You may think that the first thing you should do after getting engaged is to call friends and family, but anyone who is in the know will tell you… the first thing you should really do is start a wedding website.
The concept of starting your own URL to let guests in on the details of your big day is nothing new, but what you may have noticed is that there is now an entire market dedicated to facilitating the process, meaning you do not need to know how to code to make a professional looking site, (we promise.)
Do I need a wedding website?
A wedding website is of course not meant to replace a traditional or formal invitation, but couples can use them in addition – to share (or collect) important information from guests that may hard to communicate with otherwise. No round robin emails, and everything in one place. ‘Wedsites’ as they are sometimes known are especially useful when planning a wedding abroad or liaising with long-distance guests. It also means the invite itself can be playful and creative, whereas your custom nuptial domain can be chock full of important information – although many Website Builders now offer matching invites to integrate the entire experience. One of the best things about having a wedding website is that your guests can easily RSVP, choose their food selections, find and book accommodation as well as receive important updates all in one place.
So how to pick the right wedding website builder for you? We have put together a roundup of our 10 favourites for your perusal:
The Knot
The Knot is a leading wedding marketplace that connects couples with a comprehensive suite of personalised wedding websites, as well as planning tools, invitations and registry services to pull off a unique wedding domain. Founded in 1996 as the first digital wedding planning brand, these guys know what they are doing and help millions of couples getting married each year with a completely personalised planning experience.
Wedsites
Start with any one of their dreamy design templates and then you can easily remove, add, and resize page elements as you see fit. You can even upload custom calligraphy and monograms to make it your own. Best part? It allows you to switch templates anytime, in case the vibe of the wedding changes. Find out more here.
Minted
Want something truly unique? This female founded wedding website works with designs created by a selection of independent artists and designers, so they have some of the most avant garde aesthetics available online. Don’t worry you’re still spoiled for choice with over 1,400 templates to choose from. You can also find matching IRL paper stationery and invites, to match your future website. Plus easy address collection features and photo gallery optionality. Happy building.
Zola
Zola’s free wedding planning tools make the whole process of making a website easy and fun, the way it should be. They offer designer templates with “no tech skills needed” so you can get a fast, foolproof wedding website. Oh and did we mention it’s free? Fonts and colour schemes are pretty much set in stone, but its a great option if you’re on a budget. Digitally manage RSVPs for all your guests and they also support online wedding registries onsite. The dream.
Joy
Want to really impress your guests? Joy offers a Mobile app service alongside their wedding website service, definitely the most high-tech way to plan your big day. Give your guests all the wedding details they need to know, from your first announcement to your last event with things such as personalised schedules and they even make it easy for your guests to get to your wedding events with ride-sharing app integrations. Genius.
Say I Do
Say I Do offer beautiful designs for your wedding website with a range of prices ranging from totally affordable (and even free) to high-end for those of you who want to have a more customisable site. Guests can easily RSVP on the site using their smartphone and they also offer matching customisable online RSVPs, and invitations.
Hitched
One of the most popular and easy to use, with Hitched all you have to do is choose your favourite template and then you’re good to go. This one is also free and still has all the premium features you’d want such as letting your guests contribute to your wedding album, being able to share your gift list and letting guets RSVP straight from your wedding website for a seamless planning experience. The best feature is without a doubt the ‘Seating Chart’ which allows you to easily drag and drop guests from your Guest List to assign seats when it comes to planning your tables.
Related Article: The Wedding Trends We’re Loving For 2023
