Web design

5 Steps for Creating a Website for Your Wedding

Creating a website on which you can record everything to do with your wedding is a fantastic idea. This is because it’s a great way to keep guests informed before the day, manage RSVPs, and share the experience with those who aren’t able to make it. There are many services offering free or cheap templates for wedding-themed websites that make it easy for you to get your own one up and running. To help get you on track, here are five simple steps to creating a beautiful website for your wedding.

1. Choose a wedding-themed website builder

The first step to creating your website involves deciding on the right service to use based on what you want to achieve with your site. For example, if you want a website with both information and journal entries, you’ll need a service that allows you to create a blog section.

Some website builders also give the option to choose a subdomain name or to link your website with your own domain. With that in mind, here are some DIY wedding website builders you could start exploring:

Find the best service that allows you to modify your template until you’re happy with the look and feel of it.

2. Spruce up your template

This is where the fun begins! Upload a photo of you and your partner and play around with the colors, fonts, backgrounds, headers, and slides until you find a look that works well with your wedding theme. Websites like PicMonkey and Canva allow you to edit your photos and design your own custom images.

Some website builders let you add widgets, plugins, and codes so you can modify your website further. You could, for example, add a countdown clock to get guests excited or link the page to a corresponding Facebook event.

You could also add some quotes throughout the website, but just be careful not to clutter your website. BrainyQuote is a great place to find some inspiring wedding quotes.

3. Create your pages

Use your website to provide guests with all the information they need about your wedding. Make sure, however, to hide information that you only want invited guests to see, as your website will be public. One option to do this is to set certain pages to ‘Private’ and give guests a password that allows them to view the page. Other people will only be able to view what you make public.

Here are some ideas for pages you could include on your website:

  • Home – Publish a quick introduction that declares your excitement about tying the knot, and tell guests how often they should expect updates from you.
  • Our wedding – Include subpages or subheadings for sections like ‘Our Story’ and ‘Other Events’.
  • Details – Include details like location, time, dress code, accommodation, and transportation. Remind guests of cut-off dates for booking accommodation if they’re choosing to stay at the reception venue.
  • Gallery – Upload some milestone photos of the two of you. If you’re displaying a slideshow at your wedding, make sure to keep your website gallery unique to avoid duplication.
  • Registry/gifts – Show guests how and what to buy, contribute, or donate for your wedding. Put links up for your registry or photos that show gift ideas and suggestions.
  • Contact – Invite guests to email their questions or send good wishes. Remember those unable to attend and give them the chance to say a little something.
  • Blog – If you’re blogging as well, set up a blog section.
  • RSVP – Many free wedding website builders offer the option to collect RSVPs from your guests. Use this to make keeping track of RSVPs much easier.

4. Launch your website

Congratulations, your website is now ready for launch! Once it’s live you only need to update it when you have something new to share.

Many wedding website builders let you and your readers share pages to Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest from your dashboard. You can also use external sharing tools to link your website from your social media profiles. And you never know, sharing your page on social media might even lead to opportunities for you to start a side business in wedding planning by creating websites for weddings!

5. Send an update after the wedding

Once you’ve tied the knot, it’s time to update the website with photos from the wedding and honeymoon. If your professional photographs aren’t ready, use guest photos and videos to show everyone a sneak peek of what’s to come.

Also, include a “Thank You” page to express how much you appreciated everyone’s attendance. After some time you can set your website to private, print an eBook, or just leave it online to inspire other couples and commemorate your wedding day.

What’s next?

A website provides your guests with everything they need to know about your wedding. This means that once your website is created, you can reduce your time spent answering guests’ questions and instead focus on all the other important parts of planning your wedding, including flowers, dresses and suits, rings and more.

If you have any questions, please ask below!