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.
