Wedding Website Etiquette, Guidelines and Suggestions for the Modern Bride

Wedding websites and engagement blogs are now commonplace for modern brides. As an easily accessed venue for everything wedding related, couples are finding a sense of relief in being able to communicate more efficiently with their guests before the wedding. However, as this is still a newer craze to most even though it has been around for years, there are few available guidelines on the proper etiquette and use of a wedding blog or site. Naturally informal, one must work to make a wedding ceremony website elegant and tasteful enough to serve both its functional and aesthetic purposes. Below are suggestions, tips, and warnings on how to use your wedding website in a manner that will serve you both well.

First, create a wedding site that displays the colors and themes you plan to use in your actual ceremony. Because this will likely be your guests' first and most often revisited impression of your wedding, they will take their cue from your website's color palettes and artwork when deciding upon attire and other technicalities. In other words, if you are planning an outdoor spring wedding with fresh flowers and greenery, don't create a website or blog saturated with pictures of cathedrals or formal indoor venues. Use pictures and colors that will let your guests know ahead of time what the atmosphere of your big day will be like so that they can plan accordingly well in advance.

Next, be sure to include a bit of background information on both the bride and groom, as well as the story of how you both met (unless that story isn't one you wish to share with grandma). Out of town guests or those who are not mutual acquaintances will be relieved to know a bit more about the person their friend or loved one is marrying before meeting him/her. This addition will put guests at ease and relieve tension and awkwardness during the ceremony.

As you make considerations for friends and family and decide upon how to include them, you'll likely be inclined to create an online guest book. While having an online wedding guest book with limited capabilities is a good idea for recording the names of those who enjoyed your site, it is not to take the place of your real guest book on the day of the wedding. For the most part, online guest books are meant for those guests who cannot physically attend the ceremony. Also, be sure that you can manage any inappropriate comments by deleting them if the need should arise. If necessary, place a polite reminder on your sign-in page that this is not an informal website, and that distasteful comments will be removed.

Of course, you'll want to make the best use of your wedding website by including travel and accommodation information. However, price lists and extensive amenities lists on a wedding site might be considered inappropriate. Just as you wouldn't publically discuss personal finances with your guests at the wedding, you wouldn't want to make any suggestions about their budget needs on your website. Be discrete and simply place links to several mid-price range hotels, as well as several higher end locales. Your wedding website or blog is not the place to list the Super 8, so be tasteful. Place your email address on the bottom of the page and offer to give "more information" if necessary. Most guests in need of less expensive accommodations will find what they need themselves, but do have a list of nice, lower budget hotels for large families, acquaintances, and anyone who may wish to save on the trip.

Next, note that in general a wedding website is no place for RSVP's. While it might seem convenient, and it is, allowing guests to RSVP on a website is informal and suggests that the couple felt the investment in RSVP cards was unnecessary. You may have some guests email you with their plans, but think twice about actually setting up an RSVP page for the sake of sophistication, regardless of how formal your ceremony will be.

Finally, be certain to include a page on your wedding website that will describe the theme, tone, and atmosphere of the wedding itself. While your colors and artwork will help guests get a feel for these elements, most will want to be told directly. Have no doubt that you will encounter a surge of emails and phone calls inquiring as to the proper attire at your wedding if you do not include this information. Describe the scenery, the inspiration for your theme, and the details of the proper attire. Simply placing "black tie" or "casual" will not suffice. Guests will always have different definitions of these general terms, so helping them understand how the ceremony venue will look beforehand will help them all come to a more unified consensus. Posting pictures of your flower choices, bridesmaid dresses, and of the venue itself might be a good idea for further reference, but do be sure to leave enough mystery to keep guests intrigued. They will want to be prepared to fit in, but not completely unsurprised.

Remember, these are simply suggestions and guidelines for your wedding website. Some you will agree with, and others you will not. Only you truly know how your guests will react and what memories you will want to preserve. Create your personal wedding website accordingly.