end up browsing almost everything on the web through our smartphones!

The introduction: Create excitement about your destination wedding.

• Remember that you’re telling a story to help your guests feel ready and excited for the big event! To introduce the topic of your destination wedding, recount a short story about your and your significant other’s relationship, the details of the marriage proposal, and publish a beautiful photo of the two of you!
• Explain why you chose to have a destination wedding, and why you chose that particular place for your big day (for example, maybe you and your fiancée have traveled to this destination before and have a sweet or funny story to tell, or maybe because it’s one of the most beautiful places you’ve ever seen, etc.).

The Wedding Website fundamental information: where and when.

• Tell them how to get there: Provide links to airlines and booking portals that offer the best itineraries and deals to your destination.
• The location: as Italian may be a foreign language to you and/or your guests, verify exactly how the name of places are written. This will be incredibly helpful! Exact venue name, address, telephone number, etc. (In Italy for regions like Tuscany, where there are a lot of little villages and similar names, you really have to make sure to specify the exact name and destination of where you’re visiting).
• Venue details: if the guest accommodations are in the same venue as the wedding, provide all of the necessary information about the venue (complete contact details, if there are specific services like a SPA, other benefits for the guests, etc.)
• If you have organized other events like the rehearsal dinner or brunch, give all the details of the venues where they will be held.
• Create a visual itinerary/timeline of the events. Many of us are visual creatures, and retain information best when we can see it in a clear and personalized way!
• Send out your wedding website link at least 6-months before the wedding so the guests have the maximum amount of time to organize their personal schedules (and save a little money at the same time, by taking advantage of early bird deals and discounts!)

Accommodation details

• To help your guests find convenient and reasonably-priced accommodations near the wedding reception, I recommend blocking a number of rooms at a discounted price at a certain hotel. If your guests have specific needs, do your research and propose a 3-4 star B&B or hotel, or other types of accommodations. When I work with my wedding couples, I help to advise them about all of the accommodation details, and also the driving time from one point to another, which is very important.

Things to Do & See Nearby: something your wedding website can’t miss!

• A map of the surrounding area showing off the location would be great!
• Your guests will really appreciate information about transportation services (or car hiring), restaurants, tourist attractions such museums, shopping areas, or sports areas, or place to relax and prepare like spas, hairstylists, nail salons, etc.
• Write something interesting about the traditions and common greetings in the area you are all staying, such as: “Buongiorno” (Good morning), “Buonasera” (Good evening) and “Arrivederci” (Goodbye/See you later). Feel free to ask me about these words and phrases; I have lots of suggestions on what could be nice to say!

Dress Code :

• Remember to write on your wedding website something about the general weather during the specific season of your wedding, so that your guests can be prepared and properly attired. In Italy from December to March, the sunset occurs earlier, and temperatures are low, especially in the North (about 3°-6°C/37-42°F). April and May have rainy days and from the end of May to September is the best season to get married. Remember that July and August can be very hot, so I would never recommend a beach wedding in August at 12 a.m.! The month of June and September until mid–October have become very popular because both the weather and temperature are just perfect!
• Will your wedding be classic and formal, or casual and chic? Write about the dress code to give your guests ideas of what they’d like to wear.
• If you are getting married in a particular location such as a beach, specify that, so that your guests can choose the right kind of comfortable and appropriate footwear for the ceremony.

Registry info:

• The wedding website is a very useful tool to share your registry, and you can write the names or logos of the stores where you registered.
• If you and your partner don’t want to receive gifts and are opting to do something different, write a note on your wedding website so that guests understand your request and follow what you would like to be done!

RSVP:

• Use an RSVP system, so that every time a guests replies, you will receive a notification, so you can stay up-to-date with the number of attending guests.
• If the venue has given you a time limit to confirm with them about the accommodations (in order to have a discount, etc.), write that it in your RSVP so your guests know when to get back to you by.

I hope this information on how to create the perfect wedding website

will be useful and inspiring to you! If you’d like to contact me  , I’ll be glad to help you in providing the logistic information for your guests, and making your wedding experience in Italy unforgettable!