What Should You Add to Your Wedding Website?

It’s all but a norm for engaged couples these days to have their very own wedding website, and for good reason.

Having your own wedding website makes it easy for you to share vital, up-to-date information with your guests that you’d rather exclude from your fancy invitations.

Not only that, but your wedding website is a great way to engage your guests and get them excited as the day nears.

At first glance, it may seem like your website is easy enough to create; but when you actually sit down to make your site, you may find yourself struggling to determine what details to include, and which ones to leave out.

Here at Planet DJ Productions, we specialize in helping engaged couples do all that they can to plan the perfect wedding, and that includes steering you toward best practices for your website.

As the ultimate resource for your big day, it’s vital that you include certain information that all of your guests will find useful. Here’s what you should include in your wedding website:

1. The location of your wedding

You want to obviously include where the wedding and reception will be held. You want to make it easy for guests to know how long it’ll take them to get from Point A to Point B, so we recommend you include directions and points of interest, as well as an integrated Google Map.

2. Where to stay and what to do in town

If you’re booking a hotel block for your guests, include that relevant information on your site. You should also include details for all the major airports near the hotels, as well as available transportation services/contact information, including Uber, public transportation, car rentals, etc.

Your guests will also appreciate if you include a list of local restaurants, shopping districts, parks and other things they can do while on this trip.

3. Your wedding weekend schedule

If your wedding is a full-weekend event, then make sure to include a rough itinerary of all the major events taking place.

This includes ceremony and reception times, after party events, and even the morning-after brunch.

4. Your preferred contact information

You can almost guarantee that at least a few of your guests will reach out to you with questions, concerns, or ideas. How do you want them to contact you? With your direct cellphone? Your personal email address?

We find that many couples create a new email address (often the combination of their names) to use just for this event. Encourage your guests all to use this one form of contact so that you have an easier time keeping communication organized.

5. Don’t forget some photos!

The web is an extremely visual place; make sure your guests like coming to your site by feeding into their visual hunger. Include some great photos to personalize your site – your engagement photos are a great resource.

Just don’t go overboard. Include just a handful of photos so as not to overwhelm your guests.

6. Your love story

Again, you want to personalize your website, so make sure you include the story of how you and your fiancé met. You can skip this part if everyone in attendance knows you intimately; however, it’s a nice touch, particularly if you or your fiancé are crafty with words.

7. Registry information

Most wedding experts we work with throughout the Greater Washington DC area agree that your website is the only place where you should share your registry information (in other words, leave it off your invitations). Just include the names or logos of the stores where you are registered.

8. Entertainment/vendors

We recommend you also include a list of your wedding DJ/musicians, photographers and vendors. We recommend this for a few reasons:

1) It gives guests the chance to research these vendors, in case they have personal concerns (RE: food or music choices).

2) It gives the guests the ability to reach out to these vendors directly. For example, one of your guests might want to set up a surprise photo-moment at the wedding, and can plan ahead with the photographer.

3) It helps make the vendors more accountable. Now your guests know who’s supplying the

, food, and more.

Your website is designed to make life easier for your guests

Since your guests are the number one reason why you’re creating a website, be sure to focus on their needs. Choose a website template (we recommend a free WordPress.com site) that’s minimalistic and easy to navigate and is mobile friendly.

Don’t forgo functionality for fancy. If your website looks amazing, but is confusing for the average user, then it’s time to go back to the drawing board.

Your website is just one step of the wedding planning process. Have you found the perfect DJ, musician, or live entertainment yet?

Learn more about why more folks in the Virginia/Maryland/DC area choose Planet DJ Productions to help bring the party to their big event. Contact us today!

5 Tips On How to Choose the Right Wedding Entertainment for Your Big Day

There are so many factors that go into planning your dream wedding. From the venue to your choice of food and decorations, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the details.

But one detail you certainly can’t afford to gloss over is your wedding entertainment. You can’t forget that your wedding is, after all, a party. For many folks – yourself included – this will be their biggest party of the year!

When you look at it from that perspective, you quickly realize just how important it is to choose the right wedding DJ or live entertainment.

Wedding Planning 101: What’s Wrong with Hiring a DJ from Craigslist or Thumbtack?

But how do you know you’re choosing the right wedding entertainment for your event? These 5 tips should help.

1. Watch your entertainers perform elsewhere

Modern technology has made it possible for you to watch past performances of wedding DJs and bands from the comfort of your own home, thanks to YouTube.

But nothing compares to seeing these entertainers live in action. If you have the time, and ability, we strongly encourage you to check out your entertainment prospects at one of their events. That way you can assess how well they do with the crowd, and if their entertainment value remains consistent throughout the evening.

2. Don’t flock to the most inexpensive option out there

It doesn’t take long to realize that planning a wedding – no matter how simple or complex – can be costly. It’s only natural to look for ways to trim your budget; but your entertainment should not be one of those elements impacted by cost-cutting.

In the end, you’ll get what you paid for. Pricier musicians and DJs will almost certainly have tremendous experience with weddings, making them far better suited for your event than, say, a local band you found at a coffee shop.

3. Don’t take their word for it. Ask around!

Wedding DJs and entertainers are just like any other business out there: they do well to talk themselves up to their customers and clients.

Don’t just believe everything these folks feed to you. Getting unbiased reviews and feedback from past clients should be a non-negotiable. If a band or DJ isn’t willing to put you in contact with a previous client, that’s your cue to move on to the next option.

4. Make sure they’ll take requests

When it comes to hiring a wedding DJ in the DC area, requests shouldn’t be a problem. But they become a bit more complicated if you hire a live band.

Unlike DJs, bands typically don’t have access to thousands of songs. They have a specific set list they can turn to, meaning your wedding song requests could go unanswered.

As you begin your search, try to come up with a variety of songs you could potentially have played at your wedding. That way, your bands can tell you whether they’re intimately experienced with these genres.

Should you allow music requests from your wedding guests?  Learn more now!

5. Sign a contract. Always.

Having a contract in place is a good idea for each and every single one of your wedding vendors, entertainment included.

Your entertainment contract should include the performer’s fee, arrival/finish times, and any other extras you want to include.

For example, some performers bring their own supplies, but others may wish to use existing speakers or cabling.

You also want to outline cancellation fees, while establishing a fail-safe in case someone in the band falls ill.

People come for your wedding. But they’ll always remember the entertainment.

Not to put any pressure on you, but whom you choose for your wedding entertainment will likely define how fondly your big day is remembered by you and your guests.

We recommend giving yourself at least 9 months to choose the best entertainer that meets your needs, vision and budget. Keep in mind, many of the best throughout the Greater Washington D.C. area book out a year in advance; the more time you give yourself, the greater options you’ll have at your disposal.

Learn more about Planet DJ’s live music and DJ entertainment services by contacting us today.