Why You Need A Designated Wedding Email Address

One of the key parts of beginning to plan a wedding is developing a great organizational system. With so many moving parts and crossing paths, if you don't start with an organizational system that works for you, it can be easy for you to find yourself overwhelmed. Well, if you're looking at the Expert Advice section here at Zola, you're likely looking for tips to make the headache of wedding planning a little more manageable.

One easy way to make the avalanche of the organization into a snowstorm is to designate an email address specifically for your wedding day. Not only for privacy and organization reasons, but it can be an excellent way to keep everything in one place for you and for anyone who may need to access that email. Looking to learn more? We listed the three essential reasons why you need a designated wedding email address, and what you need to set one up.

*Photo Credit * // Shutterstock

Reason #1: Privacy and Communication

When you're planning a wedding, you want to keep the lines of communication wide open between you and your partner, and having a designated email address can do that. It's great to keep your personal and work email accounts separate from each other—yes, you're going to be getting married and sharing a lot of information, but there's no reason why wedding communication should be happening on your work email. This allows for transparency, as well as allowing both partners, and potentially a wedding planner, to be involved in the wedding planning. All wedding-related communication should be kept through this email, including guest communication and every RSVP. And yes, that also means the wedding party and parents—unless it's a surprise or a secret, there's no reason why any conversation regarding the wedding should happen anywhere else.

Reason #2: Organization and Transparency

Accountability and communication are just as important as being organized in wedding planning, and keeping everything in one place is just a good baseline to have for wedding planning. Designating one email for all wedding planning not only keeps your wedding planning organized, but it also keeps your personal and work emails organized—no more wasting time digging through old promotional coupons looking for an email from a vendor that just says "yes." Everything can have a home, whether in folders, or just all in one place in your form of organizing—all contracts, dates, and calendars can be maintained through this email. Set up calendar invitations for wedding-related events and activities; or, after the wedding, it can also be an easy way for people to contact you with photos from the wedding or any wrap-ups that need to be settled. Either way, this saves you from unsubscribing from a bazillion wedding vendor emails from your wedding after the big day, and it allows everyone to see what's going on and know who and what needs to be where and when.

Reason 3: Avoid Spam and Distractions

Let's be real: You work hard, but wedding vendors work harder, and it seems as if when you put a whiff of an engagement in the air, your email is full of people trying to get you to buy something for your wedding day. Above all else, this is the reason why you want to make sure that you're separating your wedding email address from your one: You’re going to get spammed with emails from vendors, without question. Save yourself the headache and make sure that you're keeping all that information in one place that you check often, but that isn't overwhelming your life. Another bonus of having a designated wedding email address is the benefit of separating your work life and your wedding life. Set aside time for wedding planning, and making sure these wedding emails aren't going to your work email this prevents you from being distracted at work (unless that's something you want, of course.)

How to Set Up a Designated Wedding Email Address

*Photo Credit * // Shutterstock

First, it doesn't matter where your email is from—Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, or whatever floats your boat. The easiest email format to use is a combination of you and your partner's names—lastnamelastnamewedding@whatever.com. You can choose to make the email address your wedding hashtag in the case that address is taken, or even firstnamelastname.firstnamelastname.wedding@whatever.com, even though that may be too long. No matter what it is, make it seem a little easier this way. You'll also want to make sure to set up an email signature for any wedding communication, both to give potential vendors a good idea of your wedding before you get there, and for that member of your family who needs you to tell them every detail of where and when for the wedding (and no, texting a link to your wedding website doesn't work.) In the signature, you should include both your and your partner’s names, your wedding date and location, and a link to the wedding website. Easy enough, and then it's all right there just in case.

Planning a wedding can be a headache, but it doesn’t have to be—designating an email address can make your life easier and your wedding day smoother and can help start your marriage out on a stellar note.