What should our wedding website say?

All planning guides

Write your wedding website the way you would text a friend who is coming: short, warm, and specific. The welcome is two sentences. The story is a paragraph. The logistics are facts, not prose. The RSVP asks plainly. The registry note says thank you before it says anything else. Below is wording for each section you can lift and change, and the lines to avoid.

The welcome

Two sentences at most. 'We are getting married on June 12 at Magnolia Hall in Charleston, and we would love you to be there. Everything you need is below.' Names and the date are already in the header; the welcome's job is to sound like you.

Avoid: 'Welcome to our wedding website!' as the whole line. It says nothing the header did not.

How we met

One paragraph, one detail that only you could write. 'We met in line at the orchard the October the hayride broke down. Nobody wanted to walk back, so we didn't.' The specific detail does more than three sentences of adjectives.

If two people are writing it, write two short paragraphs, one each, and label them. Guests love the disagreement about who spoke first.

The schedule and venue

Facts, in a list, in order, with times. '4:00 pm, ceremony on the lawn. 4:45, cocktails on the terrace. 6:00, dinner in the barn. 8:30, dancing until the lights go off.' One warm note per event is fine: 'bring a layer, the light goes golden and the air goes cold.'

For the venue, the name, the address guests should use, and one line about the setting. 'The ceremony is on grass; heels sink.'

Travel and stays

'We have held rooms at the Stonebridge Inn until September 15 under Hazel and Rowan; call or book with code HRWED. The nearest airport is Albany, an hour away. A shuttle leaves the inn at 3:15 and comes back at 11 and midnight.' Every number a guest needs, none they do not.

Dress code

Name the code, then translate it. 'Cocktail attire: suits and dresses, no need for a tie. It is a meadow, so flat shoes or none.' 'Black tie: long dresses and tuxedos. Sparkle welcome.' 'Indian or Western formal; bright colour is encouraged for the sangeet.'

Avoid rules about what not to wear, beyond one line if it matters ('please avoid white, and red on Saturday, which is for the bride').

The RSVP

Ask plainly and give the date. 'Kindly reply by May 1; the kitchen needs a count.' The yes and no should sound like you: 'Coming to the orchard' / 'Sending love from afar' reads better than 'Accepts' / 'Declines'. On Lazo the RSVP is on the site and the labels are yours to change.

The registry

Thank first. 'Your presence is the whole point. If you would like to give more, we have gathered a few things for the house, and a fund for the trip to the lakes we keep talking about.' Then the links. For no gifts: 'Your being there is the gift; please do not bring one.' For a cash fund: name what it is for; a purpose makes it a present rather than a request.

The FAQ

Answer the awkward questions in one line each, kindly. 'Are children invited? We love your kids, and this one is grown-ups only.' 'Can I bring a guest? If your invitation names one, yes.' 'What if it rains? The ceremony moves into the barn, and the barn has a bar.' 'Is there parking? Yes, in the field by the gate; a shuttle runs from the inn if you would rather not drive.'

After the wedding

The thank-you replaces the RSVP. 'The leaves turned right on time. Thank you for coming up the valley for us.' On Lazo this appears the morning after on its own, along with days married and a guestbook, so write it before the wedding while you still have time.

What to actually do about it

Ask your officiant for the ceremony length and put it in the schedule.

Guests decide when to leave a cocktail hour by when the ceremony ends, and officiants know their timing to the minute.

Ask your planner or coordinator to read the FAQ as a guest.

They have watched a hundred weddings and know which question you forgot: usually the rain plan, the shuttle, or the bar.

Common questions