Creating the Vital Wed Site

I think one of the most important elements for any wedding is to create a wedding website.  This online component goes the distance in assisting the couple in communicating useful information to the entire guest list. It also can help reduce the bulk of information necessary for the invite.   

Before you go out and shell out big bucks to have a wedsite created, there are inexpensive options. A simple internet search for "free wedding websites" will produce a mile long list of available services, such as those from ewedding.com, weddingwire.com and wedding.theknot.com.  Each offers the basics with more advanced options (like a custom URL, reception song list request) for an upgrade cost.

The provider one chooses comes down to personal preference or even desired appearance.  However, there are a few things to consider when selecting a wedding website platform:

• Custom URL: This will come in handy for your guests. It is easy to remember and will go that extra mile in promoting your wedding brand.  Some offer this as an additional service. If they don't or you don't wish to upgrade, simply purchase the custom URL from a company such as enom.com or GoDaddy.com and redirect it to your site of choice.  It is a couple dollar investment that will pay off big time.
•  Ease of Use: How often have you dreaded doing something because the steps were intricate or it took a bit of a work around to get what you wanted done? Sign up for a website, test it and make sure it works the way you want. You can always close the account and start over.  The easier it is to use, upload content and change details -- the more you will use it as a tool.
• Customization: Take the time to make it reflect you and your wedding.  This is an extension of your branding and gives guests a glimpse of what they can expect at the upcoming shindig.  
• Ability to Add/Delete Pages: Use the wedsite as a way for friends and family to learn more about you, the groom and the story of how you met.  Add pages to describe the venue, travel accommodations or even to ask them for input on the song list. Choosing a site that allows for easy additions or deletions (for pages you don't need) will help you build a site that is all about you.

However, a wedsite can be as basic as a one-page site with the important information. The key is that you have a source for guests and vendors to access information about your upcoming event.  It's the easiest way for people to have dates, times and address at their fingertips.

I like simplicity and ease of use.  I don't lean towards some of the frills that most sites offer but their basic package didn't give me the creative freedom I sought. So, I went with an unexpected choice: Google Sites.

The websites that Google hosts for free are relatively simple in form and easy to use.  It is easy to implement gadgets like a countdown clock to the big day, a contact us form, a photo slideshow and to insert a map to the venue location.  It also allowed us to upload custom graphics and change the color of the page elements to fit with our theme.  Plus, as I have stated, it's free.

The only investment we made in our wedding website was the purchase of a custom URL, or our wedsite URL would have started with sites.google.com/etc.

However, this simple site has been a handy tool beyond measure.