Before we started on our wedding-planning journey, I had no idea what a wedding website was. But when I found out what it is, and what it could be…I couldn’t WAIT to get started on designing ours.
I knew I wanted four things:
A custom domain name
A way for guests to share/upload photos
A countdown clock or widget
An RSVP section
I was so excited about this task that I proceeded to sign up with every (free) wedding website host I could think of. Even before our wedding date was settled, I had website accounts ready to plug in the wedding weekend information. Right after we put the deposit down at our venue to secure the date, I narrowed the websites down to the top three choices that worked for our needs (and budget!).
Webs.com
Yes, I tried my hand at creating my own website, but I am not nearly as talented as Miss Coral. I used Webs.com, which makes it really easy with their drag-and-drop functions and dynamic web layouts. I spent HOURS pouring through their themes, fonts, colors, and widgets. When I finally exhausted every design feature, I was almost ready to publish. I had two concerns, though: I wanted to get rid of the Webs.com branding on the bottom of the site, and I wanted a way to have guests log in to a password protected RSVP page. In order to get all that, I would have had to upgrade to one of their premium packages, with the cheapest one being almost $85 for one year. That seemed a little steep for my modest budget, so I continued searching.
Screenshot of our Webs.com wedding website
WeddingWire.com
Since it came up number one on my wedding website Google search, I worried WeddingWire would seem overdone and cliche. But after I played around with the designs, this option got immediate points for ease of use, popularity, and price. This site had almost everything I was looking for: RSVP page, coordination with the wedding colors, and easy domain name integration. At the time, though, it did not include an easy photo sharing option. *WeddingWire now has a downloadable mobile app called WedSocial, which was not available when I first started researching websites. The app is a great space to share photos, but viewing the wedding website on the app is nothing more than the mobile version of the internet browser site.
Screenshot of our WeddingWire website
Appy Couple
When I was on my sign-up spree, Appy Couple was still relatively new, and you had to request an invitation to create a site. I sent the request, and then I forgot all about it as I tried out every other wedding site online. But when the invitation came, I saw how easy it was to create a matching website and mobile app, and I fell in love. Unlike the WedSocial app, this works as a full featured app (not just a mobile optimized website). Our guests can log in with our wedding code, and they have all the wedding info at their fingertips.
Screenshot of our Appy Couple app on my iPhone
So which did I choose?
I chose Appy Couple pretty easily of the three because I loved the idea of a fully integrated matching wedding app. I hope our guests will download it so they can instantly share any photos they take with the other guests and with us! Since I was in the first generation of users, I did not have to pay the one time fee of $35. I bought our domain name for two years (mrangelfishandmissangelfish.com) from GoDaddy.com for less than $5, and I set up the redirect to point to the Appy Couple site.
Did you go through too many options before choosing your wedding website? Did you build the site yourself or personalize a general template?
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laurel
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Miss Angelfish
Birthday:
April 27
Occupation:
Transportation Service Monitor
Venue:
Patuxent Greens Golf Club
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