If you’re engaged, one of the first things you’re going to want to do (after you pick a date and a location) is put together a wedding website. There are plenty of places you can make that happen, but if you want the freedom to design something that feels like you, or if you have the kind of wedding where you need more than just yes or no answers on your RSVP, then chances are, you’re going to want to make a Squarespace wedding website. (There’s a reason our founder and CEO designed her vow-renewal website with Squarespace after trying out the competitors.) With Squarespace, you get modern, un-fussy wedding website templates, freedom to completely customize your site as you see fit (without needing any special tech skills), and 24/7 customer support.
We’ve spent the last five years getting to know the Squarespace software so that we could teach you how to make a Squarespace wedding website as quickly and easily as possible. And today, we’ve gathered up all of our best advice into one place: the most important things to know before you create your site.
DIY engagement photos used with the Anya template
Figure out what you have and what you need
Before you begin designing your wedding website, it’s helpful to figure out what the heck your website is even for. Is it going to serve as a preliminary RSVP collector for a destination wedding? Do you have more complex logistical details you want to communicate before the questions start rolling in? Are you simply itching for a place to share your engagement photos? Squarespace has a bunch of ready-to-go wedding website templates with built-in features like RSVP pages, registry pages, Google maps, and photo galleries. And while you can always add or remove as many pages as you want, it’s way easier to just update the features that already exist in your template.
Google maps integration with the Anya template (which comes pre-designed with built-in map)
If you’re unsure what kind of information you need to include in your wedding website, start here (we’ve got a bunch of tips on how to avoid overthinking things). But for the most part, you want to think logistically, like:
- When and where the wedding takes place
- What time your wedding starts
- How to get to the ceremony
- What gift to get you
- A rough idea of what to wear
- If it’s a cash bar
- If there is a hotel block reservation
- Any other transportation information (Are you providing sober drivers from the reception back to the hotel block? Let. People. Know.)
Pick a wedding website Template And Start Experimenting
Unlimited customization is a great thing. But it can also mean staring at a template and thinking Ok, but how do I make it mine? I love that Squarespace includes real-world examples with all of their website templates. Just click on the preview for any wedding website template and at the bottom of the page and you can see how other Squarespace users customized their websites (the Naomi template has some of my favorite real-world Squarespace wedding websites). You can also see a bunch of real wedding website examples right here.
Squarespace wedding websites made by actual couples
And remember: Wedding website templates come with pre-built wedding features. If you fall in love with a template that’s not a wedding website template, you will have to create those features from scratch. So think about how motivated you’re feeling before you click away from those wedding templates.
While we’re on the subject of templates, one of the easiest ways to take advantage of Squarespace’s designs is by using great photos. In fact, I recommend gathering up your favorite images before you get started on messing around with your template. Don’t have any? Hack it. We’ve got a whole tutorial here for DIY engagement photos using just your phone and a few affordable props, and the results are pretty damn good if I do say so myself.
DIY engagement photos added to Anya template’s ready-made photo grid
And if you’d prefer not having your face all over your wedding website, there’s a solution for that. Squarespace has a deal with Unsplash that lets you use their photos royalty-free on your website. This is what came up when I looked for photos of Joshua Tree at night:
You can also go directly to Unsplash and download photos if you can’t find what you’re looking for in the Squarespace platform, which is what I did for the websites below. I just searched for things like wedding location, or for party words like “confetti” and “glitter.” So instead of engagement photos, you can grab a cool photo of where your wedding will take place:
Joshua Tree at night using the Sonora template
… Or an image that gives a sense of the wedding vibe:
Floating confetti using the Sonora template
… Or straight up something you just… like:
Glitter martini using the Sonora template
Once you get into actually creating your wedding website, we’ve got a ton of resources for thinking like a designer and taking advantage of Squarespace’s built-in features. So, if you want extra inspiration, check out our posts on:
- Wedding website wording you should straight up steal, including how to phrase those awkward announcements no one wants to hear.
- Design tips for people who aren’t design-y. Need help picking out colors for your website? Want a quick and easy logo or monogram that doesn’t require Photoshop? We’ve got you covered.
- How to DIY your engagement photos. I talked about this above, but it’s worth mentioning again.
- Ideas for queering up your wedding website. For when you want to set the tone with your family long before the ceremony starts.
- The four Squarespace features I would use in my wedding website. If you feel lost in all the options Squarespace has to offer, I’ve narrowed down four of my favorite features that will make your wedding website look 💯. Like the often- underutilized Instagram grid that you can activate with literally one click.
Using the Instagram block with the Sonny template
Use The Customer Service:
I have often started a Squarespace website with nothing but good intentions, only to get stuck on a very specific task fifteen minutes in. How do you change fonts again? Can you connect an RSVP form to your email? But one of Squarespace’s best and underutilized features is its robust customer support. First, they have a dedicated educational portal where they host webinars and workshops, plus a ton of pre-recorded video tutorials. So, if you prefer a more guided learning experience, it’s basically free Squarespace tuition. They also have a deep customer support forum (I’ve never not found an answer to my question there). And if you’re still stuck, reach out to a customer service expert. They have live chat available from 4 a.m.–8 p.m. EST, and email support available 24/7. Or just Google it—Squarespace is so renowned, it’s unlikely someone, somewhere, hasn’t already answered your question.
Don’t Overthink Your Squarespace Wedding Website
There is a lot you can do with a Squarespace wedding website. But that doesn’t mean you have to take advantage of every feature right now. It’s better to think of your website like a living, breathing thing. If it makes the most sense to start with a simple one-page website so you can park your URL and include something on your save-the-date postcards, then by all means, do that now, not later. You can always add things in as you need them. And there is no point in losing sleep trying to concoct the five-page work of art that you want your wedding website to be if it’s going to mean… not creating your website.
Get your damn URL
I mean, the whole point of paying $12 a month for a wedding website (aside from everything I mentioned above) is that you get a custom URL. So instead of something like:
- drewandblake.weddingwebsitenoonewilleverremember.com
… you get:
- drewandblake.com
So for the love of all that is good, go park your names now. You don’t even have to sign up for a full subscription to do it. And if for some reason you, like a friend of mine, accidentally put the wrong URL on your invitations, remember you can always buy extra domain names with Squarespace and point them to the same website. You know. Just in case.
Modified RSVP form using the Sonny template
Take Advantage of the Free Trial
If you’re starting to work on your wedding website, chances are you’ve already noticed that there are a lot of free platforms available. So why would you choose something you have to pay for? Well, that depends. The free platforms are… free. But they don’t offer a lot of flexibility or tools. (Meg lasted five minutes with the free platforms before switching to Squarespace.) So if you have any desire to make something that isn’t an out-of-the-box template, or if you need the flexibility to communicate information that falls outside the standard wedding protocol, then Squarespace is where to do it. The $12 a month is well worth the headache you won’t have.
But here’s the thing: I don’t actually think there’s any point in trying to convince you to buy a Squarespace subscription. Because you can just try them out for free and decide for yourself. Squarespace offers a completely risk-free 14-day trial that doesn’t require a credit card. And spoiler alert: you can definitely create a wedding website in that time. (Hell, you could create multiple website trials under one account if you want to play around with a bunch of different options. You only have to pay for the one you decide to take live). And if you do decide Squarespace is the best option for you, you can get 10% off your first Squarespace purchase when you use the code APW19 at checkout.
For more advice on how to create a wedding website with Squarespace, you can see all of our past posts with them right here.
This post was sponsored by Squarespace. Squarespace makes beautiful wedding websites happen in a matter of minutes, thanks to their user-friendly software and modern, minimal wedding website template designs. Every yearly Squarespace purchase also comes with a custom URL, and of course, their award-winning customer service (just in case you get stuck). APW readers get 10% off your first Squarespace purchase when you use the code APW19 at checkout. Click here to start a free 14-day trial and make your wedding website today.
