You're engaged! Congratulations! In order to spread the exciting news forget the phone chain that your mom is planning and create a wedding website filled with all the information you're dying to share and your guests can't wait to read -- like how much of a discount you can get them at the hotel? And where you're registered so they can buy you a gift you actually want?
Today, you no longer need to be, or marrying, a web developer to create a chic site filled with all the essentials:
Your Love Story: To share how you met and fell in love
A Who's Who of the Bridal Party: Because who doesn't want to know!
The Fine Details: Where and when you'll wed
Gift Guidance: The shops and sites you've registered at
Guest Book: So friends and family can write how cute you two look in your engagement photos
There are dozens of websites and tools you can use to create a stylish-looking wedding site a/k/a "wedsite" with costs ranging from free to a few hundred dollars.
Want a site to match the look and feel of your wedding stationery? Pick a company that has templates through a stationery designer like NearlyWeds and WeddingWire (Wedding Paper Divas) or AppyCouple and theknot.com (Minted). Want a site that will crowdsource wedding photos? Try WeddingWoo. And for couples who want more than just a "flat" site, create a Google+ account so you can "Hangout" with the bridal party and vendors to make important decisions and post links to key information, or make a digital magazine of your love story and wedding plans with GLOSSI, which you can embed into a site or just share the link for guests to flip through.
Here's a snapshot of some of the best websites and tools to help you make the ultimate wedsite:
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| Wedding Woo |
Stemming from a couple�s desire to create a customized wedsite for their own wedding, the team behind
WeddingWoo developed a site for couples who want an easy way to create a fully customized wedding website. Each of their templates can be customized with a full-page background photo.
Favorite Feature: WeddingWoo helps its customers create their own wedding hashtag, so all of the tagged photos in Instagram are automatically displayed on the couple�s wedding website for easy crowd sourced photos. All pictures can easily be downloaded.
Pricing: Free for a 7-day trial, then customers can choose a 1-year plan for $39 or a 2-year plan for $59.
Privacy Policy: Password protection option available
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| Appy Wedding |
Unique to other sites,
Appy Couple offers a mobile app which syncs in real time with your website. The app includes push messaging, photo sharing, wedding countdown clock, travel details and more, giving your wedding guests all the details for your big day in the palm of their hands.
Favorite Feature: Guests can take photos using the app at any wedding-related event and they�ll be uploaded to your app�s gallery page for everyone to see.
Partnerships: Appy Couple is partnered with FineStationery, Wedding Paper Divas, and Minted, so your wedding app and site can coordinate with your wedding stationery.
Price: Couples are charged $28 to create an app and website. The app is free for guests to download.
Privacy Policy: Couples can decide what they want each person to access, allowing them to post private events that only invited guests can see. Couples can also decide if they want their site to be searchable online or if they choose to be in the Appy Couple directory.
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| Riley and Grey |
Just launched
Riley & Grey is an invitation-only site, which offers limited-edition designs with custom domains that are simply stunning to look at, filled with all the need-to-know info your guests are looking for, and available on the go with mobile and tablet friendly versions too. The web 3.0 designs are inspired by various themes, including of the moment Gatsby (shown here) or filled with personal images of the happy couple.
Favorite Feature: Riley & Grey allows you to include a range of functionality to your wedsite, including RSVP collection, a guest address collector, and site support through a live person who can answer questions as well as walk you through site setup.
Price: Three pricing structures, include: a $35 monthly fee, an annual fee of $240 (40% savings), or if your wedding is over a year away, you can reserve a design (they are retired every few months) and custom domain for a one-time $35 fee, which will be put towards your account when you decide to publish the site.
Privacy Policy: Password protection feature available.
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| Wedding Jojo |
With a watercolor design,
Wedding Jojo automatically gives off a warm, romantic vibe. There are two site options to choose from: The �Taster� offers limited features, and the �Full Slice� offers unlimited photo storage, custom domain, and your own wedding blog to update friends and family with planning news.
Favorite Feature: The selection of template designs range from vintage to modern, including geometric and floral patterns in a wide range of pretty colors.
Partnerships: Several templates were designed by the team at
Martha Stewart Weddings.
Pricing: Free or $14.99/month for the �Full Slice� plan.
Privacy Policy: With the premium plan privacy options include: Password protection, disabling search engine indexing, and per guest privacy options.
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| The Knot |
With over 100 designs to choose from�styles coordinate with the hottest names in wedding stationery�
theknot.com offers couples personalized wedding websites for free. In addition to the desktop version, your site is seamlessly translated into a mobile site that will work with guests� iPhone or Android. You can also sync your weddingchannel.com or theknot.com registries so family and friends can easily shop for engagement, shower, and wedding gifts.
Favorite Feature: With the Capsule album feature guests can upload and share photos they take with their iPhone, Android or via their Instagram account at the wedding and other pre- and post-wedding events. All the images are aggregated into one account so you can see everyone�s favorite shots in one place.
Partnerships: With sites inspired by invites available at Minted, Paperless Post, and Wedding Paper Divas you can easily coordinate your wedsite with your wedding invitation and other stationery elements.
Pricing: Free, with upgrade options for $19.99.
Privacy Policy: The first page of the site is always public but users can choose to password protect the other pages.
