"What should I include on the wedding website?" is the question that stalls most couples between deciding to build one and actually publishing it. The honest answer is shorter than people expect: a wedding website needs five things, and everything else is optional and often a mistake.
Here is what to include on a wedding website in 2026, and the things you should skip even though every wedding blog tells you to include them.
The five things you actually need
Names, date, venue. The hero of the page. Big, clear, readable in two seconds on a phone screen. If a guest opens the page and cannot answer "who, when, where" without scrolling, the page is broken.
RSVP form with menu choices. One form, three to five fields, no signup required. This is where the wedding website earns its keep — every other format (paper, email, WhatsApp) makes RSVP collection harder than it needs to be.
Directions to the venue. A map embed, the address in plain text, and a link to Google Maps. Some couples add the parking instructions if the venue is tricky. That is enough.
Programme. Three to five lines: ceremony at 17:00, cocktail at 18:30, dinner at 20:00, dancing from 23:00. Do not write a minute-by-minute schedule. Guests need to know when to arrive and when to leave, not when the second course is served.
A short story about you two. Two paragraphs, three at most. How you met, when you decided to get married, what you are looking forward to. Not a memoir, just enough that a guest who only knows one of you gets a sense of the other.
Five things. That is the whole wedding website. Everything else is optional, and most of it is a mistake.
The things to skip
Here is what wedding blogs and Pinterest tell you to include that you should not.
The "love story" timeline with photos from every year of the relationship. Cute idea, almost nobody scrolls through it. The story belongs in two short paragraphs in the centre of the page, not in a horizontal slider with twelve photos.
The detailed playlist of the wedding music. Guests do not care what songs are playing during the cocktail. The DJ knows the playlist; the website does not need it.
The hashtag instructions. If you want a hashtag, mention it once at the bottom of the page. Do not dedicate a section to "How to use #SaraAndMike2026 on Instagram". Guests who use hashtags know how. Guests who do not are not going to start.
The list of vendors with logos. The florist, the DJ, the photographer, the caterer. This is something the wedding industry recommends because it gets vendors free advertising. Your guests do not care.
The page about the bridal party. "Meet the bridesmaids" with photos and bios is fine if your wedding website is a fan club. For a wedding invitation, it is filler.
The gift registry as the main attraction. Some couples make the registry the second-most prominent section of the page. It feels off. The registry should be a small footer link, not a hero section.
What to do with the gift registry question
The gift registry is the most controversial element of a wedding website. Some cultures expect it as the centrepiece. Others find it tacky to mention at all. The middle path is what most couples land on: a small section near the bottom of the page with one line and one link.
"We are not expecting gifts, but if you would like to contribute to our honeymoon, you can do it here." Done. Two sentences, one link. No need for product photos, no need for a list, no need for an explanation.
If you are doing a traditional registry, the same rule: one line, one link, not a hero section.
Dress code
Include the dress code if it is not obvious from the venue. "Cocktail attire", "smart casual", "garden-friendly shoes" — one line, no photo examples. Guests can Google what cocktail attire looks like; they do not need a Pinterest board.
Skip the dress code section entirely if your wedding is "wear what you want" or if the venue makes it self-explanatory (a beach wedding does not need a dress code section).
Children
If your wedding is adults-only, say it once on the page, near the RSVP. Direct, no apology, no long explanation. "Our wedding is an adults-only celebration. We hope you can join us." Three sentences max.
The mistake is dedicating a whole section to it with reasons. You do not need to justify the decision. Guests respect the line, parents make childcare arrangements, life goes on.
What about FAQ sections?
FAQ sections look organised but read like contracts. Most "wedding FAQ" pages list questions like "Can I bring a plus one?" and "Where can I park?" — questions that should be answered earlier on the page, not relegated to a section nobody reads.
If you find yourself writing a FAQ, the page is wrong. Move the answers to the relevant sections (plus ones in the RSVP, parking in the directions) and delete the FAQ.
Less is more, every time
The best wedding websites we see are short. Names, date, venue, RSVP, directions, programme, story. Six sections, each one short. The whole page reads in three minutes on a phone, the guest replies in another minute, and they remember the wedding details because there is nothing else competing for their attention.
The worst wedding websites are the ones that try to be everything: a love story, a vendor list, a song timeline, a fashion guide, a FAQ, a photo gallery from the engagement, a countdown, and a map. The page takes ten minutes to read and the RSVP gets buried under filler.
If you want the short version: build a wedding website in five minutes, fill in the five things you actually need, publish, and resist the temptation to add more. The discipline is the design.