Wedding Website
Mila Wedding Website
You’re engaged! And most likely, a little overwhelmed. If you are starting the wedding planning process, you have probably been confronted with all of the things you need to do before your big day. From finding the perfect outfit to selecting the best wedding music, there are so many big and small decisions to make. When it comes to stationery, one of the first tasks is to create a wedding website that your guests can visit prior to your event. For many couples, it also makes sense to explore free wedding websites and all that come with them.
In this guide, we will walk you through all of the pros and cons of setting up a free wedding website. From how to build free wedding websites to the best template options, this is your one-stop shop for kicking off your stationery designing. Beyond that, we will also tackle the benefits of using a paid wedding website and what the Bliss & Bone designers can offer wedding couples as an alternative. Read on for more details about free wedding websites and what they can (and cannot) offer for your upcoming celebration.
A free wedding website is just how it sounds: A wedding website that you do not have to pay any money for. With so many expenses involved in your wedding planning process, it is understandable that couples are interested in unique ways to save on certain essentials — including stationery items like wedding websites. The best free wedding websites have a clear interface, are easy to set up and allow couples to personalize the design as much as possible.
In addition to the obvious fact that these do not cost you any money, free wedding websites are also your information hub for sharing every aspect of your wedding. You can add in photos, provide a FAQ page to answer the most commonly asked questions and there are even some free wedding websites with RSVP.
There are several free wedding websites out there for wedding couples, but only the best ones are worth researching and ultimately deciding on. The best free wedding websites give couples the freedom to create the perfect space to include all of their wedding details and more. And while there are pros and cons to free wedding websites, it is important to recognize the key benefits.
These are some of the qualities you should look for while researching the best free wedding website:
Free wedding website templates with matching stationery items: You want your free wedding website to have perks, like options for your Save the Dates or wedding invites. This can allow you and your guests to immediately recognize and connect these different design elements. You will, of course, need to pay for these stationery items.
Free wedding website templates with a wide range of designs: The last thing couples want are a small selection of free wedding website templates that look similar to others they have seen before. The best free wedding website builder options will provide you with hundreds (if not, thousands) of designs for your big day.
Free wedding websites that collect guests’ details: As you are planning your wedding, you will need to create your guest list. On top of that, you will want to make sure you have the most up-to-date details to send out your Save the Dates and invites later on. If you are preparing to send out physical invitations, you will need mailing addresses for every household. And if you are anticipating going all digital for your stationery, you need current email addresses. Some of the best free wedding websites will give you the opportunity to send out a form to your guests that ask them to input the details you need.
Free wedding websites with registry features: Another characteristic of the best free wedding websites? Linking directly to your wedding registry. For the most part, it is common for couples to build a wedding registry that guests can visit to purchase gifts. And while some free wedding websites can link to registries, some of the best free wedding websites have registries directly connected to their site.
Free wedding websites with RSVP tracking: The best free wedding website should also make it easy to see guests’ responses to your wedding. If you decide on a free wedding website with RSVP, you should also look for how they track “yes” or “no” responses. There are some free wedding website builder platforms that can even intake custom questions, like dietary preferences, meal choices and more.
Free wedding websites with a checklist tool: For even more help through the planning process, consider one of the best free wedding websites that show you exactly what you need to do next. Your wedding planning timeline can get complicated, but having a free wedding website that tells you what you have accomplished and what is up next is a major plus.
Free wedding websites with vendor recommendations: An added bonus for the best free wedding website? It comes with vendor recommendations to help you wrap up your vendor team. If you are still figuring out who will assist you with your wedding, rest assured that some of the best free wedding websites provide couples with a space that shares reviews and recommendations for specific vendors.
As you create a free wedding website, consider the benefits listed above. The best free wedding websites should make your life easier, simple as that. Finding the best free wedding website involves narrowing down your priorities, exploring the designs available and going from there. Later on in this guide, we will go over the cons of the best free wedding websites to further contribute to your decision making.
As the search for the best free wedding website begins, you will likely prioritize one thing: the look of the design. It is always important to love the features and make sure your free wedding website is easy to use for both you and your guests, but the aesthetics should match your vision. If you find a free wedding website builder that has any of the following, you are well on your way to creating the best one for you and your partner.
Here are the places you can draw inspiration from as you are looking for your free wedding website design:
Free wedding websites that reflect your requested wedding attire: We are seeing many couples opt to create unique wedding attire requests or recommendations. From a chic black and white wedding to a brightly colored tropical theme, how you and even your guests dress can inform the decisions you make for your free wedding websites.
Free wedding websites matching your wedding decor: You can also create a free wedding website design that showcases your selected decor. Think metallic accents and any other textures that guests can connect to the rest of your design choices. It might surprise you to hear that many free wedding websites have color options that include metallics like gold and silver.
Free wedding websites that show off your wedding floral design: One of the key vendors on your team is the florist or floral designer. You and this professional can work together to come up with a concept that involves in-season florals and greenery and fits your vision for the color story and overall aesthetics of your wedding.
Free wedding websites with your color palette: Similar to your floral design, which can also help you decide on your color palette, you should think about the color story of your special day. For your free wedding website, you can go for a classic combo like white and various shades of blue, or you can select a more creative combination like a rainbow of colors. Of course, black and white weddings are one of the most popular options as well.
Free wedding websites for the specific time of year: The season can also lead to the choice you make for free wedding websites. As you are reviewing the options on your free wedding website builder, take note of the characteristics and symbols that reflect the season. For example, a snow-dusted pine cone could serve as the ideal complement to the free wedding website for your winter wedding.
If you find yourself seeking out recommendations for free wedding websites, you should look at your own ideas first. You and your partner can work together with your free wedding website builder to design the best looking site.
Many of our favorite free wedding websites have hundreds of template options to choose from. Of those options, you can find that many fit into specific categories. There are popular wedding themes that couples tend to gravitate toward, and we have outlined them below with details about the free wedding websites that would coordinate with them.
Free wedding websites for modern weddings: Modern weddings are classified as chic and sophisticated gatherings that really focus on the couple and their love. You will see black and white or muted color options with modern weddings, and they tend to be hosted in industrial spaces or other more unique venues. A free wedding website suited for this style of function might have a minimalist aesthetic and color palette, which will allow your guests to get a peek into your design process.
Free wedding websites for classic weddings: Classic weddings have all of the elements that you think of: white flowers, plenty of greenery, traditional venues like churches or hotels and much more. To achieve this look or vibe in a free wedding website, seek out options that coordinate with your floral design or draw inspiration from your wedding venue.
Free wedding websites for tropical weddings: If you are getting married in a tropical destination like Hawaii or the Caribbean, you can easily find a free wedding website that will immediately transport your guests to the island paradise (not literally, of course!). You can research free wedding websites that show tropical leaves like Monstera leaves or palm fronds, and then consider the other elements of your dream day. While some couples love a bright and fresh design, others might be interested in free wedding websites that are a bit moodier.
Free wedding websites for garden weddings: If you want to find a free wedding website that works well with a garden wedding, you are in luck. All over the internet, you can check out the many free wedding websites that prioritize flowers and greenery. You can see which free wedding website options best match the look of your venue, and then start customizing it from there.
Free wedding websites for mountain weddings: Heading up to the mountains for your celebration? There is a free wedding website for that. You can explore free wedding websites that showcase a mountain range, or you can think of icons that reflect the theme. Fall or winter leaves, snow and even animals like deer can fit well in this area.
Free wedding websites for desert weddings: The desert is a glamorous and one-of-a-kind venue for any type of wedding. From a microwedding to large celebration, you can set your guests up with a free wedding website that feels authentic to your festivities. Desert plants, like cacti, and sand are all signifiers of this wedding theme, and you can review relevant free wedding websites to go with it.
Free wedding websites for museum weddings: One of the most original and trending wedding venues? Museums. You and your partner could focus your energy on a certain area, like art or history, and get married in the home of it all. A modern art museum, for instance, could work for an artsy couple who love pops of color. With that concept in mind, you can decide on a free wedding website that has brush strokes or a similar color palette to the major art piece at the venue.
If you are considering the different types of free wedding websites, you should first decide on the theme for your event. It does not need to be complicated or over-the-top, but a general theme will give you plenty of direction and allow you to make wedding-related choices much more efficiently.
There are both paid and free wedding websites available to couples, so it makes sense that couples inquire about the differences between them. What do paid options offer that free wedding websites do not? There are quite a few benefits to paid sites that you might want to evaluate before you commit to one of the many free wedding websites available:
More design options: If you are paying a premium for your wedding website, you should have a larger gallery of designs or templates to choose from. This is where your research comes in handy, since you will want to weigh the pros and cons of everything before making your final pick.
Additional notable features: Your paid wedding website could also come with other features that ultimately win you over. These might include three-dimensional objects or shadows, more flexibility and customization with RSVPs and more.
Extra security measures: Couples are usually concerned about the privacy and security measures taken for their free wedding website. You can sign up for free wedding websites that have tiered levels of access, too, so you can keep specific events private from certain groups of people invited to your wedding.
The benefits of free wedding websites are wide-ranging, as we have discussed in this guide. However, many couples find that paying for their wedding website provides them with access to more features and designs that fit their overall wedding vision. There is not a “right” or “better” option, but rather one that will work best for you, your partner and your guests. Later on in this guide, we will cover the features couples love about Bliss & Bone’s wedding websites.
Let’s imagine that you have decided to move forward with designing a free wedding website. Before you can fully kick off your stationery planning, there are a few other steps that should be accomplished. Experts all over have shared the proper order to feel prepared and organized in the leadup to your special day.
If you want to get started on the formal planning process, these are our tips before you start looking for the best free wedding website:
Have a clear and honest conversation about budget expectations. It goes without saying that weddings can be expensive. There are price inflations and a demand for the newest and most unique elements, which only adds to significantly higher price tags. You and your partner need to gather with anyone else who has offered to help pay for your wedding and discuss how much you anticipate to spend. You should go over everything from your venue to stationery to decor (and everything in between). It is important to have this discussion before booking your venue or any vendors.
Consider bringing a pro planner onto your vendor team. If there is room in your budget for a planner, these professionals are highly recommended for taking a lot of the stress and guesswork out of wedding couples’ planning processes. Not only will a planner help you stay on track and organized, but your on-hand expert can also provide advice based on their years of experience. With that said, they can also suggest vendors who they have worked with (and loved!) in the past, which is a huge perk. If you are not sure you can afford a planner or are still on the fence, in general, you can also hire a coordinator to handle everything in the month, week or even day of your event.
Finalize your guest list. Early on, you and your partner should also sit down and figure out who you want to invite to your wedding. While some people envision a bash with hundreds, others are more interested in an intimate gathering (also referred to as a microwedding). Though it might feel too soon to do this, you should know that your venue and vendors will need at least an estimate to determine their rates for your specific event.
Research venues in the area where you want to get married — and then book your favorite. As you start thinking about building out your vendor team, you need to tackle the biggest piece of the puzzle: your venue. You can choose two venues for your ceremony and reception, or you can opt for a location that can work for both parts of your wedding day. Some couples also like to get married closer to home, while others love the idea of an intimate destination wedding abroad. However you picture your special day, you and your partner should be on the same page about where it all happens. As difficult as it sounds to visit these spots, you should make an effort to do so. Seeing these spots in real life can really help you picture the wedding day and ultimately make your decision more clear. After researching and visiting these venues, you should see if your favorite matches your budget and has your dream date. If the stars align, make sure to book it at your earliest convenience.
Design your free wedding website. At this point in the process, you are ready to look for the best free wedding website out there. There are advantages to both paid and free wedding websites, and it is up to you and your partner to see which one matches your vision and budget best. Look through the free wedding website templates available and then decide on the one you and your partner love most. This should be completed about six to nine months prior to your celebration, or even earlier if you are planning a destination wedding.
Customize your Save the Dates. Similar to your free wedding website, you want to make sure that your Save the Dates are sent out six to nine months (or even earlier!) before your big day. These should include the URL to your free wedding website, so guests can visit to learn even more about what to expect for your event.
After these steps have been completed, you will be well on your way with the rest of your stationery suite and more. You should start to think about free wedding websites and how they work with your formal wedding invites. Many couples love how some free wedding websites provide them with a space for guests to submit RSVPs online. This is one of the many characteristics you should look out for as you are seeking out the best free wedding website.
With Bliss & Bone, our alternative to free wedding websites is a subscription offering that gives you plenty of opportunities to connect with your guests exactly how you want to. As opposed to free wedding websites, our two subscriptions are Standard and Premium. The Standard subscription is $12 per month, and the Premium subscription is $18 per month. With these purchases, you also get the following unique features:
Password protection: You can choose between several different security levels to ensure that you have the most safety involved in your wedding website creation. Upgrading to the Premium subscription also allows you to create even specific security measures.
Near-countless design options: There are thousands of different designs, images, fonts and colors to craft the perfect wedding website. Explore the many that are available before deciding between a paid or free wedding website.
Collect custom RSVPs: Let’s say you want to know more than the “yes” or “no” from your guests. For instance, maybe you want to ask them if they want a beef, fish or vegetarian dish at your reception. You can ask for meal selections or dietary preferences within your RSVP details. Even more, you can ask specific questions that come to mind in this part of the process as well.
Foreign language support: Both our Standard and Premium subscriptions have you and your guests in mind. If you or your loved ones speak a language that is not English, you can help them comfortably navigate your site by creating it in several different languages.
The ability to create private events: This offering is available only to Premium subscribers, but it is great for wedding couples planning events before or after their big day. If you are hosting a wedding for 150 people, but only want your 30 nearest and dearest to attend your rehearsal dinner, you can easily make these adjustments on your wedding website.
Access to an extended photo gallery: While our Standard subscription will give you access to tons of photos, there is an even more expansive gallery available to Premium subscribers.
Remove Bliss & Bone branding: Want to completely customize your wedding website? You can do that by removing the Bliss & Bone branding on the page. This is another feature that is only available with the Premium subscription.
Add in your own favicon: A favicon, also referred to as a shortcut icon, is the symbol that appears in the tab with your wedding website. With a Premium subscription, you can upload your own favorite favicon.
Before you commit to Bliss & Bone, you have the opportunity to access a free wedding website trial for seven days. During that week, you can explore these features and more, and you can even think about how you would like to design the rest of your stationery suite. We do not ask you for your credit card information during the free wedding website trial, so you can feel free to add it at any point — and you will not pay until after the seventh day. Plus, you can also upgrade, downgrade or cancel your Bliss & Bone purchase at any time.
Couples investigating free wedding websites are likely trying to figure out their wedding budget as a whole. In a recent study by The Knot, they created a cost breakdown with the major players in the process. These include:
Venue: Your venue will account for the majority of your budget, unless you get married at a courthouse or a property owned by a family member or friend. And while backyard weddings have become more popular, most couples will say “I do” at a formal event space of some sort. If you align with this, it is important to keep in mind that about 40 percent of your overall budget will ultimately go to your wedding venue. Some spaces will have a full team and other amenities provided, like a catering staff, while others will need you to recruit extra vendors. If that is the case, you will probably receive a list of recommended or approved vendors for your chosen space.
Catering: The next big item on your checklist is finding a caterer. Your venue could have an onsite provider, or they might recommend a specific company. All in all, you should account for about 30 percent of your budget to go to the food. This could include the hors d'oeuvres served at your cocktail hour, the meal at the reception and a late-night snack. Keep in mind that this figure does not factor in the alcohol at your event. According to The Knot’s study, alcohol makes up about 8 percent of your budget.
Band: The music at your reception matters, and some couples choose a band over a DJ. If you are leaning toward a band, it is good to note that a full band will cost significantly more than a DJ. But if live music is more your and your partner’s “jam,” it could be worth the extra cost. Having a DJ, however, could potentially save you money and allow you to dance the night away to the original songs you love so much. As a comparison, a band would take up 13 percent of your budget compared to a DJ’s 5 percent, according to this study. On top of this, you will need to arrange for some sort of music to play at your ceremony as well.
Photography and videography: Capture every moment of your special day with a photographer and videographer. You do not necessarily “need” both, but many people love looking back on the photos and videos from their wedding. If you go for both vendors, it will account for roughly 15 percent of your wedding budget. Videographers are considered a more optional vendor, but couples are loving the clips that come with these professionals. Plus, there are countless TikTok and Instagram Reels showing special, tear-jerking moments that sway couples who are on the fence about having a videographer.
Flowers: This study says that flowers will cover about 8 percent of your wedding budget. The amount of flowers versus greenery matters, and you can even choose to repurpose flowers from your ceremony for your reception. As with most vendors out there, you can chat with your floral designer about how you can cut costs in this area.
Stationery: Stationery tends to be a smaller portion of your budget (approximately 2 percent), but there are several ways to save in this area. By swapping printed designs for digital invites, you will save paper and money. It is an environmentally conscious and cost-effective solution for those couples looking to save. And of course, free wedding websites are available to couples who do not want to spend more for their wedding.
Other vendor costs to keep in mind: Some of the other costs you will need to factor in include the cake or dessert of choice for your wedding, attire, lighting and decor, transportation, hair and makeup, planner, wedding favors and your officiant (if you hire a pro!). All of these vendor costs add up and more premium offerings inevitably lead to an increase in your total wedding budget.
Your wedding is a beautiful, momentous day — but it involves a lot of head-scratching, difficult decisions and price tags. By managing your budget effectively and knowing exactly what to expect, you and your partner will feel more prepared and empowered to take on any conversation about your wedding costs. Plus, your wedding planner can also assist you in handling these dealings with your various vendors and keep everything as organized as possible.
If you forego the free wedding website route and decide on a template from Bliss & Bone, you will open yourself up to finding beautiful coordinating stationery items. Our design team has created sets that can resolve many of your stationery-related issues. These include:
Save the Dates: These are your digital or printed primer for the upcoming festivities. Guests should learn about your paid or free wedding website when they receive their Save the Dates as well. You should also plan on sending out only the basic details, namely where and when your wedding is happening.
Wedding invitations: The most formal piece of your stationery suite, the invites give your guests all of the details they need. Any additional facts can be shared on your paid or free wedding website. Most notably, you should detail the exact location and timing of the ceremony and reception.
Rehearsal dinner invitations: If you are planning a rehearsal dinner, this should also go out to the specific guests. As we previously mentioned, you can upgrade to a Premium subscription so you can send out specific details to a smaller group of people.
Wedding menus: At the reception, guests can arrive at their seat and see a beautiful menu design. These are made to match the rest of your suite, and they are prepared in a printed format.
Wedding logos: Curious about customizing your wedding website even more? A wedding logo or monogram can allow you to make the most of your wedding website. Our designers can work with you to create a custom design that features your and your partner’s initials, first names, last name, wedding date and even some sort of iconography. Beyond your wedding website, you can also use a logo on the following items: cocktail napkins, a custom aisle runner, light-up signage at the reception and much, much more.
With these stationery items outlined, you can now explore the various curated collections available at Bliss & Bone. Shopping by collection takes the guesswork out of your design process, and it will leave you with a full, coordinating set that looks like it was handcrafted just for you and your partner. And with all of the customizations available to you, that part is true; you can make these designs all your own in our wedding website builder.
As you weigh your options between crafting paid or free wedding websites, you should know that Bliss & Bone is eager to help you create the best possible wedding website and more. With our high-design templates and easy-to-use interface, our subscription services will allow you to take advantage of countless “pros” to paid wedding websites. And now that you have more information about free wedding websites, we hope you feel empowered to make the best decision for you and your specific event. If you have any questions for our team, feel free to contact us online or send us an email to hello@blissandbone.com. We look forward to working with you on the best possible wedding stationery set.