Everything You Need to Include on Your Website for Your Destination Wedding
If you're hosting a wedding far from home, build your destination wedding website sooner rather than later. Regardless of where you say your vows, a wedding website is a must-have for guests. Not only will it help keep you organized, it'll be a valuable resource for your loved ones whose FAQs can be answered in one convenient spot. (And if you're hosting a destination wedding, there will be plenty.)
The Knot makes it easy to create a useful (and personalized) wedding website. While you can fill it out with all the essential information like travel details, dress code and the day-of timeline, you can also get creative with additions like wedding party biographies, your detailed love story and engagement photos. Whether you plan to say "I do" at a tropical beachside resort or in a new city far from home, your destination wedding website will be an important tool for your guests. Below, we break down all the information you need to include to make it as helpful as possible.
The Wedding Weekend Itinerary
First, guests need to know the who-what-where-when of your nuptials. When building your destination wedding website, include detailed itineraries for all of your wedding-related events (but only those that everyone is invited to). For example, you'll want your guests to know to arrive to the resort or the private estate by 5 p.m. on Friday to catch the sunset for your red-themed party. Supplement these details with specific locations and start times, as well as helpful extras like preferred dress code and online RSVPs.
How to Get There
Guests will be traveling from everywhere, taking all sorts of transportation. Use your destination wedding website to provide details about the closest airports and train stations, plus the best driving routes and tips regarding traffic or planned construction. If taxis and Ubers are hard to come by at your destination, inform your guests as soon as possible and consider pre-arranging transportation. Resources like Budget help couples coordinate car rentals for their wedding events—if you do arrange transportation for your guests, use your wedding website to let them know exactly what travel means they'll be responsible for. If your wedding locale is outside the US, indicate the necessary travel documents, like passports or visas. Additionally, don't forget to share how guests can get to and from the wedding. Provide specific instructions to avoid confusion or mixups.
Where to Stay
The easiest way to ensure affordable guest accommodations is to set up a hotel room block—or several, especially if the majority of your guests will be traveling from out of town. (Websites like HotelPlanner make it easy to find and reserve the best group rates.) You can also suggest a few properties at various price points and alternative lodging options like Airbnbs. But for your guest's convenience, make sure they're all relatively close to the main event.
Insider Info
Is there a hike at your destination that offers up some pretty awesome views? Do you and your fiancé love a spot that serves the best jerk chicken? Share your favorite local attractions with guests on your destination wedding website. It's likely your friends and family will be making a miniature vacation out of your wedding, so give them plenty of options of places to see and things to do around the area.
Contact Details
Someone (*cough, Uncle Steven*) will inevitably have questions, especially since travel is involved. Let guests know how to contact you leading up to the wedding, whether it's through a text message or a specific email address. But once the wedding festivities kick off, use your destination wedding website to direct all day-of questions to a point person like your wedding planner or maid of honor—you'll be too preoccupied with other things to worry about fielding last-minute messages.
Your Registry
Guests want to buy you something you want, so don't keep that information to yourself. Share all of your registries on your wedding website, making them easy to find. This is especially important if you're tying the knot away from home. Chances are, some of your guests may not be able to make the trip, but they'll still want to celebrate you with a gift. Use The Knot Registry to register for anything, anywhere (yes, anywhere)—and link it to your destination wedding website too. Or, if your wedding weekend in the Bahamas is a kick-off to an island-hopping honeymoon, register for cash through The Knot Newlywed Fund to contribute to your getaway.