A wedding website has one job: answer your guests' questions before they have to ask. Done well, it saves you hundreds of messages, keeps everyone on the same timetable and collects RSVPs while you sleep. Here is what to include, in the order guests look for it, and what to leave off.
The essentials, in the order guests need them
1. Your names, the date and the place
The first screen should answer who, when and where at a glance. Write the date in full, with the day of the week. Saturday the 12th of June is much harder to misread than 12/06, especially for guests from countries that write dates the other way round.
2. Ceremony and reception
For each venue, give the name, the full address, the start time and a map link. If the ceremony and reception are in different places, say how guests get from one to the other and roughly how long it takes.
3. The schedule
A simple order of the day helps guests plan travel, meals and babysitters: arrival, ceremony, drinks, dinner, speeches, first dance, last song. Add times even when they are approximate, and say so.
4. RSVP
Ask only what you will use: name, whether they are coming, how many, which events, dietary needs and a short note. Put the deadline right above the form. Three to four weeks before the wedding is usual, which leaves time to chase late replies and confirm numbers with your caterer. Our RSVP wording guide has lines you can copy.
5. Where to stay
List two or three hotels at different prices, with the distance from the venue and a booking link. If you have a room block or a discount code, explain how to use it and when it runs out.
6. Travel and parking
The nearest airport or station, parking at the venue, taxis or shuttles, and anything unusual, such as a steep path, a ferry or a road that closes in the evening.
7. Dress code
Name the dress code, then explain it in a sentence, because black tie optional means different things to different people. Mention the ground and the weather: grass, sand, cobbles, a cold church, a hot terrace. A small colour palette helps guests who like to match.
8. Questions and answers
Answer the questions you would otherwise be asked twenty times:
- Are children invited?
- Can I bring a plus one?
- Is there parking, and is it free?
- What time should I arrive?
- Is the ceremony indoors or outdoors?
- Is there a gift list?
9. Your story and photos
Guests love this part, but it can sit lower on the page. Two or three short paragraphs and a handful of photos is plenty. How you met, the proposal, one detail that makes people smile.
10. Gifts
If you have a registry or would like contributions, say so kindly in a line or two and add the link. If you would rather not have gifts, the website is the polite place to say that too.
What to leave off
- Your home address, and anything that tells strangers when your house will be empty. Wedding websites are often public.
- The guest list, seating plans, or anything that could make someone feel left out.
- Long inside jokes that only a few people will understand.
- Details that are not confirmed yet. If timings might move, say they are approximate, then update the site when they are fixed.
If your wedding has several events
Mehndi, sangeet, nikah, a welcome dinner, a farewell brunch: give each event its own card with the day, time, venue, map and dress code, and let guests say which ones they will attend. It is the single biggest thing that cuts down confused messages in family groups. Our Indian and Pakistani designs are built around it.
A quick checklist
- Names, date and place on the first screen
- Ceremony and reception, each with a map
- The schedule of the day
- RSVP, with the deadline above the form
- Hotels with booking links
- Travel and parking
- Dress code, explained in a sentence
- Questions and answers
- Your story and a few photos
- Gifts, said kindly
Make it in an afternoon
Every OrvellaFinds design includes all of these sections, filled in from one short form while the preview builds the site beside you. Switch off anything you do not need, and RSVPs go straight to your own Google Sheet.