Your wedding website FAQ page, with answers you can copy.

Here is a secret from forty years of helping couples with their weddings: what time should I arrive, what do I wear, can I bring my kids, where do I park. Guests ask the same things at every wedding, and every question answered on your FAQ page is a text you never receive.

This guide gives you the questions worth answering and words you can copy for each one. Change the details, keep whatever sounds like you and delete the rest.

The logistics questions

What time should I arrive?

Copy this: "The ceremony begins at 4:00 sharp, so we'd love you seated by 3:45. If you arrive after things begin, our coordinator will help you slip in between moments."

Where do I park?

Copy this: "There's a free lot right at the venue. If it fills up, street parking on Elm is easy and it's a two minute walk. If you'd rather not drive, we'll have a shuttle from the hotel at 3:00."

How do I get from the ceremony to the reception?

Copy this: "The reception is a ten minute drive from the ceremony. A shuttle runs between the two, or the address for your own car is on the Travel page."

The attire questions

What should I wear?

Copy this: "Dress code is cocktail attire. Think suits or sport coats, dresses or dressy separates. The ceremony is on grass, so consider that when choosing shoes."

Will we be outdoors?

Copy this: "The ceremony is outside and the reception is indoors. Evenings cool off here, so a light layer is a good idea."

The guest list questions

These are the delicate ones, and the FAQ page is exactly where they belong, because a written answer is calmer and more consistent than fifty separate conversations.

Can I bring a plus one?

Copy this: "We're keeping our celebration to the guests named on each invitation. Your invitation and RSVP will show exactly who is included. We can't wait to celebrate with you!"

Can we bring our children?

Copy this: "We love your little ones, and we've chosen to make our wedding an adults-only celebration. We hope the advance notice means you can make a night of it."

The gifts question

Where are you registered?

Copy this: "Your presence is honestly the best present. If you'd like to give something more, our registry is on the Registry page."

One rule that never changes: registry information goes on the website, never on the invitation itself. The invitation invites. The website informs.

The food questions

Will there be food I can eat?

Copy this: "Dinner includes a vegetarian option, and the RSVP form has a place to note allergies or dietary needs. Tell us there and our caterer will take care of you."

This is also a quiet plug for doing RSVPs on your website rather than by mail: when guests can note meals and allergies as they respond, nobody is texting you about gluten two days before the wedding.

The photos and phones question

Can we take pictures during the ceremony?

Copy this: "We're having an unplugged ceremony, so we ask that phones stay tucked away until the last kiss. Our photographer will catch everything, and we'll share the photos here afterward. At the reception, snap away."

What to leave off the FAQ

Skip anything that invites debate (seating logic, who is in the wedding party and why), anything you might change (exact song lists, surprise moments) and anything private (vendor costs, family dynamics). An FAQ answers questions. It doesn't open them.

The bigger point

An FAQ page is an act of hospitality. It says: we thought about your evening before you had to ask. Guests notice, even if they never say so, and you get to spend the month before your wedding celebrating instead of answering the same text nine times.