Wedding Websites - A Review of Some Popular Providers
What is a wedding website?A wedding website is a site where all your wedding information is held - making life easier for you and your guests. These can either be built yourself or put together easily using templates available through different companies. You'll get a URL (website address) which leads to the homepage of your site where you can click through to the other pages.
Why have a wedding website?Save time - The biggest reason for having a wedding website is to save time for both you and your guests. Information on the website can be more comprehensive and easier to use than information sheets - eg direct links to hotels, directions and maps. If you choose a website with an online RSVP/planning service then you'll save time when handling your replies. Think about being able to click through to see your list of RSVPs rather than having to deal with a heap of paper. Your guests will find this much easier to respond to - plus there's less risk of them being lost in the post.
Save money and paper - You may not need to post information sheets at all if your guests are all techno savvy, or be able to just send a few. This is an environmentally friendly benefit and also saves you the cost of some stamps.
Share the fun! - Another reason for a website is to include your guests in your wedding - by sharing photos, having a message board, details of the wedding party you'll get the excitement started before the big day! You can also theme the website to match other elements of your wedding, to give a coordinated feel.
Are they expensive?The cost varies from free to hundreds of $/£s. Most of sites that allow you to pick templates and have photo storing functionality cost around £30-£60 or $60-$120. This can be a great addition to your day when you consider what you and your guests gain from it.
Are they just for computer experts?Not at all! It's easy to get started by picking your template. Then you just type in the text you want to go on each page and add any photos. You can log in and edit your site at any time - adding more information as you get it.
Which one should I use?We've trialled 5 of the most popular providers and compared them on the important areas. You can see the results below. We found that if you want a free site, weddingpath will provide a basic option that's useful to some people. If you're prepared to spend a little bit of your budget, however, we found other options that are easier to use, give you significantly more functionality and be more likely to give you a design to fit in with the look and feel of your wedding. Overall we felt it was worth spending the little bit extra on myevent.com or wedquarters - if you're spending the time inputting information anyway, then you gain a lot more from these options.
Trial ResultsSummary Comments
wedquarters - Best budget option. Easy to setup but not as many features as others.
weddingwindow - All the bells and whistles but as a result, a little compicated to use.
eWedding - Possibly a bit expensive but if you want your own URL this could work well for you.
wedpagedesigns - Simple to setup but only has basic designs and limited features.
myevent - Although expensive, it has loads of features and some great designs. We love the facility that allows guests to upload photos!
weddingpath - Great as a freebie but lacking in features and choice of designs/colours.
wedquartersweddingwindoweWeddingwedpagedesignsmyeventweddingpath Best Budget Best Overall
1 Yr Cost$29.99$79$891Free$99Free
Trial Length7 Days7 DaysFeature Limited7 Days7 DaysN/A
SupportEmail24/7 via EmailEmailEmail and "Live Support"Email and 'Toll Free'Email
Template Designs5/55/55/53/54/52/5
Own URLSubdomain3Subdomain3Own DomainSubdomain3Subdomain2Subdomain
AdvertisingNNNNNWP and 3rd Party
GuestbookYYYYYY
Full RSVP TrackingYYYYYN4
PhotosUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimitedY1000Limited
CountdownYYYYYY
Flash IntrosNYYNYN
CounterYYYYYN
Planning ToolsNYNNYN
Ease of Use4/53.5/53/544/53/5
Overall5/54/53/52/55/53/5
1. A free version is available but is very limited on features.
2. Your own domain is currently being included for free.
3. Own domain is available at an extra cost of $15-$25 per year.
4. Limited RSVP functionality. When a guest RSVPs you receive an email and a list is presented on the website.
Glossary of FunctionalityAdvertising - free wedding websites gain revenue by having banner advertising throughout - both for themselves and 3rd parties.
Domain - this is what your guests will type in to get to your site. In some cases it will be www.yournames.weddingwebsite.com, in some you even have the option of www.yournames.com
Photo sharing - you can upload digital photos of you and your other half, wedding and honeymoon, or planning photos.
Planning tools - another time saver - extra tools you can use for planning your wedding. The best sites have everything you need, budget tools, meal choice tracking etc - so you don't need to go anywhere else.
RSVP tracking - guests can click on their name and in some cases select a menu option. You receive an email, but more importantly can log in at any time to see a tabulated guest list - showing who's replied, yes, no and meal options.
Security - all sites have security so that guests can only enter if they have been sent the link. You can only edit your site using your password.
Templates - you pick a template design that will appear on every page of your wedding website. In some cases you can choose from around 40 attractive templates, each with different colour options, so you have a good chance of finding a design and colour that fits with the theme of your wedding.
Related Tags: wedding, website, design, web, websites, best, sites, review, template, site
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