While live-streamed weddings have become mainstream among couples during COVID-19, some guests may be confused about the inner workings. This could mean guests don’t know what to expect, what to do, or even how to attend.
A wedding website can be an amazing way to provide this essential information. Helping to ensure your live-streamed wedding goes off without a hitch, your Joy website is a convenient one-stop-shop for details on technical support, virtual wedding etiquette, reliving happy memories, and more.
Read on for what to include on your wedding website for a virtual wedding, section-by-section, and how to support your guests along the way.
1. Welcome Page
Some guests may not know whether you’ve changed wedding plans, so it’s crucial to give them a heads-up as soon as they visit your website.
For a wedding website with Joy, an ideal way to approach this is to create an eye-catching Announcement Banner that includes phrases like “From the comfort of your home” or “Join us for our virtual wedding!”
You’ll also want to include the live stream link on your Announcement Banner to make it easy for guests to join the e-festivities.
Tip: Even if you’re sending e-card announcements about your change of plans, you should still edit the Welcome Page. After all, guests may be confused if this page still features information about your original wedding arrangements.
2. E-Cards
In addition to the Announcement Banner on your Welcome Page, it’s important to send guests an e-card alerting them to the change. While it’s a gamble whether guests will peruse your wedding website in a timely manner, you can be pretty certain they’ll at least check their email.
Simplify this task by utilizing Joy’s Change the Date e-cards, which help you create fully-customizable cards that convey your live stream wedding plans. For these purposes, an e-card is preferable to snail mail, as you might be changing your plans last-minute and need to share the information ASAP.
3. Q&A
It’s almost guaranteed that some wedding guests — specifically the non-tech-savvy ones — will have lots of questions. Prevent this from becoming your part-time job by editing the frequently asked questions section of your wedding website. Then, if anyone texts or emails with the same question nine other guests just asked, you can easily refer them to this page on your site.
The following are a few live-stream-focused Q&A questions to get you started.
- Do I need to download a certain streaming platform? If so, how do I do that?
- What do I do after I download the platform?
- What/where is the live stream link?
- What should I wear?
- Should I have my camera on during the ceremony?
- Should I mute myself during the ceremony?
- Will there be a virtual reception?
- Is there anything else I should know?
Tip: To keep things as simple as possible, you can live stream your wedding with Joy — directly through your wedding website. In this case, guests can just go to your wedding website on the right day and time, and they’ll be met with the live stream of you and your partner pledging your love.
4. Wedding Schedule
Prevent confusion by updating your wedding schedule page to reflect the change from an in-person wedding to a virtual wedding. On the schedule, you can include details for your live-streamed ceremony, like the date, time, and link. If a live-streamed reception will follow the ceremony, be sure to provide the necessary information for that event, as well.
5. RSVP
Just because your wedding won’t be in-person doesn’t mean you should forgo your headcounts. This is especially important because certain live streaming platforms only support a certain guest count. Additionally, this can help you determine who you may need to refer to the FAQ page for technical support.
Besides using Joy’s digital RSVP system to ensure you can accommodate all guests on your live streaming platform, it’s wise to also glean certain information from guests using the RSVP Questions feature.
The following are a few live-stream-focused RSVP questions to get you started.
- Do you need technical assistance to join the live stream?
- Would you like to give a toast during the live-streamed reception?
- What is your address? (This is an essential question if you plan to send a wedding favor or refreshment before the live-streamed ceremony. For example, some couples send care packages filled with goodies like champagne and confetti.)
6. Video and Moments Album
As everyone loves to relive heartwarming milestones, consider uploading a recording of your ceremony on your wedding website. You can also use Joy’s Moments album to upload photos taken by someone who was physically with you during the ceremony.
This allows virtual guests to gain a range of perspectives from your big day. You can enjoy this same perk by also asking guests to take photos of themselves during the live stream and add it to the shared album.
