Brides & Weddings Magazine
It seems almost second nature to want to create a wedding website. You can share your love story, post your engagement session photos, keep your guests in the loop and drop not-so-subtle hints about your gift registry. And your website provides a great icebreaker for bridal party members who haven’t met yet.
“How to build a wedding website” nets over 31 million (yes, million!) results on Google. Templates make design easy and hosting is often free. The basics of your wedding website should include:
• An “about” page, which is the story of how you met and fell in love (a great place to put your e-session gallery).
• A “cast of characters” that includes your bridal party and why they play a role in your wedding.
• Details (date, time, location) for all events.
• A registry page which you can easily update.
• Guest accommodation information with links to hotels.
• A way for guests to RSVP electronically for any (or all) events.
• A “guest book” so friends and family can send good wishes.
Until recently, a cumbersome domain name was the biggest drawback to a wedding website. But now, personalized names are available with the domain name of “.wed.” Adrienne McAdory, a Washington D.C. military contractor, secured this top-level domain name through the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers with a lengthy application process and a hefty fee. In 2013, she learned that she had won the rights to .wed and launched her business vision.
“Lots of engaged couples want their own wedding websites, but the addresses they want aren’t available because other couples are already parked on them,” says Adrienne. Through the .wed domain, a couple can purchase an inexpensive address (like mikeandmary.com) for two years. “Long enough to see them
married,” she explains.
Once the two years are up, the URL’s price increases dramatically. The reason, says Adrienne, is to basically price the current couple out, leaving the address open for a new Mike and Mary. It’s fairly simple to “mask” the long URL provided by your wedding website host with your vanity domain name – and it’s a lot easier for your guests to remember.
