Since the Covid-19 pandemic caused such an upset in the event planning world, leading to many events being altered or postponed, the need for an easy way to communicate changes and information with your guests has become a top priority. Having an online wedding planning website has been common for years but adding in the component of having an online RSVP system has been a game changer for those facing postponements. Even though some restrictions have been lifted; many are still utilizing these great online wedding planning tools to make their wedding planning a bit easier!
Companies such as Zola and The Knot are the forerunners in online wedding planning, each with their own benefits. In this modern age, having everything done online is second nature to most, so why not apply that to wedding planning, as well?
Why Consider Online Wedding Planning?
Convenience for you and your guests
Having all your wedding information in one place is not only easier for you, but also convenient for your guests. When setting up your wedding website, you can include fun information about you and your fiancé like some of your engagement photos, as well as, introducing your wedding party.
More importantly, you’ll want to include the following information on your online wedding planner.
- location and time of your ceremony and reception,
- travel information,
- information on the room block,
- fun things to do in the area,
- and any other things your guests will need to know.
Once set up, include a link to your wedding registry, or consider setting up a registry directly through Zola or The Knot.
Organization is the key to a stress-free wedding, and these sites are the perfect way to keep you organized. On these sites, you’ll be able to enter your entire guest list with names, addresses and contact information. Sure, it takes some time to enter your guest’s information into the system, but once that’s done, life gets a lot easier.!
You’ll be able to automatically populate guests’ names and addresses for your invitations. Then, utilizing that same list, customize who will be invited for any auxiliary events such as your wedding shower, bachelor/bachelorette party, rehearsal dinner or post wedding breakfast. You’ll utilize this list again when it’s time to send thank you notes, sorted just for those who attended each event.
Eco Friendly & Cost Savings
With global warming at the forefront of the news, thinking about the planet and your carbon footprint when planning your wedding is a worthy consideration. While you may not be ready to make the jump to digital invitations for your wedding reception, maybe a digital invitation is fine for your wedding shower or other events.
Even with a traditional paper invitation, you can still conserve paper by not printing an accommodation card and RSVP card with an accompanying envelope. You’ll avoid the cost of return postage and the risk of dreaded mail delays on returns.
If you are worried that some guests will not be comfortable with an online wedding planning RSVP, include a phone number or email address where they can RSVP. Or, include an RSVP card only for those who you know would appreciate them. You’ll have to manually enter these, but that’s a small amount compared to your full guest list.
Auto Tracking of RSVP’s
Two of the most stressful parts of wedding planning are tracking RSVPs with special requests and completing the seating chart. Both are made easier when you utilize an online wedding planning RSVP system.
Once the guests receive their invitation, whether digital or in the mail, they will be able to log on and enter their response. If you’ve added them to the list for the rehearsal dinner or post wedding breakfast, they will be able to RSVP all at once. Talk about easy!
When you’re entering your guest list, you’ll be able to indicate how many guests are invited, including the names for guests if you know them. This eliminates the dreaded RSVP with unwanted guests added.
As guests RSVP, their meal selections and preferences are all automatically calculated for you, which you’ll appreciate in the final days leading up to the wedding. You’ll easily be able to calculate the number of each meal needed to give to the caterer and print reports for any special dietary restrictions.
When it comes time to do seating assignments, you can enter this here too. The best thing we have seen is that the system will highlight any guests that have replied “yesâ€, but have not been assigned to a table. No worrying about if you double booked a table or missed assigning a guest to a seat! Sort your data by table and you’ll have a full list of each guest at the table, their meal choice, and any dietary restrictions. Everything your caterer needs to efficiently serve each table
At the Tiffany Ballroom, we are all about stress-free planning and love to share new ways to make that happen for our couples! With our inclusive wedding packages and an online system, you’ll be way on your way to planning a perfect event-without stressing yourself out.
Call us today to get started: 781-255-3159 Tiffanyballroom@hobbsbrook.com