What to put on a wedding website: the sections guests actually use

Most guests open a wedding website with one question in mind: where do I need to be, when, and what do I need to sort out before then? Deciding what to put on a wedding website is mostly a matter of answering those questions in the order guests ask them, clearly enough that a cousin reading on a phone in another time zone, or a grandparent using a translation tool, gets the same answer you would give in person. Everything else is optional. Below are the sections guests actually use, whether you are marrying at a register office in Manchester, a temple in Chennai, a vineyard in Mendoza or your parents' garden.

What to put on a wedding website before anything else

Four things do almost all the work:

• Your names and the date. Write the date out in words, such as Saturday 12 June 2027. A numeric date like 06/12/2027 reads as June to many American guests and as December to much of the rest of the world.
• Each place, with a full address and a map link. Include the venue's name as it appears locally, since that is what a taxi driver or ride app will recognise.
• The schedule. Start times, rough end times and the local time zone, stated once and clearly if guests are travelling from abroad.
• How and when to reply. One RSVP deadline, written out in full, and a single place to respond. If you are collecting replies online, keep the form short; our guide to online RSVP questions to ask wedding guests covers what is worth asking.

If your site contained only these, it would already do its main job. The rest of this article is about removing the questions that remain.

A schedule written for people who were not at your planning meetings

Many weddings are several events rather than one. A Hindu wedding may include a mehndi and a sangeet in the days before. A Ghanaian couple may hold a traditional engagement and a church wedding on separate days. In France, the civil ceremony at the town hall must take place before any religious ceremony, so some couples hold them on different days or in different towns.

For each event, give guests a sentence on what it is, who is invited, when it starts and roughly when it ends, where it is and what to wear. If not everyone is invited to every event, say so kindly, or put the smaller events on a separate page shared only with those guests.

A line or two on what happens helps guests who are new to your traditions take part without anxiety: that heads are covered and shoes removed in a gurdwara, for example, or that a tea ceremony is for family and guests are welcome to join afterwards. Be honest about end times, too. A reception in Spain or Argentina may run well past midnight, and guests planning transport or childcare need to know.

Travel and somewhere to sleep

This is the section international and out-of-town guests read most closely. Include:

• the nearest airports and stations, with realistic transfer times
• areas you recommend staying in, and any room blocks with their booking deadline
• whether you are arranging shuttles, and from where
• parking, and whether ride apps or taxis are reliable late at night
• the usual weather at that time of year
• the local currency, and whether cash is needed for anything

On visas and entry rules, do not give advice yourself. Rules change and depend on each guest's passport. Ask guests to check their own government's travel guidance and the destination's official sources early, and say whether you can provide an invitation letter if one is requested.

Accessibility belongs here as well: steps, steep paths, sand or gravel, distances between ceremony and reception, and whether there is a quiet room.

What to wear, described rather than labelled

Dress code labels travel badly. Cocktail or black tie can mean quite different things in New York, Lagos and Sydney. Describe the reality instead: outdoors on grass, evenings turn cool, jackets optional after dinner.

Where culture shapes dress, explain it. If you are inviting guests to wear aso ebi at a Nigerian wedding, tell them how to order the fabric, what it costs and the deadline for tailoring. Guests at a South Asian wedding often wonder whether they may wear South Asian clothing and which colours to avoid, so tell them what you would welcome. Colour expectations differ widely: white is often avoided by guests at Western weddings, while in some cultures it is associated with mourning, and red is a traditional bridal colour in China and much of India. A short note saves guests from guessing.

Gifts, said plainly and kindly

Gift customs vary more than almost anything else. Registries are common in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Cash in red envelopes is customary at Chinese weddings, and Japanese guests often bring a cash gift known as goshugi. At many Nigerian receptions, guests spray money on the couple while they dance.

When guests come from more than one tradition, telling them what is usual for you is a kindness, not a demand. Say whether you have a registry, a fund, or would simply like people to come. If cash is welcome, explain how it can be given on the day, and keep any bank details behind a password rather than on a public page.

The questions guests will otherwise message you about

A short FAQ answers the things people are too polite to ask:

• Are children invited, and is there childcare?
• Can I bring a guest? Address invitations precisely, then confirm here.
• Is the ceremony unplugged, and may photos be shared online?
• How do I tell you about allergies or dietary needs, such as halal, kosher, vegetarian or alcohol-free?
• What happens if it rains?
• Who should I call on the day? Name a trusted friend or coordinator, not yourselves.

Keep each answer to a sentence or two. If an answer needs a paragraph, it probably belongs in its own section.

What to leave off, or lock away

A wedding website is easy to find. Leave off your home address, unprotected bank details, the guest list and anything about private family events that not every visitor is invited to. Use a password if your platform allows it, and share it on the invitation.

A love story or photo gallery is pleasant but optional. Guests rarely return for it, and it should never push the practical information further down the page.

Keep it current

A site that is mostly right can be worse than none, because guests trust it. Add a visible last-updated date, and when something important changes, such as a venue, a start time or a shuttle pickup, message guests directly as well as updating the page. In the final weeks, add the weather outlook, transport reminders and the on-the-day contact again, so the answers are where guests already look.