Planning a wedding in today‘s digital age almost requires creating a wedding website. Your website allows guests to RSVP, access registries, get accommodation info, and more in one place.
With so many wedding website builders to choose from, it can be overwhelming to pick the right one.
In this detailed guide, we‘ll compare the top 8 wedding website platforms based on 15 years of experience building wedding sites. You‘ll learn the pros and cons of each option to confidently choose the best fit.
Let‘s dive in!
Contents
Key Factors in Choosing a Wedding Website Builder
When researching wedding website builders, keep these key factors in mind:
Design and Customization – How much control do you have to tailor the design and layout? Can you customize colors, fonts, themes, etc?
Built-in Features – What useful wedding-focused features like RSVP management, guest list, registries, etc are included?
Ease of Use – Is the platform beginner-friendly? How simple is it to add content and make changes?
Scalability – Can the website easily grow as your guest list and wedding details expand?
Ownership and Portability – Who owns your website files and data? How easy is it to move your site away later?
Cost – What is the pricing model? Are there free tiers or trial periods available?
Support – What technical support options are offered if you need assistance?
Keeping these criteria in mind will help you determine which wedding website builder best suits your needs and budget.
1. WordPress.org
WordPress powers over 40% of all websites, making it the most popular content management system on the web. The open source platform is 100% free to use.
To get started, you‘ll need web hosting (starting around $7.99/month from Bluehost) and a domain name (typically $15/year).
Then you can install WordPress and leverage thousands of free wedding themes and plugins to build your dream wedding site. For easy customization, try SeedProd – the top-rated WordPress page builder used by over 1 million websites.
Pros
- Complete design flexibility and functionality control
- Massive theme and plugin library
- Add ecommerce stores, forums, memberships, etc
- Own all your website files and data
- Easy integration with email and analytics tools
Cons
- Must handle site backups, security updates, etc yourself
- Hosting, maintenance costs increase as site grows
With starter hosting costing as little as $2.75/month from Bluehost, WordPress offers unmatched bang for buck. Just be prepared to manage site maintenance yourself.
2. Squarespace
If beautiful design is your priority, Squarespace is a top contender. This popular website builder is renowned for its elegant templates.
For weddings, Squarespace provides dozens of beautifully crafted wedding themes. Each includes handy built-in features like RSVP management, maps, registries, and more.
The easy-to-use drag and drop editor makes it simple to customize your wedding website template.
Pros
- Gorgeous, modern templates
- Easy drag and drop builder
- Handy built-in wedding features
Cons
- Limited 3rd party integrations
- No blog or community option
- Pricier plans starting at $14/month
Overall, Squarespace is great for style-focused couples who want a polished wedding website, without having to build it all from scratch.
3. Wix
With over 200 million users, Wix is a hugely popular website builder. Like Squarespace, it uses an intuitive drag and drop editor.
Wix offers hundreds of beautiful wedding website templates spanning a range of designs. You can customize colors, fonts, layouts, and more to your taste. Helpful wedding-specific features like RSVP management and gift registries are included.
The basic Wix plan is free but shows ads. Paid plans start at $14/month for your own domain and ad-free site.
Pros
- Intuitive drag and drop builder
- Hundreds of wedding design templates
- Built-in RSVP and registry features
- Free basic plan available
Cons
- Limited design flexibility
- Difficult to migrate away later
- Free tier has ads
Wix is great for quick, headache-free wedding websites. Just don‘t expect total design control.
4. The Knot
As one of the most popular free wedding website builders, The Knot is used by over 1.5 million couples. It offers a seamless site builder with hundreds of designs.
Beyond just wedding websites, The Knot provides end-to-end wedding planning tools like guest list management, RSVP tracking, budgeter, registry manager, and more.
However, customization is limited compared to other builders. It‘s ideal for couples who value convenience and simplicity.
Pros
- Seamless all-in-one wedding planner
- Hundreds of wedding website designs
- Easy RSVP and guest list management
Cons
- Less flexibility in design customization
- Complex for users just wanting a simple website
For couples wanting wedding planning tools alongside their website, The Knot is a great free option.
5. Appy Couple
Appy Couple takes a unique approach by offering wedding website templates paired with custom mobile apps.
You can select from over 500 designs for your website/app combo. All sites are mobile-optimized and include handy widgets for your wedding timeline, registries, travel info, and more.
There‘s also a handy automatic guest list manager. Appy Couple starts at $49/year or $12/month.
Pros
- Get a coordinated website and mobile app
- 500+ uniquely designed templates
- Guest list manager and wedding widgets
Cons
- Website and app combo can be confusing
- Must pay extra for custom domain
For tech-savvy couples who want a customized mobile experience, Appy Couple is a great choice.
6. WordPress.com
WordPress.com is the free, hosted version of WordPress. It offers limited wedding templates and customization compared to WordPress.org.
Paid plans start at $15/month for a custom domain and removal of WordPress.com ads.
Overall, WordPress.org gives much more flexibility for wedding sites than WordPress.com
Pros
- Hosted WordPress platform
- Removes ads and adds custom domain
Cons
- Very limited compared to WordPress.org
- Less control over design and features
We‘d recommend WordPress.org over WordPress.com for wedding websites in most cases.
7. Joy
Joy is a 100% free wedding website and planning platform. It offers beautiful templates and useful tools for managing RSVPs, registries, budgets, and more.
Joy makes money from commissions on any registry items purchased through your site. The only catch is you can‘t use a custom domain for free.
Pros
- Completely free full-featured platform
- Lovely templates and registry tools
Cons
- No free custom domain option
- Registry focus may turn off some couples
For budget-conscious couples, Joy is a full-service free wedding website builder.
8. Web.com
Web.com offers an easy drag and drop website builder with over 150 templates. It works well for simple wedding websites.
Plans start at $4.95/month. However, storage space is limited, so it may not suit larger wedding sites.
Pros
- Smooth drag and drop builder
- Over 150 templates to choose from
Cons
- Not ideal for bigger wedding websites
- Less design control than other builders
Web.com is a solid pick for couples wanting a basic, low-cost wedding website.
Expert Pick: WordPress.org
After building dozens of wedding websites over 15 years, I confidently recommend using WordPress.org.
The open source CMS offers unmatched design flexibility and customization options through its thousands of themes and plugins.
Popular page builders like SeedProd make it easy for even beginners to craft beautiful wedding websites in WordPress exactly to their tastes.
At the same time, WordPress gives developers limitless possibilities to build complex wedding sites with custom features.
And with starter Bluehost hosting costing just $2.75/month, you can launch a WordPress wedding website affordably.
Just be prepared to manage updates, backups, and security yourself. For ultimate convenience, upgrade to managed WordPress hosting plans.
But for a completely personalized wedding site you control from top to bottom, WordPress can‘t be beat!
Summing Up
Creating a wedding website is made simple with user-friendly builders like The Knot, Wix, and Squarespace. For zero-cost options, Joy and WordPress.com offer limited but useful free plans.
However, for the ultimate in wedding website design flexibility, WordPress.org stands above the rest. With the right hosting plan, you can craft a stunning bespoke wedding site at very little cost.
We hope this detailed wedding website builder comparison helps guide you to the perfect platform for your big day! Let me know if you have any other questions.
