Hands up if want to:
save money,
save time,
be less stressed, and
give your guests a better wedding experience while you’re at it?
(Yes please!)
One of the most crucial and smartest decisions you can make at the start of your wedding planning is to invest a little of your time in choosing and setting up a personal wedding website.
And it’s not just your guests who’ll benefit from it.
While the best wedding websites can definitely make it easier for your family and friends to access all of the information they need any time they need it, the more advanced ones will also help you plan every last detail of your special day more efficiently (i.e. less hours and cash spent by you) and with a lot less duplication of contact details, RSVP frustration and confusion all ‘round.
However, just like no two weddings are the same, the ideal wedding website builder for you may have more or fewer features, and subsequently, cost.
So while it can be smart to leverage the various wedding website tools and planning capabilities leading up to your big day, choosing the best wedding website for you means finding the one that most closesly fits your specific needs.
Most of the basic wedding websites will provide your guests with details about your wedding venue, accommodation, travel plans, and transportation, and can include photos and video from your engagement and the story of how you met your fiancé.
And, while traditional DIY wedding planning can be super challenging because it’s hard to keep track of so many different vendors, guest details and timelines, wedding websites provide an easy, accessible and low cost solution for couples looking to plan their own wedding, while still being professionally designed and aesthetically pleasing.
If you are engaged and looking for online tools to help plan your wedding seamlessly - this post is for you!
The best wedding websites (and why you may need one)
Wedding website builders are useful for creating unique and personalised wedding websites. In addition, they help you to stay organised in the most efficient way - as in, no spreadsheets. With the added convenience of pre-populated checklists, having everything easily sharable with your wedding party, wedding planner and/or other vendors will save you from countless emails and other apps
With a wedding website, you can share your love story, pre-wedding photos, and important wedding details with your guests as well helping them to get excited about your special day.
You can also collect, track, and manage your guests’ information (think email addresses, RSVPs, dietary requirements, +1s) painlessly. And beyond that, you’re able to update your guests about any changes to travel, accommodation and lodging information for your big day and have it all set up in another language (i.e. multilingual) if you’re hosting a cross-cultural wedding.
More than just a wedding invitation website, the best ones can also help you to:
create your wedding budget
build your wedding vendor team
track your expenses with payment reminders
write your run sheet
create your seating plan
and help you to live stream to your guests as well!
So, if you want to go a step further and build a beautiful wedding website that all your guests can enjoy, and you LOVE, compare these top 5 best wedding websites with their key features, benefits, and pricing, before making your choice.
Check out the Wedding Website Builder Comparison Chart at the end of this post to find the best solution for your specific needs.
*Unbridely is sponsored by its readers. When you purchase products or services through links on our website, we may earn an affiliate commission.*
1. WEDSITES
WEDSITES IS AN AUSTRALIAN WEDDING WEBSITE COMPANY SPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR COUPLES LOOKING TO PLAN THEIR own WEDDING EVENTs SEAMLESSLY AND TRACK IMPORTANT WEDDING TASKS.
ON WEDSITES, YOU CAN EASILY CREATE A STUNNING FREE WEDDING WEBSITE BY PICKING FROM THEIR SUITE OF EASY-TO-USE AND COMPLETELY CUSTOMISABLE DESIGN TEMPLATES.
IN ADDITION, THE RSVP capabilities, EVENT MANAGEMENT TOOLS, TIMELINE BUILDER, AND INTERNAL GUEST COMMUNICATION FUNCTIONS ARE AMAZING.
wedsites was purpose-built with modern couples and their wedding in mind which means that their planning platform has the most advanced planning & RSVP features.
KEY FEATURES & BENEFITS
A drag-and-drop website builder: With Wedsites’ website builder, you can quickly set up a captivating website for your wedding in as little as 6 minutes (see my YouTube challenge below). You can customise any template of your choice, upload your videos, pre-wedding pictures, even illustrations and matching digital Save the Dates and invitations.
Live-stream your wedding: to allow your guests who cannot physically attend your wedding to share in and be a part of your big day, you can embed YouTube, Vimeo or LoveCast feed into your website.
Safe and secure website: Building your wedding website using Wedsites builder lets you secure your data with a password only accessible by you. This is useful as you won’t risk losing your information or your guests to internet theft.
Digital guestbook: Having your guests and loved ones share their best wishes and photos on your website is a great way to create lasting memories. Wedsites let you achieve this with their digital guestbook feature.
Guest List manager: You can easily collect and organise your guests’ details such as emails, home address, phone number, and dietary requirements into a database for tracking and communication of vital information (for example, sharing invitations and thank you messages).
Budget calculator and wedding checklist: If you are looking to allocate funds, track your expenses, delegate tasks, create deadlines, or set reminders, Wedsites’ checklist and budget planner allow you to perform these actions in a few clicks.
Timeline builder & seating chart tool: get the professional assistance you need without hiring a wedding planner.
No ads
Let me show you around the WedSites dashboard.
CONS
I honestly can’t think of a function or tool that’s been missed with WedSites - it’s pretty amazing.
PRICING
Wedsites offer a FREE Lite Plan (website only), a Standard Plan which includes your digital Save the Dates, Wedding Invitations, RSVPs and guest management and communication for $99USD, and a Pro Plan that includes all of their amazing planning tools + guest comms and website for $199USD one time fee.
See how I created a WedSites wedding website in just 6 minutes.
2. THE KNOT WEDDING WEBSITE
The Knot PROVIDES one of the simplest and easiest FREE wedding website options to get you started AND create a home BASE for all of your wedding info.
There are over 150 template designs to choose from and a step-by-step process including Free wedding planning tools, resources, a huge vendor directory, and mobile app.
You can manage your RSVPs with your free wedding guest list and contact them via message templates to let them know of any change of plans.
Share your ‘how we met’ or engagement story with your family and friends or share a live stream of your wedding. You can also keep track of your wedding registries all in one spot.
KEY FEATURES & BENEFITS
Vendor Directory Integration: The Knot platform has a huge U.S. and Canadian wedding vendor directory to help you research and book in the best wedding team for your wedding day.
Matching wedding stationery: Plus lots of their design options also have hardcopy wedding invitations, save the dates and place cards that match which helps to keep your wedding colours, fonts and design cohesive.
The Knot App: keep on track and access your RSVPs on the go with The Knot App.
Create a photo album: ability to select photos from your Facebook and Instagram account to create a photo album on your wedding website.
Integrated gift registry: gift registry system + cash and experiences registry option as well.
CONS
The degree of customisation possible is low.
The vendor directory is only for the United States and Canada.
The ads throughout the website and sponsored marketing emails.
PRICING
Creating a wedding website on The Knot is free, but there are ads that you can’t disable or opt out of.
If you have your own domain name, you can link it to your The Knot wedding website for $19.99 USD for 1 year or $39.98 USD for 2 years.
3. JOY WEDDING WEBSITE
JOY’S WEDDING WEBSITE BUILDER OFFERS COUPLES A SUITE OF MODERN TOOLS TO CREATE A FREE AND USER-FRIENDLY WEBSITE THAT ACCOMMODATES CELEBRATIONS OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES.
THIS PLATFORM IS IDEAL FOR COUPLES LOOKING TO CHANGE THEIR WEDDING WEBSITE FUNCTIONALITY TO SUIT THEIR NEEDS - THEY CAN SIMPLY REMOVE A SECTION FROM THEIR DASHBOARD AND IT WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE REMOVED FROM THEIR APP.
Key features & benefits
Mobile app: Having a mobile app for your wedding helps your guests access all the information they need about your wedding in one place while they’re on the go. Typically, on Joy’s mobile app, guests can share their photos, access their schedules, get travel and accommodation recommendations, and even book private rides.
Free website designs: With Joy’s free wedding website, you can customise your URL, set up a gift registry, track multiple events, integrate an announcement banner, live stream your wedding, request and reply to RSVP questions, organise your guest list, and perform other planning tasks too.
CONS
The mobile app is limited, considering that you cannot update or edit sections of your website with it. To make any changes to your website, you will need to log in via a desktop.
To share broadcasts and announcements with guests, they must have the mobile app downloaded and active. Otherwise, they may miss out on important updates.
PRICING
Joy’s wedding website builder is Free. However, to create a custom URL, you will need a custom domain for $19.99USD.
4. ZOLA WEDDING WEBSITE
A ZOLA WEDDING WEBSITE IS EASY TO USE AND IS IDEAL FOR COUPLES LOOKING FOR A PRE-PLANNED WEDDING PROGRAM.
IN ADDITION, ZOLA PROVIDES COUPLES WITH WEDDING ADVICE - FROM PLANNING, BUDGETING, DECOR INSPIRATION, AND PRE-WEDDING ACTIVITIES TO PARTY IDEA SUGGESTIONS.
KEY FEATURES & BENEFITS
Customisable free wedding websites: Zola’s websites offer a robust design assortment for any style of wedding. You can match your wedding invitation suite with your website style and design, add videos to your Zola wedding website, or a slideshow, for all of your guests to see.
Zola offers the option to print QR codes on your save the dates, so your guests can easily scan and be directed to your website.
Pre-screened vendors to select from: If you are looking to hire vendors such as photographers, caterers, wedding bands, videographers, florists, etc., to help ease your planning, you can easily pick from Zola’s community of prescreened vendors.
Online Wedding Boutique: Shop everything you need for your wedding event through Zola’s boutique - your wedding accessories, decoration materials, rope & sleepwear, party favours, fashion jewelry, party gifts, and many more in one place.
Gift registry with zero shipping costs: You can integrate your registry right into your Zola wedding website. Manage and make your registry shoppable right from the Zola website or app. Zola’s registry also offers zero-fee cash funds.
Community: Zola has the largest and most supportive online community where engaged couples come together to ask questions, get advice, and celebrate every wedding planning win.
Contact Collector: Zola's contact collector is the hassle-free way to collect contact info from your guests. Get guest info by sharing one link and manage communication with your guests via text or email. Zola's contact collector integrates with your guest list and save the dates/invites.
CONS
Shipping Registry Gift items are only available within the United States.
To use a custom domain name for your website, you will need to purchase a domain at $14.95US
Fonts and colour schemes cannot be altered.
PRICING
5. MINTED WEDDING WEBSITE
A MINTED WEDDING WEBSITE IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BUILDERS AROUND WITH A WIDE RANGE OF DESIGNS CREATED BY INDEPENDENT ARTISTS AND DESIGNERS.
COUPLES USING A MINTED WEDDING WEBSITE HAVE OPTIONS WHEN PLANNING AND ORGANISING MULTIPLE PRE AND POST-WEDDING EVENTS WITH MATCHING WEDDING STATIONERY AVAILABLE TOO. A MINTED WEDDING WEBSITE IS A PREMIUM OFFERING, WITH CUSTOM PAGES, EASY ADDRESS COLLECTION AND A PHOTO GALLERY, THAT’S FREE.
KEY FEATURES & BENEFITS
Over 1400+ website templates: Building your wedding website with Minted means you have a huge range of design options and theme choices. This is awesome if you’re looking for something unique and special. Also, each Minted website comes with matching stationery such as invitations, menus, thank you cards, place cards, and other paper stationery.
Track and manage multiple events: Take, for instance, you have a bridal shower coming up as well as a rehearsal dinner, but with different guests specifically invited for each. You can easily manage the two events in one click and make each viewable only to the corresponding invitees simultaneously.
A universal guest list with integrated envelope addressing: a Minted wedding website lets you collect, gather, and organise your guest details (emails and phone numbers ) into a trackable resource. You can use this list to address and personalise envelopes, including your wedding invitations, thank-you cards, and place cards.
Travel, accommodation, and local attractions: Minted wedding website offers an option to make in-town travel accommodation reservations for your guests. Make it more appealing by suggesting good hotels, private cabs, luxury restaurants, exotic bars, and other fun attractions that out-of-town guests can explore when they arrive for your big day.
CONS
A custom URL costs an additional $15USD
Selecting a website design from a pool of over 1400 templates can sometimes feel overwhelming and also time-consuming.
PRICING
Minted offers a Free Plan, a Wedding Website Service ($49USD) with an expert from Minted’s Wedding Concierge team (includes upgrade to a custom URL $15 value), and Original Artwork for your wedding website by a designer at $270USD.
Final Thought
Your wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and weddings have changed in the last few years. It’s now important to have a central online presence where your guests can find all the info they need when they need it. Relying on social media sites like Facebook to post information, can lead to confusion and potential privacy issues. This is where a wedding website builder helps tremendously!
Ultimately, the benefits of having a wedding website cannot be overemphasised as it can save you money, time, and stress. They are fast becoming a necessary planning tool for soon-to-be-wed couples.
So, if you're looking for a better means to stay organised and on budget, you might just want to consider a wedding website builder to free up your time to experience the fun and freedom of the leadup to your wedding as much as the big day!
