Creating A Wedding Website: A Step-By-Step Guide For Couples

Creating a wedding website is a fun and informative way to keep your guests in the loop and build excitement for your big day. It's also a great way to share your story as a couple and send photos afterwards. In this guide, we'll walk you through the steps to make your own wedding website, from choosing a website builder and template to customising your design and sharing your URL with guests.

Choosing a website builder

There are a few options to consider when choosing a website builder for your wedding website. Wedding resources like the Knot, WeddingWire and Zola allow couples to create personalised web pages for free and offer easy-to-use standard templates. However, if you're looking for something more distinctive, website building and hosting platforms like Squarespace, Wix and Wordpress.com offer more design choices but typically charge a small monthly fee.

If you're technically inclined, you could also create a self-hosted website, where you pick the software and add your own coding. This allows for maximum customisation in design and function.

Some popular website builders include:

• Wix: Wix is a popular choice because it includes a drag-and-drop editor as well as step-by-step instructions. Wix will recommend the best templates and features to use and includes essential capabilities like an events page, the ability to add a detailed wedding day schedule, built-in tools for sending email invitations and managing guests, and live streaming tools.
• Squarespace: Squarespace has the best designs on the market, making it perfect for sharing photos and videos.
• The Knot: The Knot is a specialised wedding website builder that doubles as an online wedding planner. It has over 160 free, professional wedding designs with modern layouts and is easy to set up.
• Weebly: Weebly is great if you want a truly easy experience. Its structured templates make it hard to mess things up.
• Webnode: Webnode is a good option if you need a multilingual site with only the basics.
• Wordpress: Wordpress is flexible and has a lot of plugins, but it's more complicated to use than other website builders.

When choosing a website builder, consider factors like ease of use, customisation options, and pricing. Also, think about the different features you'd like your wedding website to include, such as the ability to request, track and follow up RSVPs automatically, privacy features, and built-in guest management.

Selecting a template

There are a variety of website builders to choose from, each with their own range of templates. Here are some of the most popular options:

• Wix: Wix offers 26 wedding website templates, with a range of designs to suit different styles. Wix also offers creative freedom, meaning you can create a unique website.
• Squarespace: Squarespace has six wedding-specific templates, which are considered the best designs on the market. This is a good option if you want to showcase photos and videos.
• The Knot: The Knot has 39 wedding website templates to choose from. This is a specialised wedding website builder that also functions as an online wedding planner.
• Weebly: Weebly has just one wedding-focused template, but other templates can be adjusted to suit your needs.
• Webnode: Webnode offers several wedding templates and is a good option for multilingual websites.

When selecting a template, consider the different features you want your website to include. For example, do you want to be able to send paperless invitations? Or do you want to be able to request, track and follow up RSVPs automatically?

Take the time to browse the different templates available and choose one that suits your overall wedding style. You can draw inspiration from your wedding date, season, venue, colours and the overall vibe of your celebration.

Once you've selected a template, you can customise it by adding your own images, changing the font and colour scheme, and adding personal touches.

Adding personal touches

Share Your Story

Create an "About Us" page to introduce yourselves as a couple. You can share your love story, from how you met to memorable moments and everything in between. This is especially meaningful for guests who may only know one half of the couple well. You could even include a page with short introductions for your bridal party, so guests can get to know the people closest to you.

Get Creative with Your Design

Choose a website builder that offers creative freedom and flexibility, so you can customize your website to match your wedding's theme and colour scheme. Add personal photos of you and your partner, and consider using the same font and colour scheme from your invitations to create a seamless experience for your guests. If you have engagement photos, include a dedicated section or gallery to showcase them.

Infuse Your Interests

Incorporate elements that speak to your shared interests, hobbies, and adventures. For instance, if you both love to travel, display vintage postcards or photos from your journeys as table numbers. Or, if you bonded over a particular book or movie, use quotes or images from it to decorate your website. This adds a unique and personal touch that your guests will surely notice.

Shake Up the Timeline

Consider doing things a little differently by having a cocktail hour before the ceremony. It's a great way to get your guests mingling and set the tone for a celebration. You can even turn it into a welcome party with live music, signature cocktails, and local cuisine.

Make it Interactive

Use your website to interact with your guests and add an extra layer of fun. For example, you can install a social streaming app that allows you and your guests to share photos and videos directly to your site using a specific hashtag. This creates a space for everyone to share their favourite moments and memories from your big day.

FAQs and Guestbook

A wedding website is a perfect place to answer your guests' questions. Create an FAQs page to provide guidance on topics like directions, parking, dress code, and any other queries they may have. You can also include a guestbook on your website, giving guests the opportunity to leave you a message even if they forget to sign a physical guestbook on the day.

Sharing the link

Sharing your wedding website is an important step in the wedding planning process. Here are some tips to ensure your guests can access and use your website:

Include the Link on "Save the Dates" and Invitations:

It is common practice to include your wedding website URL on "save the date" cards and wedding invitations. This allows guests to access important information and is especially helpful for destination weddings. If your "save the date" card doesn't have enough space, include a "details" enclosure card with the URL.

Use an Enclosure Card in Your Formal Invitation Suite:

If your wedding website isn't ready when you send out your "save the dates," don't worry. You can include the URL when you send out your formal invitations. Many guests will keep these for reference, so it's a great place to share the link. You can also include a QR code that guests can easily scan.

Add to Wedding-Related Events:

Share your wedding website URL on all invitations for wedding-related events, such as bridal showers, bachelor/bachelorette parties, and engagement parties. This gives guests more opportunities to visit your website and stay informed.

Share via Email or Text:

Communicating with your guests via email or text is often the easiest way to share your wedding website. It's convenient, and guests can easily save the information for future reference. You can also include the password if your site is password-protected.

Create a Private Social Media Group:

Consider creating a private group on social media platforms like Facebook, and share your wedding website link there. This ensures that only invited guests can access the information, preventing any hurt feelings from those not on the guest list.

Use QR Codes:

Custom QR codes are a unique and easily scannable way to share your wedding website and other details. You can include them on your invitations, dress code information, venue directions, and RSVP cards.

Encourage Guests to Explore:

When sharing your URL, include a brief message explaining why guests should visit your website. You can also invest in a custom domain name, making it easier for guests to type in and remember the URL. Ensure your website has a user-friendly layout and an impressive design to keep guests engaged.

Updating your site

One of the most important parts of creating a wedding website is making sure it stays updated throughout your engagement. If wedding details change, be sure to add them to the site and notify everyone on your guest list. You can even add information and details about your honeymoon, and use your website to share photos from your wedding day! The more up-to-date your wedding website is, the more helpful it will be to your guests.

If you’re progressing through your wedding planning journey and have some updates for guests, use your wedding website to make announcements or send notifications easily. Remember, a wedding website is there to save you time and prevent you from having to answer back-and-forth texts and phone calls in the lead-up to your event!

An intuitive wedding website platform also allows you to track and follow up on RSVPs, gather information about dietary requirements, or confirm menu requests from guests.

Let’s be honest – the last thing you want to be doing in the weeks leading up to your wedding is chasing late RSVPs or playing the middleman between your caterer and your guests! Use this time instead to relax and enjoy, and let your wedding website do the hard work for you.

If any details change, make sure to update your website. Your guests will probably refer to this site en route to your wedding, especially if they’ve lost or forgotten their invitation.

Frequently asked questions