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Gettin' Hitched Rocks

Advice and inspiration for stress-free wedding planning

  • Websites
  • Stationery
  • Bespoke designs
  • Advice & inspiration
  • Contact us
  • About
Meet the maker: why I started Gettin’ Hitched Rocks
Bits and bobs

Meet the maker: why I started Gettin’ Hitched Rocks

By Mell 23rd of March, 2019

March is ‘Meet the Maker’ month, where people across different creative industries pull back the curtain (or, in our case, the veil) to explain why they started their business and show how everything works behind the scenes.

I wanted to use the opportunity to chat to you this month about why I created Gettin’ Hitched Rocks and how it can help you enjoy your wedding planning. (No, really!)

A way to lift the wedding planning pressure

When I was planning my own wedding, I knew I wanted a website that took the pressure off of me to organise everything and everyone, but the only wedding websites out there were quite basic; every guest saw the same RSVP form and had to answer the same questions, whether they were a day guest, an evening guest, or couldn’t attend! Worst of all, most websites weren’t even password protected – anyone could see the details, any ex could turn up and try to recreate The Graduate!

Also, the only wedding websites on the market were treated like stand-alone items. There was no matching stationery, no way to carry the same design across the whole wedding, to make it feel cohesive and consistent.

Luckily, I’ve been a professional web developer and designer for over fifteen years. (That might give away my age a little!)

A wedding website that changed for every guest and sent automatic reminders

I built my own website that changed for every guest, so my evening-only guests didn’t see any details about the ceremony and didn’t get asked what they wanted for dinner – so they didn’t expect to come to the ceremony or eat dinner! – my friends with young children were the only ones asked if they needed us to provide baby food and high chairs, my wedding party were the only people told to turn up to the venue at 6am, and only my nearest and dearest knew about the brunch we were having the day after!

I also set-up automatic reminders; as my caterer’s deadline drew near, the website automatically sent SMS messages to the people who hadn’t RSVP’d yet, so I didn’t have to chase everyone up myself. And it collated all the numbers for me – who was coming, who wanted beef and who wanted chicken – so I didn’t need to spend hours and hours pouring over a spreadsheet or manually tallying up RSVP cards.

I also designed it to fit with the save the dates I’d already sent out, the invitation cards that had the website address and every guests’ unique password, and all of the on-the-day stationery and signs.

The website that showed every guest just what they needed to see, so there was no confusion, the automatic text message reminders that chased my guests up for me, and the system to handle all of the headache admin I didn’t want to face took the stress out of planning my wedding; it was like having a personal wedding planner. (Without the price tag!)

Starting Gettin’ Hitched Rocks

But I knew other people – who didn’t happen to have fifteen years’ experience with programming and design! – would be facing that same stress and frustration. So I decided to start Gettin’ Hitched Rocks to help couples stay whelmed when planning their wedding.

In fact, I called my business Gettin’ Hitched Rocks because I think getting hitched should rock. It should be a fun time that brings a couple closer together – and with one of my websites handling the stress and admin and unpleasant parts of organising a wedding, it can be.

Carrying the same design across your day

Now, I make everything a couple needs for their wedding, from save the dates, to gender-neutral ‘will you be my mate of honour?’ cards, to table plans, to place cards, to badge favours (and icebreakers!), to thank yous, and I donate 5% of every sale to charity. (This month’s is Women’s Aid in honour of International Women’s Day!)

Couples can carry the same design, colours, and personality across every part of their wedding, making it feel consistent, stylised, and like them, whether they use one of our gorgeous house designs or get something completely bespoke made.

Gettin’ Hitched Rocks just takes the stress out of planning a wedding. Check out our (awesome) website demo and our range of (gorgeous) stationery to see how it can help you.

Because gettin’ hitched should rock.

Header image by Kooky Weddings.

What do you think?

Love it? Hate it? Let me know what you think in the comments.

Tell me what you think

Stay whelmed while you plan your wedding

Want more advice and ideas on how to plan your wedding, stress-free? Sign up to our free five day wedding planning course and stay whelmed.

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Mell

After planning, designing, and coding her own wedding, Mell started Gettin' Hitched Rocks to help awesome couples stay WHELMED through the wedding planning process, with clever websites that do the work for them.

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About Gettin’ Hitched Rocks

About Gettin’ Hitched Rocks

Hi! I'm Mell.

I started Gettin’ Hitched Rocks to keep you whelmed while you plan your wedding, with wedding websites that do the wedmin for you and send automatic RSVP reminders to the people who need them, and matching stationery, so you can carry the design you love, with your personality shining through in every detail, across every part of your wedding, from save the dates to thank yous — and everything inbetween!

Stay whelmed with our free resources, interviews with real couples on what not to do, our regular Problem Pal advice column, and stress-free wedding planning advice.

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House collection designs

Gettin' Hitched Rocks wedding stationery collection - save the dates

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It's awkward getting your RSVPs back on time. You It's awkward getting your RSVPs back on time. You don't want to chase up every guest - and frankly you've got better things to do, like binge Bridgerton (again) - but it's important to get your final headcount across to your venue, your caterer, and your stationer.⁠
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If you handle your RSVPs on a wedding website, it can automatically send out email and SMS reminders - just to the people who need them - when it starts getting close to your deadline.⁠
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An automatic reminder to RSVP isn't embarrassing the way being pulled up by the couple is - and it encourages quicker answers, since your guests can RSVP then and there on their phone, as soon as they read the message.⁠
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Check out our wedding website demo to see how a wedding website can keep you WHELMED while you plan your wedding.⁠
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(Link in bio.)
An order of service gives you a space to explain n An order of service gives you a space to explain not just what will happen at your wedding ceremony (and how many biscuits your guests will need to bribe their kids with, to keep them quiet) but what its significance is; why a reading matters to you, or why you picked a song to enter to.⁠
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And it's a space to introduce people to your wedding party, and your partner, if they might not know them well.⁠
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It's a chance to give people information they might need - whether that's the fact you're having a phone-free wedding or the wifi password. (No judgement.)⁠
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And it's something your friends from different walks of life can chat about as they get to know one another, and take home with them as a souvenir of your day.⁠
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Find out more about orders of service and the other on-the-day wedding stationery that can help organise your wedding on our blog.⁠
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(Link in bio.)
It's one thing to say you should have whatever you It's one thing to say you should have whatever you want at your wedding - and another not to worry you'll be judged for your unconventional choices.⁠
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A reader wrote into our advice column, asking if they should have the quirky entrance music they want at their wedding and risk starting the day on the wrong foot, with judgey comments from extended family, or compromise to avoid spending the day worrying what everyone thinks of them.⁠
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Check out our blog for our advice on bringing personality into your day when you're facing criticism you can't shake off.⁠
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⁠(Link in bio.)⁠
This February, we're giving 5% of every sale we ma This February, we're giving 5% of every sale we make to Inquest.⁠
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Inquest hold the government to account for state-related deaths, like death in police custody and the Grenfell Tower fire. ⁠
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They campaign for changes in policy to end institutional racism, expose failings and prevent preventable deaths. ⁠
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Check them out and the wonderful work they do. And if you know any charities or non-profits who could use a little extra support, let us know in the comments!⁠
The thought of starting a gift registry makes a lo The thought of starting a gift registry makes a lot of people cringe. You don’t want to come across as greedy and you don’t want people to feel obligated to buy you anything.⁠
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But - people will feel obligated regardless! People go all out for weddings. They like to push the boat out with expensive presents, to celebrate the milestone and to celebrate their friendship with you. And they'd much rather get you something you want.⁠
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So don't be afraid to ask for it. Even if it's cash.⁠
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It’s only a big deal if you make it one. Have a line in your invitation or wedding website explaining that all you want is your friends’ company but, if they do want to get you something, you’re registered at such-and-such. Or explain that you’d appreciate some money towards your honeymoon or to buy some furniture for your home.⁠
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You can use wording like:⁠
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‘You absolutely, positively, definitely, and definitively don't need to get us anything to celebrate our wedding. We just want everyone to show up and have a good time. Honestly.⁠
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‘But, if you would like to get us something, we've put together a little wishlist of what we need here.’ ⁠
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Or, if you really don’t want a gift registry, say so. (Or people will buy you a present anyway!)⁠
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‘We’ve been living together for a while now and have everything we need - all we want is for you to celebrate with us!’ ⁠
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And if you want more wedding planning tips and non-cringey wording examples, we have a free email series on how to plan a stress-free wedding at staywhelmed.com. (Link in bio.)
Save the date cards are one of the most useful too Save the date cards are one of the most useful tools you have to help plan your wedding; they give you time to THINK.⁠
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There's a lot to organise for a wedding - and a lot you can't do more than 12 months in advance. But leave it too late to send out your invitations and your friends might not be able to go!⁠
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With a save the date, all you need to have decided on is... well, the date. You can tell everyone all the nitty gritty details later - without worrying they might make other plans in the meantime.⁠
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Check out our range of save the dates on our shop, or get in touch to get something made just for you.⁠ (Link in bio.)
Let's talk about the unglamorous side of weddings. Let's talk about the unglamorous side of weddings.⁠
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The side that isn't in glossy magazines or on Pinterest. Where we completely misjudge things. Or forget them. Or wish we'd done things differently.⁠
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When I got married, the best advice I got was from my married friends, telling me the pitfalls they'd fallen into so I could avoid them.⁠
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That's why I decided to start a series of interviews with real couples, not just talking about the good parts of the day but the bad bits, too. The bits they'd do differently if they could.⁠
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Like Deby, who advises all of her friends to do everything they'll do on the day (within reason!) while they try on their wedding outfits: hug, walk, dance, bend over... Her dress was too loose and she reckons she ruined a lot of good photos, shoving her hand down her strapless top to avoid an accidental Janet Jackon impersonation!⁠
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Check out our interview with Deby and our other couples on our blog to find out what ideas you should steal - and what you should avoid! (Link in bio.)
Every month, we donate 5% of every sale we make to Every month, we donate 5% of every sale we make to charity. This January, we're supporting @womens_aid, who do invaluable work to help families who've suffered domestic abuse.⁠
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Check them out and the wonderful work they do. And if you know any charities or non-profits who could use a little extra support, let us know in the comments!
With the New Year on the horizon, it's a good time With the New Year on the horizon, it's a good time to talk traditions.⁠
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We can put far too much importance on tradition for tradition's sake - especially when it comes to weddings. It can be difficult to feel you can push back on history and on other people's expectations of what a wedding looks like.⁠
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But your day should be your day. It should feel like you.⁠
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If there are things you like, that will make the day feel more special and weighty to you, of course you should include them. But don't feel obligated to do anything because that's the way it's done, or that's what your parents recommend, or that's what you saw at someone else's wedding.⁠
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Don't have a first dance if it will make you feel awkward. Don't have a sit-down three-course wedding breakfast if your favourite thing to eat is finger sandwiches.⁠
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And don't feel your day has to work down a checklist. It's a special day - special doesn't have a set recipe.⁠
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For tips and advice on how to push back and have the wedding you want, check out our free wedding planning course on StayWhelmed.com (link in bio), or check out our blog for advice on making wedding traditions your own.

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