Your Complete Guide to Wedding Websites

Picture this: It’s the week of your wedding and you’re flooded with texts: Guests are asking all the nitty-gritty questions, like when the shuttle is taking them to your venue, and if you got their email about a dietary restriction, and whether their two-year-old they decided to bring last-minute can come to the ceremony... And while of course you want your guests to have the time of their lives at your celebration, this is the last thing you need in the final hours before walking down the aisle. The best way to eliminate these last-minute FAQs? Providing the answers and every other pertinent detail in a customized wedding website.

Wedding websites have become an essential part of planning a wedding in today’s tech-centric world—because how many people are really packing your (albeit gorgeous) paper wedding invitations in their bags when they could have all the information at their fingertips via their phones? Wedding websites serve as online resources that make it easy to communicate with your guests as well as to share photos, videos, and other fun details that will get your loved ones excited for your celebration. 

We here at Carats & Cake like to consider ourselves your one-stop resource for all things wedding planning, vendors, and everything else that makes your wedding possible, which is why we’ve launched our very own wedding website builder with tempalates and customization options for you to create a wedding website that both you and your guests will love. We make it easy to create a wedding website that includes RSVP tracking, custom logos, and your own images and personal information. We’re here to help you make your own wedding websites—regardless of how tech-savvy you may or not be—so that you can communicate clearly and effectively with your wedding party and all those invited to your special day.

You’re likely sick of hearing about the current “wedding boom” and how the estimated 2.5 million weddings expected to take place in 2022 have the potential to affect your plans—not to mention the unpredictability that the pandemic has brought couples for the last two years. In this day and age of last-minute changes and up-to-the-minute updates (not to mention online registries), wedding websites are the ideal way to ensure your guests have all the information they need at a moment’s notice. There’s just no question that wedding websites are a fundamental resource for you, your wedding party, and your invited guests.

This guide will provide you with everything you need to know about building a wedding website, along with wedding website examples that illustrate each component of the site, as well as key points to keep in mind throughout the process. Our signature templates make it easier than ever to build your own wedding website with customization options that feel unique to you and your event. With an intuitive interface and gorgeous, fully-customizable designs, you can build your wedding website quickly, confidently, and beautifully.

Why do you need a wedding website? 

Wedding websites are a one-stop hub for all of the logistics and information related to your reception and ceremony, plus any additional events you’re hosting. Some of the most important reasons to create a wedding website include:

An Information Hub:

By using wedding websites as the most up-to-date destination for details on your wedding venue, event times, and transportation options, you can ensure that all elements of your wedding plans are communicated to your guests. Custom wedding websites are easy to update regularly, and provide accurate information and communication options for you and your guests.

Destination Wedding Details: 

Destination weddings present some special challenges for guests and couples alike. From travel advice to accommodations, wedding websites can provide the detailed information needed to navigate unfamiliar areas and to help those from out of town safely and seamlessly make their way to your wedding—and make the most of their time while they’re in this special place you’ve chosen for your big day.

Additional Events: 

Wedding websites with tiered levels of access can allow your wedding party and other special guests to access information about events designed specifically for them—such as rehearsal dinner details that you only want your wedding party to see. Additionally, your wedding website can use password protection for members of your wedding party to communicate with each other and to share information about wardrobe, coordinating travel, and other special events.

Travel & Accommodations: 

Another solid reason to create a wedding website is to provide details about how to get to your wedding location and the available accommodation options in the area for any guests traveling from out of town. If you have reserved a block of rooms for guests, your wedding website is a great place to provide all the information about discounted rates and how to book. Or if you have arranged a shuttle service to transport your guests to your ceremony and/or reception, wedding websites are the best place to include that schedule.

Last-Minute Information Communication: 

Making sure that all updates to your wedding celebration (like the activation of a back-up rain plan location) are communicated is a much easier task with wedding websites. By advising your guests that the most up-to-date information is available on your wedding website, you can reduce the need for frantic texts and any confusion about when or where guests are supposed to be.

Extra Details (That Don’t Fit on Your Invitations):

There’s only so much room on a little piece of paper, and overcrowding it with a shuttle schedule or footwear recommendations takes away from your talented wedding invitation designer’s work. Wedding websites are  the perfect spot to feature all the information that either doesn’t fit on your printed invitation suite, or that you’d prefer not to include there, like links to your wedding registry. Simply including your wedding website URL on your invitation is the most clear, concise, and visually pleasing option.

Children & Attire: 

Especially when you’re hosting multiple events, having one centralized location where you can specify whether children are invited and what the attire is for each individual event is extremely helpful for your guests. Wedding websites are also the best place to include nitty-gritty attire details, like “portions of the event will take place on grass” so that guests know not to wear their favorite stilettos!

Online Wedding Registries: 

Wedding websites are also ideally suited as the place to share your wedding registry details with your friends and family, and link to them directly. With this feature, you can streamline the gift-giving process for your wedding while monitoring the items as they’re purchased and delivered to you.

RSVPs: 

While the traditional option is to include a response card and self-addressed stamped envelope as part of a printed invitation suite, RSVP wedding websites allow you to collect information about who will be attending each event—as well as catering options and dietary restrictions, which means fewer pieces of paper (and lower costs) for your wedding invitations.

Wedding Invitation Costs & Sustainability: 

Wedding websites can also offer serious benefits for your overall cost and for the environment. By directing guests to a digital hub, you can keep your physical invitations simple (meaning fewer pieces of paper), and provide all the granular details on your site. This will not only bring down the price of your invitation suite, but it will also reduce your carbon footprint. Win, win!

Live-Streams: 

One of the most popular wedding trends for 2022 is live-streaming your ceremony for those who cannot be there in person. What began as a solution during the pandemic, is an option for out-of-town or elderly guests that is likely to stick around. Wedding websites are the ideal location for streaming your ceremony and reception and hosting your videos after the big day.

There’s no question that wedding websites offer many advantages for you and your wedding guests in managing the flow of information and providing the best online destination for receiving responses and answering questions from those who plan to attend your wedding celebration. Carats & Cake’s wedding website templates and innovative wedding website builder make it super easy for you to integrate all of this information into one beautiful, informative resource.

What is included on a wedding website?

Wedding websites are versatile and can be tailored to your specific set of needs. When planning to make your own wedding websites, you may benefit from looking at examples of wedding websites on our site. You may also be able to find top wedding websites among those used by friends and family for their recent weddings. Wherever you find inspiration, these wedding website examples can help you build a wedding website that suits your preferences and that will delight your guests. Some of the most important components of your custom wedding website will include the following:

Wedding Ceremony & Reception Details: 

Visitors to wedding websites are usually looking for specific information about the ceremony, reception, and other events associated with your wedding. Since wedding guests attend an average of two weddings each year and spend about $1,000 for each wedding they attend, making sure that your custom wedding website makes it easy to access this information quickly helps make the experience a positive one for your guests.

Links to Your Wedding Registries: 

Making it easier for guests to find your gift registries via wedding websites can help them to find the perfect gift for a couple’s special day. It's easy to add links to multiple registries via your wedding website rather than having to list more than one store on a printed invitation.

How to Get to Your Wedding—and Where to Stay: 

Especially if many of your guests will be arriving from out of town, you will need to provide some basic information about transportation options, including shuttles, taxi service, and public transportation options. Additionally, listing hotels in the area of your wedding venues and letting your guests know about any blocks of rooms reserved for your wedding can make wedding websites even more useful as they plan their travel for your wedding day.

Things to Do: 

It's always nice to offer suggestions of things for your wedding guests to do and the best places to grab a quick meal or enjoy a sit-down dinner while they are in town. Including this information—especially your personal favorites—can make even the best wedding websites a little bit better, and give your guests a more personalized experience of your wedding destination.

RSVPs: 

As discussed, RSVP wedding websites make it easier to keep track of the number of guests you can expect at each part of your wedding celebration. Wedding websites can even collect information on meal choices and dietary restrictions for sit-down dinners so that you can relay any necessary adjustments to your venue or caterer for your event.

A Photo Gallery

Incorporating images and videos of the happy couple on wedding websites can add an individualized touch to these online information hubs. Along with creating personalized wedding plans, including the couple’s story on custom wedding websites can make the experience feel more bespoke and the wedding websites feel more unique.

Wedding Party Introductions:

Some couples choose to introduce their wedding party on their wedding websites, which can serve as a fun guide to who’s who for those who may not be familiar with the friends and family on both sides.  When planning to create a wedding website, you may want to incorporate a brief introduction and a photo of each of the members of your wedding party as a page on your wedding website.

Creating the best wedding websites will does require some time and effort by you and your partner to collect and craft all the necessary information, but it’s well worth it. By choosing to build your own wedding website, you can ensure that information is communicated with your guests quickly and in the most efficient way possible.

How do you choose a wedding website?

Choosing which wedding websites provider you want to use to build your own wedding website can be overwhelming for some couples. In general, you should look for a wedding website provider who offers a variety of designs that appeal to you in their examples of wedding websites, and who incorporates wedding website templates and a wedding website builder that is easy to use. Some other things to keep in mind when building a wedding website include:

Your Wedding Design: 

While your wedding website may feel like one small part of your celebration, in order to have a cohesive theme you should take into account the color palette and design plan for your stationery, flowers, and other decor—so that on the day of your wedding, your guests feel like they’re “inside” your invitation and website. When browsing all of the many options out there for wedding websites, look for a provider who has designs that complement your event design, such as your tablescape or the other decor details that you have planned. Unique wedding websites begin with a provider who offers a wide variety of options that are fully customizable. It may even be possible to match wedding websites to your invitations and Save the Date cards to create even more cohesion among the various parts of your wedding stationery suite.

Your Wedding Location: 

In addition to matching your website to the decor and overall design of your wedding, the location can help too. Consider the desired look and feel of your big day, and try to make sure your wedding website complements it. For example, a beach wedding could call for a web design that features blues and more neutral tones. Meanwhile, a black-and-white design might be more fitting for a modern wedding in the city. With near-countless options available, you’re sure to find one that works best with the location you’ve selected for your wedding. 

Wedding Websites Functionality:

In addition to aesthetic, it’s important to think about what functionality options you need in a wedding website, since different providers offer different options:

• RSVP Wedding Websites: RSVP wedding websites can streamline the process of tracking who is able to attend your wedding. While these may not be as necessary for intimate weddings or micro weddings, RSVP wedding websites are ideally suited for larger ceremonies. By allowing guests to provide meal choices, dietary restrictions, and the number of people attending, you and your partner can reduce the amount of work that goes into your wedding planning process.
• Email Capabilities: Building a wedding website that can send out emails in the event that information changes at the last minute can make it much easier to keep your guests in the loop for your wedding plans.
• Customizable Designs: Whether you start with wedding website templates or use a wedding website builder, the ability to customize wedding websites can make a significant difference in the look and appeal of your site. Unique wedding websites make the experience feel more personal, and the more options there are to create a custom wedding website, the more seamlessly it can be integrated into your wedding design. Since not all providers of wedding websites offer this capability, it is worthwhile to find one who supports the creation of custom wedding websites for their clients.
• Image Uploads: In recent years, changes in the way couples approach wedding planning have increased the demand for unique wedding websites that reflect a personal touch. The ability to upload wedding monograms, wedding logos, and photos of the soon-to-be-married couple can make wedding websites much more meaningful for the guests of honor and those invited guests who view this online resource.
• Language Options: If your family and friends are coming from a variety of international destinations, it may be particularly essential that any wedding website templates can be viewed in multiple languages. Not every wedding website builder can offer this kind of support, so be sure to ask if it is not listed as a service they provide.

As you’re comparing wedding websites, remember that choosing the right provider can make a significant difference in the quality of your efforts. Before beginning to make your own wedding website, finding a provider who can help you create the perfect version is a key step in the process.

How do you build a wedding website?

Most webpage professionals recommend applying commonly-used design principles for business websites to your wedding website to achieve the best results. In recent years, the wedding industry has also seen an increased focus on putting a spin on traditions and personalizing your celebration. This has led to heightened interest in creating unique wedding websites and integrating the basic principles of website design in a new and exciting way. Understanding the steps involved in building a wedding website can help you streamline page organization-related tasks and create a wedding website you and your guests will love. Here are some of the most important parts of a website and steps in the process of building a wedding website from beginning to end:

Look at Examples of Wedding Websites:

Finding wedding website examples that appeal to you and your partner can help you determine the theme and style you want for your website and your wedding as a whole.

Choose from Wedding Website Templates: 

While taking the time to make wedding websites from start to finish may be an intimidating prospect, wedding website templates can streamline the process. Once you’ve made your choice out of the many wedding website templates, you can then begin the process of creating your own unique work of online art.

Decide on Sections & Settings:

Determining what information will appear on each page of custom wedding websites is a matter of personal preference. While most examples of wedding websites do feature the date, time, location, and names of the happy couple on the front page, you are free to select your own wedding website design settings and sections to suit your event and style.

Compile All the Necessary Information: 

Making sure you have all the most accurate information, including dates, times, venue details, exact addresses, and email addresses for your invited guests where possible can help you to manage wedding planning.

Add Key Details:

Other information you may need to add to your wedding website may include hotel blocks, transportation guidance and wedding registry links. Basically, anything you would want to know when you travel to an unfamiliar city can be part of this section of your website. Even sharing the tiniest detail can make a serious impact. For example, telling guests that a portion of the event will be on grass encourages them to avoid wearing stilettos or other impractical footwear for that particular terrain.

Practice Good Etiquette:

Much of what applies to wedding invitation wording etiquette applies for wedding websites. Sticking to the rules of proper etiquette for your wedding websites and invitations is necessary if you want to make the best impression on your guests. Researching helpful tips for what to do (and not to do) when designing your wedding website can help you to write eloquently and elegantly when creating your custom wedding websites.

Use Your Own Voice:

While good manners on wedding websites are essential, most wedding experts recommend using your own voice when composing the wording of your invitation and website. This can be much more appealing than simply restating the wording put together by your wedding invitation designers or from your formal invitation. The best wedding websites adopt a personal touch that is both inviting and informative for visitors.

Test Your Wedding Website:

Logging into custom wedding websites as a guest can allow you to test the experience and to make sure that everything is working properly before you share it with loved ones.

Publish Your Wedding Website:

One of the last steps in the process is publishing your wedding website, which allows your friends and family members to access the information available from this online resource. Or if you're using a platform that creates a live site immediately, the final step is sharing it with your friends and family!

Update Your Wedding Website Regularly:

Once you have published your wedding website, you can add to or update your website as needed to provide answers to frequently asked questions, to explain changes in times or venues or to provide more information about other weekend events as they are confirmed. Custom wedding websites are the perfect way to communicate with everyone on your guest list quickly and conveniently.

Adding a unique wedding website to your wedding planning checklist can help you make the best impression on guests while ensuring that everyone on your list has the information they need when planning to attend your ceremony and reception. A quick refresher course on wedding etiquette can help you to choose the right wedding website wording and style.

How much do wedding websites cost?

While many news sources are predicting increased costs for wedding necessities this year, wedding websites remain a low-cost way to stay in touch with your invited guests.

The cost of a wedding can vary significantly by location, which makes your wedding website a cost-effective necessity that typically costs less than $20 per month. While we believe there's always value in having a paper wedding invitation—both for the traditional elegance of it and for having a physical keepsake that lasts forever—wedding websites can help you manage invitation costs by utilizing online RSVPs and event details, which can reduce the number of pieces of paper in your invitation suite. 

Traditionally, your wedding invitation suite includes any information about transportation, details about events before or after the wedding (think welcome drinks or a farewell brunch), RSVP cards, and anything else you need your guests to know before your big day—which can mean several pieces of paper, which means higher total wedding invitation costs (and higher postage too). With a wedding website, you can reduce that cost (which could be hundreds of dollars) by featuring those ancillary details online instead. The average cost of a wedding was $20,300 in 2020, and can go up exponentially from there. When looking at your breakdown of wedding expenses, it is worth noting that the cost of your wedding website will likely only represent a small fraction of your overall costs.

How do you get a custom wedding website URL?

Although many providers of wedding websites provide a standard URL or web address as part of their basic service, custom URLs can make it much easier for your friends and family to remember the address of custom wedding websites—and it makes them feel more personal! If you want a custom URL, however, you will likely need to purchase one from a different online resource than your wedding website builder, and will need to come up with wedding website URL ideas that are clever and easy to remember for you and your guests. Here are some of the basics of obtaining a custom URL for wedding websites:

• Your wedding planner may be able to provide guidance on wedding website URL ideas. You can also seek inspiration from friends, family members, and even from examples of wedding websites online. Most of the top wedding websites use custom URLs to increase name recognition and to make it easier to find their sites online.
• One way to make wedding websites more memorable is to use the names of the couple. This can also serve as an easy step toward creating your hashtag for social media. Play around with wedding hashtag generator tools to come up with something fun, personal, and memorable.
• You can also choose a URL after looking at the online addresses of some of the best wedding websites. Seeing what other couples chose for their wedding websites and checking out popular wedding website examples can be great for inspiration.
• You will usually need to purchase URLs for custom wedding websites from a provider that specializes in these services. Once you have secured your URL, you can submit it to your wedding website provider or add it to the wedding website builder in the appropriate place.
• Once you have decided on your URL, you will need to pay for the web address for a specific period of time, usually a year. At the end of the year, you can either renew or cancel your URL to suit your needs.

The right custom URL can make wedding websites even easier to find—and remember. By looking at available examples of wedding websites, you can often find the great ideas for your own custom URL address for your site.

When should you create a wedding website?

Your wedding website should be one of the first tasks you take on when planning for your wedding, but we recommend that you get started at least six months before the big day. Since your website will be a work in progress throughout the preparations for your wedding, you can continue to look at examples of wedding websites and check out top wedding websites to make adjustments and tweak the text and images included in your website. Just like most wedding dresses or suits, the best wedding websites can be altered to fit your needs.

If you are using your website to collect email addresses for digital wedding invitations, you should have it up and running before sending out Save the Date cards that request this information from your guests. You will, of course, need to have a venue or venues reserved and the specific date and time of your wedding ceremony before your wedding website can be finalized. At a minimum, your custom wedding website should be ready when you send out your invitations to your wedding guests (typically six to eight weeks before your wedding).

What else do you need to know about building a wedding website?

Top wedding websites demonstrate an attention to detail and a consideration for the needs of your guests. Looking at popular examples of wedding websites can often help you to find features that you can incorporate into your own website. By taking your cues from the best wedding websites and making these online destinations unique to you and your partner, you can create your own online work of art that will appeal to your guests and will allow you to celebrate your special day in the most positive and seamless way. Here are some additional considerations when building a wedding website:

Optimize for Mobile: 

Many guests may regularly access wedding websites on their smartphones or tablets rather than on a traditional desktop computer. Choosing a provider whose wedding websites are optimized for mobile devices can ensure that your site is available to guests on-the-go.

Implement Security Measures:

Integrating security into your wedding website is necessary to protect your personal information and that of your guests. Log-ins and passwords are the most common way to protect top wedding websites from unauthorized access and intrusion.

Grant Tiered Levels of Access: 

Especially if you are planning additional events and activities for the members of the wedding party or close friends and family, creating tiered access to your website can allow you to control the flow of information and to restrict certain areas to specific guests. Top wedding websites often incorporate this type of security and provide additional details for those with a need to know about certain events or scheduled activities.

Learn from Your Own Guest Experience:

Adapting the ideas you’ve seen on the best wedding websites when you were a guest can help you to create your own masterpiece. We also offer plenty of examples of wedding websites that can be adapted to your own specific set of needs.

These added features for your website can make a real difference in the value of this online resource for your guests, your wedding party, and for you and your partner. Working with our wedding website builder and templates can help you to create the best wedding website for your upcoming celebration.

How do you start creating your wedding website?

Browse our shoppable collection of wedding websites to find examples and guidance in choosing the perfect options for your needs. Our wedding website templates are customizable and can be adapted to your wedding style or matched to your wedding invitations easily and quickly. Since we offer a one-week free trial, you can try out our interface and begin creating your custom wedding website right away before making a commitment. Visit our wedding website partner to start building your custom information hub today.