Having a website for your wedding is a great way to share information about your special occasion. Think of it as a dynamic invitation that allows you to include information that’s important to your wedding day. Wedding guest list, photo gallery, registry, and hotel booking information are just some of the features you’ll find on most wedding websites today.
There are many options to having your wedding website created but what you choose should be determined on your needs and overall vision for your site.
Wedding Website Services
Wedding website services like The Knot and Zola are free and in addition, to wedding website builders they focus on providing services centered around planning a wedding. They include wedding registry apps that connect directly to big brands such as Bed Bath & Beyond, Amazon, Crate & Barrel and many others. Need to block hotel rooms? No problem you can do it right from their site and reserve a block of rooms at most major hotels.
These services tend to be the first choice because they are easy to use and in most cases, you can have your site up and running in an afternoon. The downside is that you have to use their prebuilt wedding website templates which are ok for most people, but if you want something distinctive and more creative this may not be the option for you.
Pros: Free, Easy to use, Lots of, Features,
Cons: Limited customization
(Recommended)
Hire a Web Designer
Hiring a web designer is the best option if you want to customize the design, layout, and functionality of your site. Say for example you’re having a themed wedding and you would like your site to match the theme or you want to blog as a way to give your guest a peek behind the scenes as you prepare for your big day, uploading picture, personal videos, etc. a customized website would be the way to go.
This can get expensive and it’s not as easy to use as the previously mentioned wedding website services. You’ll need to purchase hosting, an SSL certificate and provide an official site privacy policy if you plan on gathering guest personal information. Having said that, if your not one to follow the crowd and you want your wedding website to stand out, an artistically designed wedding website can have a lasting impact if you’re willing to invest.
Pros: No limitation of design or functionality.
Cons: Expensive, Requires ongoing support.
Drag and Drop Sites
Drag and drop website platforms such as Wix and Squarespace are an option if you want more creative control but don’t want to invest in a fully customized site. They fit between the previous two options and while there not as easy to use as wedding website services they do offer customizable templates or you can create your site from scratch. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to create the site on your own, but contrary to their ads you do need to have a basic understanding of design and internet technologies. There are many freelances and website design firms that will work on these platforms often at a fixed rate or reduced cost.
Pros: Customizable, Cost-Effective ($29 per month), Easy to maintain
Cons: Lacks some features, Not easy to use.
Conclusion
For most people choosing a wedding website service like The Knot or Zola is the best option. The services are free and they provide all the tools needed to publish your site. Of course, there are many options to choose from but we’ve found The Knot and Zola to be among the best of those options.