When I got into the wedding planning business, couples had to walk uphill both ways in the snow just to find a venue. Okay, that’s not exactly true. But that was how it felt to plan a wedding back then, especially when it came to creating a wedding website. Because y’all, the wedding websites of 10+ years ago were rough. When I look at how much you can do with a wedding website today, I wonder how any of us survived before. But now that there are options (so many options!), there’s a new dilemma: How do you know which one is the best wedding website for you?
Well, if you’re looking for a wedding website builder that’s easy to use, won’t take hours to set up, has modern templates (read: no hearts, no weird wedding symbols), and that even your most technology-averse guests can navigate, then let me introduce you to our longtime partner Squarespace. Here are five reasons why they really do make the best wedding websites.
Image by Meredith Bacon
They’re really, really ridiculously good-looking
Raise your hand if you are mostly picking your wedding website based on how it looks (🙋🏼). Which, lucky you, because a few years ago everything out there was just… the ugliest. And while the official reason for making a wedding website is so that your guests have all the details they need to show up at your wedding on time and informed, let’s be real… you probably also want a wedding website that’s pretty and that fits your aesthetic, because dammit you should be able to have your cake and eat it, too.
While most wedding websites lock you into a specific design, Squarespace lets you play around until your wedding website looks and feels like you. Start with one of their templates, then change out fonts, backgrounds, image sizes, and literally almost any element you can click on until you’ve hit the right mix. Rather keep it simple? No problem. Stick to the defaults and just drop your images into the back end and voilà.
Image by Half Acre House
It’s more than just a pretty Space
While Squarespace does have some of the best wedding website templates we’ve seen (see: above), the real reason they’re among the best is that they have all the logistical features you could ever want in a wedding website. Here are just a few things they’ve been working on the last few years:
- Google maps integrations to make it easier for your guests to find your venue, lodging, and fun stuff to do around town
- Easy-to-use RSVP form to gather RSVPs or collect addresses for invitations
- Menu blocks so you can share details about your meal for those with food allergies
And all of this is on top of their already easy-to-use software that makes utilizing these features a breeze.
Yuliya Skya For Cosmopolitan Photo And Films
ONE-STOP SHOPPING
Despite the proliferation of online registries these days, there’s always a family member or two who can’t quite figure out the steps to get from your website to the registry, make the purchase, and get it to you. But now, Squarespace is eliminating at least two of those steps. In addition to being able to RSVP and use Google maps straight from your wedding website, Squarespace has partnered with Zola to create a registry experience that allows your guests to browse your registry without ever leaving your wedding website. Because fewer steps equal fewer chances for your family and friends to get lost on the Internet, meaning those texts for step-by-step instructions (like you don’t have enough to deal with right now), is a huge win. You can learn all about the different ways to set up a registry on Squarespace right here.
Image by Lauren Cowart
You get your own personal URL
A friend of mine recently got engaged. And every single time I’ve gone to their wedding website, I’ve had to go to the wedding website host, search their name, browse a list of people with the same name, and then I get to click on the website once I’ve found them. Which is… annoying. With Squarespace, you get a personalized domain name (either .com or .wedding) for the first year when you sign up for an annual plan (which is just $12 per month). So your relatives never have to hunt down and then remember www.funtimesweddingwebsite.friendandpartner/september-20-2022/we-are-getting-hitched.
Plus all the design Cheat Codes
Once upon a time, if you wanted to do anything cool with your wedding website, you had to either learn complicated software or build it from scratch. But Squarespace is all about the #lazygirl cheat codes. For example, they have a nifty (and free) logo maker that you can use to create a quick and easy website header. And if you’re short on pictures? They have a special deal with Unsplash that lets you browse their gigantic library of photos to find stock images that work with your website. Most of the images are free to use.
So if you’re looking for a wedding website that’s both easy to build, but also lets you do all the things, then Squarespace is your best bet. And if you’re just getting started, we’ve got lots of helpful tips to streamline the process (and keep you out of trouble). Check out how to build a beautiful website in under an hour, the five things no one wants to see on your wedding website, what to include in your wedding website to make it actually useful, and seven useful wedding website etiquette tips you need to know.
Click here to start a free 14-day Squarespace trial and make your wedding website today. APW readers get 10% off your first Squarespace purchase when you use the code APW at checkout.
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 template designs. Click here to start a free 14-day trial and make your wedding website today. APW readers get 10% off your first Squarespace purchase when you use the code APW at checkout.
