Are you looking for a website builder for your upcoming wedding?
If so, we understand how overwhelming it can be with so many wonderful free (and paid!) builders available!
So when it comes to choosing the best wedding website builder, how do you decide which one is right for your specific needs?
We’re glad you asked!
In this post, we discuss the best wedding website builders out there and how to choose the perfect one for your big day!
Table of Contents
What is a wedding website builder used for?
If you are just dipping your toes into the water when it comes to wedding planning, you may not know a ton about wedding websites or how they are built.
In this section, we will discuss what these websites are used for and what you need to know about using a wedding website builder.
Wedding website 101
Wedding websites are a platform where you can provide guests with everything that they need to know about your big day.
This can include the basics such as date, time, and location, as well as more detailed information that may not fit in a traditional wedding invitation such as registry details, background on your love story, directions to your wedding venue, suggested lodging options, and more!
Having a website that displays all of these details sounds like a pretty great idea, right?
However, if you are like most people out there, you probably have no idea where to start when it comes to building a website.
Fortunately, a variety of modern and convenient wedding website builders have popped up in recent years, making the process of creating a website incredibly easy — even for those who aren’t tech savvy!
How does a wedding website benefit me?
We discussed above how a website can benefit your guests, but what about you?
Well, knowing exact numbers for everything can be super helpful and cost-effective.
For example, let’s say you are planning to purchase sparklers for your wedding send off.
You can go into the backend of the website and see just how many people have RSVP’d, allowing you to save money by only ordering the amount that you need.
This goes the same for supplies, food, seating, etc.
Now you could tally it all up with the physical RSVP’s if you plan to send those out, but why not let a website do it all for you!?
The best wedding website features
Some of the most popular features of wedding site builders include:
- Managing RSVPs for the wedding rehearsal, reception, and other related events
- Providing guests with specific wedding details
- Giving guests lodging information (including info on discounted rates, reserved blocks, etc.)
- Including detailed directions and embedding maps
- Sharing your love story
- Publishing engagement photos
- Introducing your guests to your wedding party
- Managing your online registries in one place
- Creating an interactive online space for guests to celebrate your big day
FIRST-TIME BRIDE'S WEDDING PLANNING CHECKLIST
Wedding website comparison
Now that you know a little bit more about what wedding website builders are used for, you are probably wondering how to find the best builder for your specific needs.
With what seems like a new wedding planning tool popping up every day, this can be tricky!
Fortunately, we did the hard work for you and tested out eight of the best wedding websites out there.
Read on to learn what we loved about each site, the drawbacks of each platform, and real-life examples of each platform in action!
Joy
Joy is revolutionizing the world of wedding planning with their sleek, modern and inventive wedding websites.
Our favorite things about Joy
- One great thing about Joy wedding websites is that they include a mobile app that works for both iPhones and Androids. Their app allows busy couples to update their website quickly and easily and even sends push notifications to alert you to RSVPs and other important actions on your wedding website.
- Joy also offers hundreds of lovely wedding website templates that can be mixed and matched to create your dream wedding website.
- Joy websites include the unique ability for guests to upload their own photos to your website, creating a fun, interactive platform leading up to, during, and after your big day!
- You have the option to create save the dates and wedding invitations that match the theme or your site.
- Their website builder is one of the easiest ones to use.
Cons of Joy wedding websites
We love this sleek platform.
However, it doesn’t offer the diversity of wedding templates that you will find on some competitor’s sites.
If these templates fit your design style, then great, but if they don’t, this may not be the wedding website builder for you.
A real-life example of a Joy wedding website
It all sounds great, but we are guessing you want to see what a Joy wedding website actually looks like in real life.
Fortunately, the first couple to ever used Joy has allowed the company to show us all a sample of their wedding website using two of their customizable templates!
Our takeaway on Joy wedding websites
The Knot
One of the most well-known wedding website builders out there, TheKnot.com is one of our favorite free wedding website builders.
Our favorite things about TheKnot.com
- The Knot’s wedding websites tool offers users 160 free website designs to choose from. The templates are stylish and modern with something for pretty much every design style you can imagine.
- Another great thing about their websites is that they are extremely easy to create and use — a major bonus for those of us that don’t have a Ph.D. in web design.
- The Knot’s websites are also easy for guests to navigate — whether they are RSVPing, browsing your registry, or grabbing last-minute details for your wedding.
- A mobile app is available which is ideal for couples planning their wedding on-the-go!
- For couple’s registering with multiple retailers, TheKnot.com’s easy registry feature seamlessly syncs all of your registers into one easy-to-use platform that takes the headache out of wedding gift shopping for your guests.
- We love the new interactive feature from The Knot, which pulls and adds photos to your wedding website based on your wedding hashtag!
Downsides of The Knot wedding websites
- Although the Knot’s free websites are lovely, the site does require a paid subscription of $19.99/month if you want a custom domain, so this might not be the best option if a custom URL is super important to you.
- The Knot offers a lovely selection of free wedding website templates, however, they are not customizable. Because of this, if customization is important to you, this might not be the best choice.
A real-life example of TheKnot.com’s wedding websites
Looking for The Knot wedding website examples? We love this personal and easy-to-use website that Samantha Carish and Taylor Sinclair built as The Knot Dream Wedding couple for their 2015 wedding in Sonoma, CA.
Our takeaway on The Knot wedding websites
Zola
The modern solution to wedding planning, Zola states that their mission is “reinventing the wedding planning and registry experience to make the happiest moment in our couples’ lives even happier.”
And in our opinion, their free and easy-to-use wedding planning tools are doing just that!
Our favorite things about Zola
- Zola offers 148 professionally designed wedding website templates — all of which are entirely customizable to your exact needs (color scheme included!).
- Another benefit of a Zola wedding website is that their RSVP platform allows you to not only collect RSVPs from your guests in an easy online format, but also meal preferences, song requests, and more! This streamlines the RSVP process in a way that is super convenient for both guests and the bride and groom.
- Have a specific domain name in mind? Zola also allows couples to purchase custom domain names through their online design platform.
- According to the wedding experts at Woman Getting Married, “One thing we REALLY love about using a Zola wedding website is that you can seamlessly connect your Zola wedding registry to your site, meaning guests never have to be directed off of it.” This makes creating a register easier for you, and wedding shopping that much simpler for your guests!
- Oh and did we mention it is completely FREE?
Cons of Zola
Zola wedding websites are one of our favorite website builders out there.
However, the main drawback of the platform is that the website templates lack customization options and also do not allow for custom domains.
Because of this, we don’t recommend Zola to couples that want an extremely customized website with a custom URL.
A real-life example of a Zola wedding website
If you want to see how a Zola wedding website works in real life, we highly suggest this tutorial from wedding photographer, Edit Vasadi.
In her 24-minute tutorial Edit explains everything you need to know about creating a Zola wedding website and allows you to see exactly how the platform works in real life.
Our takeaway on Zola wedding websites
Minted
This beautiful online marketplace that makes “unique designs by independent artists” accessible to the general public is a design lover’s dream come true.
Our favorite things about Minted
- Perfect for those obsessed with design, Minted offers users over 1,000 wedding website designs to choose from. There is something everyone will love in the site’s diverse selection of styles.
- Sifting through 1,000+ designs can sound overwhelming, so we LOVE that Minted features an easy-to-use platform that allows you to sort their offerings by style, color, and even season!
- Another reason a Minted website is a perfect choice for a design lover is that the company offers a special feature that allows you to match your wedding website to your invitations, programs, and other wedding designs. This is a totally unique feature that you won’t find on most wedding website platforms.
Drawbacks of Minted.com
Although Minted offers free wedding websites, users do need to upgrade to a “premium” status to unlock certain features such as a custom URL and website privacy.
However, it is only a one-time fee of $20, which won’t break the bank.
The Minted wedding website platform also doesn’t include as many interactive features as other options out there.
A real-life example of a Minted wedding website
When it came to planning her wedding, Ali, the blogger behind the popular food blog Gimme Some Oven, opted for a Minted.com wedding website.
We are big fans of her Minted wedding website design with matching stationery as well as her custom URL www.GiveMeSomeWedding.com.
Ali’s review of her experience working with Minted is a wonderful resource for couples considering building their wedding website on this platform.
Our takeaway on Minted wedding websites
FIRST-TIME BRIDE'S WEDDING PLANNING CHECKLIST
Wix
As a leader in the web development world, Wix strives to “make it easy for everyone to create a beautiful, professional web presence,” so it is no surprise that the company’s Weddings & Celebration Templates feature cutting-edge designs for those from every walk of life.
What we like about Wix
- Wix recently introduced a Wix Events app that makes it easy for busy couples to plan their wedding on the go. The allows couples to choose from custom templates, manage invites, and review RSVPs without ever needing to sit down at a computer!
- This website builder is also extremely user-friendly, making it a great option for those of us that aren’t the most tech-savvy.
- Since Wix is known for their web design all of their templates are extremely customizable ensuring you get exactly what you are looking for. This makes Wix a great option for those that are picky about web design or have a super specific design in mind.
Drawbacks of Wix wedding websites
Since Wix does not primarily focus on weddings, their wedding websites don’t have some of the wedding-specific features that other platforms include.
For instance, Wix sites do not include a wedding registry integration, which means more work for you when adding registry details to your site.
The platform also requires a paid subscription to eliminate the “Wix” banner on your website.
A real-life example of a Wix wedding website
Ready to see a Wix wedding template in action?
We love this Wix wedding website from New Yorkers Nikki and David.
Their dreamy site incorporates the company’s parallax scrolling feature which makes the site modern and easy for guests to navigate.
Our Wix wedding website takeaway
Squarespace
Similar to Wix, Squarespace is one of the most popular sources for accessible web development out there, with the goal of helping users “share their stories and create an impactful, stylish, and easy-to-manage online presence,” and their wedding websites don’t disappoint.
Things we like about Squarespace
- Squarespace wedding templates make it easy to create a customized cash gift registry or to easily embed or link registries from retailers so that your guests can do their shopping seamlessly through your website.
- Every Squarespace wedding website comes with a free custom domain, which allows couples a little extra room for personalization and creativity when thinking up a URL.
- One of the greatest things about Squarespace is how quick and convenient it is to build a wedding website through their platform. The templates are seamless making it painless to get a wedding website up and running in less than 24 hours.
- Squarespace is also highly customizable allowing couples to create a one-of-a-kind website that fits their exact tastes.
Drawbacks of Squarespace wedding websites
This platform only offered eight wedding templates to choose from.
Although all of the options were modern and well designed, this might not be the best option for couples that want a lot of options to choose from.
Another drawback of Squarespace is that it is not free.
However, they do offer a free 14-day trial to new users that allows couples to test out the platform before investing.
A real-life example of a Squarespace wedding website
We wanted to see what a Squarespace wedding website looked like in action, so we were excited to find that the site features some of their favorite sites, like this one for Daren and Carlos’ colorful 2017 wedding in Savannah, GA.
Our Squarespace wedding website takeaway
Nearlyweds
Similar to Minted, Nearlyweds is a wonderful option for the design-obsessed who want their website to match their stationary.
This platform offers a variety of website designs all of which come with the option of matching invitations.
What we like about Nearlyweds
- As previously mentioned, one thing we love about this platform is that it includes matching wedding invitations — a lovely feature for those that want their website and wedding stationery to match.
- Another great thing about a Nearlyweds wedding website is that they allow users to add as many pages as they want. This is a great feature for those that want to add a lot of content to their wedding website such as a story, bridal party details, and more.
- We also like that Nearlyweds websites are interactive, allowing guests to leave comments on photos, blog posts, and more.
The cons of a Nearlyweds website
Although there are many benefits of Nearlyweds, we found their design templates to be less modern and sleek than other wedding website builders on the market.
Another drawback is that although they do offer free website options, users need to upgrade to a paid account to incorporate RSVPs to multiple events and other useful features into their Nearlyweds wedding website.
A real-life Nearlyweds website
If you want to see what a Nearlyweds website looks like in real life, check out Jaqueline and John’s wedding website from their 2018 wedding in Virginia!
A quick look around this site will give you a feel for the pros and cons of this wedding website builder.
Our Nearlyweds wedding website takeaway
Weebly
Things we like about Weebly
- Weebly websites work beautifully across a variety of platforms including computers, tablets, and phones.
- Their websites can be completely customized to your exact tastes, unlike some of the other wedding website builders that we have tested.
Cons of Weebly wedding websites
Yes, Weebly is a very popular website building for businesses and entrepreneurs.
However, since it is not geared towards weddings, it doesn’t have a lot of the key elements we look for in a wedding website builder like registry integrations and guest list management tools.
When it came to Weebly wedding themes, we didn’t find many options, but the site included many “event” templates that could easily be tailored to a wedding if desired.
A real-life Weebly wedding website examples
Despite being one of the less frequently used wedding website builders, we found this wonderful round up of Weebly wedding sites that prove the platform is just as useful for creating beautiful wedding websites as their competitors.
Our Weebly wedding website takeaway
Tutorials for popular wedding website builders
Have you selected a wedding website builder from the list above?
Great news!
Now it is time to make it your own.
We have compiled some of the best wedding website tutorials on the web to help you get started!
The Knot wedding website tutorial
If you have decided that The Knot’s modern and easy-to-use platform is the one for you, we highly suggest checking out some online tutorials.
We love this tutorial from Cheap Wedding Hacks that walks you through every step of the process from start to finish.
The Knot also has their very own guide on how to create a wedding website using their free wedding website.
Zola wedding website tutorial
Decided to go with Zola’s innovative wedding website builder?
We already shared one of the best tutorials we’ve seen in the “real life Zola wedding” section above.
For further tips and tricks on creating a Zola wedding website, we suggest checking out the company’s Help section which includes detailed to FAQs such as “How do I make a website?” “How do I set up online RSVPs?” and “How do I make my website public or private?”
Minted wedding website tutorial
If you’ve fallen hard for the beautiful designs offered by Minted’s free wedding website builder, we hear you!
For a starting point, we suggest checking out this awesome step-by-step guide on building a Minted wedding website from Love and Lavender.
If you are looking for an online tutorial, this short and sweet video from Tidewater & Tulle will quickly demo everything you need to get started on your free wedding website from Minted.
Joy wedding website tutorial
Ready to test out Joy’s innovative free wedding website platform?
The company features a helpful Joy 101 guide on their website that is a great starting point.
Additionally, this checklist of things to include on a Joy wedding website from Junebug Weddings is a useful resource for couples using Joy’s free wedding website builder.
Wix free wedding website tutorial
For those who have decided Wix is the platform for them, we suggest this video tutorial which will walk you through building a free wedding website on the platform from start to finish.
And although not dedicated to wedding planning, Wix.com does include a helpful post on their blog on creating the perfect wedding website with Wix.
Squarespace wedding website tutorial
If you are ready to get started on a Squarespace wedding website, we strongly suggest reading this blog post from blogger Anna Rova detailing how she created her wedding website via Squarespace in two days.
We also love this tutorial from Jaclyn Auletta which details how to create an RSVP page on the platform.
Nearlyweds wedding website tutorial
Not sure where to start when it comes to your Nearlyweds wedding website?
Fortunately, the company spells out every step in this useful post complete with plenty of screenshots.
If you have the initial set up under control but aren’t sure where to go from there, this YouTube tutorial from the company walks you through adding and editing the content on your free wedding website.
Weebly wedding website tutorial
Last but not least, here is a detailed video on creating a website in Weebly.
Although it is not specific to creating a wedding website, there is a lot of useful information in this video if you are choosing Weebly for your wedding website.
Now that you know everything you ever wanted to know about the best wedding website builders available, what are you waiting for?
It’s time to create the wedding website of your dreams!
