The Definitive Guide to Wedding Websites & Why to Create One!

Two young architects from Chennai, living in Singapore and looking to conquer the world eventually decide to get married. Further, dealing with varying time zones, geographies, and a guest list that spanned continents, all they wanted was an invitation that was easy, explanatory, and elaborate. Hence, they found the perfect solution with a wedding website. 

“Our website was the only invite we really needed! Firstly, our guests got to know a bit about us, our ceremonies, our gift preferences, and secondly, they could RSVP right here. It was absolutely perfect,” says Srinidhi, who created a customized website for her wedding to Prashanth.

And that’s the reason the trend of wedding websites has rapidly become a norm. Wedding Websites are not only convenient, customized, cost-effective but they are eco-friendly indeed. The big fat Indian wedding is all about making sure that every guest has the time of their life.

In fact, at this age of digital and technological innovation, there are so many ways you can go about making your guests truly a part of your celebration. More importantly, a wedding website is the most effective way to do this. 

What Are Wedding Websites?

It’s a website created for the sole purpose of your wedding, with your very own customized URL. You can add information like the story of how you met, functions and their details, Google Map locations, dress codes, and also, a gift registry, travel information, RSVP forms, and more.

Above all, you can fill this up with pictures, notes, and even a guest book and make it truly yours. It’s a great way to share information in detail with your guests.

Why Create a Wedding Website?

Now that you know what a wedding website is, you’re definitely thinking of what purpose it solves. So, here are a few reasons why you need to create a wedding website:

#1. It’s a Great Way to Share Your Story

Wedding Websites are a great way to share a meet-cute story with your guests and, make them a part of the experience too! Also, you can share your thoughts about the wedding with guests in a much more elaborate manner. If you’re looking to have an environmentally-conscious wedding, tell your guests about it so they can participate wholeheartedly. 

#2. It Makes Wedding Planning Easy

A wedding website with the inbuilt RSVP Manager sure does make wedding planning even easier. With customizable RSVP forms, you can manage RSVPs, meal preferences, stay assignments, and much more! You’ll have a ballpark on the number of guests attending your wedding and can plan accordingly. Also, instead of getting a ton of calls for directions on the day of the wedding and other ceremonies, use the in-built map navigation system on wedding websites.

#3. It makes virtual celebration easy

If you are planning to live-stream your wedding then a wedding website is a great platform to host it. You can also integrate your website with a virtual guest party, so your guests can socialize as they watch the live stream.

Your guests can also purchase a wedding gift for you from the comfort of their homes. Simply enable the gift registry and add your desired products.

#4. It’s Cost-effective

The wedding website is really cost-effective, especially for out-of-town guests. At a typical Indian wedding, it’s a given you’ll have out-of-town guests or in fact, there are even people flying in from outside of the country. So, instead of spending a lot of money on sending out physical wedding cards to each one of them, spend close to no money on a wedding website and a cheerful invitation call. 

#5. It’s Informative for Your Guests

After the wedding invitation is sent, you never know what happens with or to it. There’s a high chance that guests misplace it or it gets damaged. So, instead, opt for a wedding website so that all the information is available to your guests with just a click!

#6. It’s Eco- Friendly

It is high time we get conscious about the environment and cut down on producing waste as much as we can. So, instead of sending out physical wedding invitations, wedding websites make for a great choice. You can add as much information as you like, there’s no couriering required and you can keep updating the information as and when needed.

How to Create Wedding Websites?

Today, you have a million options for literally everything. That’s not too far off when it comes to wedding websites. So choose a platform that works for you and has everything that’s important to you. Generally, there are 3 easy steps to create wedding websites and they are:

#1. Choose the template you love.

#2. Add all the details and customize it to suit your taste.

#3. Add the virtual services you need.

#4. Share the website!

If you have all the information on hand when creating your website literally takes just about an hour or two. Another awesome thing about wedding websites is that you can keep updating information.

Platforms to Consider When Creating a Wedding Website

You’re spoilt for choice when it comes to wedding websites. But do you really know which one has the best features or is best suited for what you have in mind? There are many platforms that literally offer everything on a silver platter but they charge you a significant amount. But having spent so much money on your wedding, a wedding website is something you can save money on and create for free.

So, instead of spending hours researching which is the best place to create a wedding website, here’s all the information you need to choose one!

Key Considerations	Wedding Wishlist	Wix	Weebly	The Knot	Wedding Wire
Free personalized URL	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Wedding App	✔	✖	✖	✔	✖
D-I-Y Customisation	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Matching Invitations	✔	✖	✖	✔	✖
Indian Themes	✔	✖	✖	✖	✔
Free Music	✔	✖	✖	✖	✖
Built-in Easy Sharing Options	✔	✖	✖	✔	✔
Responsive Web Design	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Easy User Interface	✔	✔	✔	✔	✖
Password Protection	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
RSVP Manager	✔	✖	✖	✖	✖
Free RSVP Form & Guestbook	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Map Navigation	✔	✔	✔	✖	✔
Guest Specific URL	✖	✖	✖	✔	✖
Integration with Virtual Servies	✔	✖	✖	✖	✖

Answer and Abhijit had created their wedding website on Wix but for their gift registry they had to use a third-party service, in their case, Wedding Wishlist with their site.

In their own words- “ We initially didn’t have the idea of creating a gift registry. By the time we got around to creating one at Wedding Wishlist, we had already sent out the link to a select few. But if we had to go back and change things, we would’ve definitely created our website at Wedding Wishlist. It would’ve just made a lot of sense to have everything in one place.”

For a step-by-step guide to create a wedding website on Wedding Wishlist, click here! To view a sample wedding website click here!

What to Do and Not to Do with Your Wedding Website

#1. Your Story

Do: Make use of your wedding website to share your story with the guests. Share a meet-cute story and also, give them a glimpse into your journey.

Don’t: Don’t get into TMI territory, where the cheesiness just won’t stop. Instead, stick with the basics and you’ll do great!

#2. The Details of Your Functions

Do: Given that a wedding website is informative that’s a pretty obvious point. So, do include information about the different functions like the venue, time, address, map, and even the dress code. Moreover, you can also elaborate on the significance of the different functions. 

Don’t: Don’t make a mistake when it comes to the time, date, and venue of the function. Make sure that they are the same as the invites you’re sending out.

#3. Your Gift Registry

Do: Include your gift registry with your website as it’s beneficial to you as well as your guests. Not only you get the gifts you actually want but also, your guests need not worry about what to get you. We’re sure they’d like to gift you something you love and will actually use. So, just let them know what you want and make things easier.

To begin with, you can include a short and sweet message telling your guests why you’ve opted for the registry and will appreciate getting you gifts from it as the concept is fairly new in India.

Don’t: In any case, don’t send out your registry link separately and your wedding website separately. Instead, integrate your registry in your website. 

#4. Rsvp

Do: You must definitely have Rsvp forms on your website since the guests can easily respond and let you know if they can make it to your wedding.

Don’t: What you must not do is entirely rely on it. Besides, it’s just a way for you to get an idea of the number of guests attending.

#5. Guestbook

Do: You should definitely have a guestbook where your guests can leave you messages. We’re sure they’ll perk you up and you can also use this later on to send out your thank you cards.

Don’t: Don’t use your guestbook as an RSVP tool so just stick to the RSVP form. 

#6. Travel Guide

Do: You should definitely have a travel guide to let the guests know where they are being put up, from where they are being picked up, and so on, especially if it’s a destination wedding. 

Don’t: What you should not do is have only that information. Make a little travel guide for the city like the best places to visit, the best places to eat, and so on so that the guests can make the best use of their downtime. 

When to Share Your Wedding Website

Sharing your website is very easy but, just make use of the built-in sharing options to share your website with your guests. Generally, people share the website along with their save-the-dates. As soon as the venue and dates are set you can just share the website and keep updating it. Also, send out a reminder mail or message 8-4 weeks before the wedding, depending on your guest list.

More importantly, make sure to send out the reminder 8 weeks before the wedding with the guests who have to fly in and with the rest 4 weeks before will do. 

Wedding Website Templates You’ll Love

So, now that you know all about wedding websites, here are a few wedding website templates you’ll absolutely love from the platforms mentioned above.

#1. Wedding Wishlist

A brand that has established itself as the trusted brand of choice for all things wedding, Wedding Wishlist. Not only they have a great user interface, flexibility, and personalization options, but also the website design gallery reflects the essence of Indian weddings that are missing in other platforms. 

#2. Wix

It is an intuitive platform that gives you options based on the kind of site you want to create but their designs are not specific to weddings. Particularly, if you’re planning to create a gift registry (a must-have these days), you’ll anyway have to create it on another platform and integrate it here. So, save yourself the integration hassle and create everything in one platform. 

#3. The Knot

The wedding website provider, the Knot is a well-known brand but the templates do not offer Indian themes. Weddings are generally where culture and tradition are celebrated, so your wedding website should reflect that. 

#4. Wedding Wire

They may be well-known in India however, you have just a handful of wedding website templates options. The interface is not user-friendly and you’ll just spend a lot of time creating a good wedding website that you honestly could spend on planning your dream wedding instead. 

#5. Weebly

It may be a great platform to put up blogging or a sales website but it is just not suited to weddings. Firstly, the options are too limited and secondly, there’s not enough support to create an awesome wedding website.

Have any questions regarding wedding websites or need some tips and ideas to plan an intimate wedding during the corona pandemic? Join our exclusive WhatsApp group for couples by clicking here!

Refer a CoupleCreate Your Free Wedding Website

Photo credits: Srinidhi & Prashant, Answer & Abhijit, The Wedding Wishlist, The Knot, Wedding Wire, Wix, and Weebly