10 Essential Features Every Wedding Website Should Have

Creating a wedding website might feel like yet another item on your already crazy to-do list, but trust us, it’s one of the things in the world of weddings that actually genuinely makes life easier for you and your guests!

But not all wedding websites are created equal. Some are sleek and stress-saving, and others are… well, let’s just say clunky and outdated. If you’re building your own wedding website, chances are you want it to be easy to use and look nice without having to know anything about coding or website design!

So, if you’re shopping around for a wedding website builder or just want to know what features are actually useful, here’s what to look for.

1. Mobile-Friendly Design

Let’s be real - most of your guests will visit your wedding website while half-watching Netflix with their phone on 12% battery. So, if your site doesn’t load properly on a mobile screen, it’s basically useless.

A good wedding website should be fully responsive, meaning it looks just as good on a phone as it does on a laptop. No weird cropping, no tiny fonts, and definitely no magically disappearing buttons!

2. Custom Domain Option

Want to make your wedding website even more memorable? Get a custom URL. Not only is it easier to remember, it'll look way more elegant! Most good platforms will let you purchase and link your own domain, or offer one that’s free but still short, clean, and memorable.

When it comes to choosing your URL, it’s best to keep it simple - long, hyphenated URLs are a no-no when Auntie Barb’s trying to type it into Safari on her iPad.

3. Password Protection or Privacy Settings

Unless you want random internet strangers knowing your wedding date and venue (creepy), you’ll want some top-notch privacy settings to protect those personal details. Nobody wants any uninvited guests turning up!

A good wedding website should be hidden from Google, but should allow you to password-protect your site or restrict access to invited guests only for peace of mind.

4. Hidden Sections

Unless you’re happy with every guest having access to all the wedding details, you’ll want to be able to hide entire sections of your website. Don’t want your evening guests to feel like they’re missing out? Hide the wedding ceremony details from them! Just want your wedding party at the welcome dinner or post-wedding activities? Make those plans visible only to the relevant guests!

5. Smart RSVP Management

Gone are the days of lost reply cards and frantic texting. A solid online RSVP system is one of the most powerful tools your wedding website can offer. At the very least, you should be looking for custom RSVP forms, headcount tracking, meal selection options, and the ability to manage plus ones or group households together.

Managing your guest list and RSVPs can be an unwieldy task, particularly if you’re hosting multiple events. The best wedding website providers will make it simple to manage a wedding weekend itinerary by segmenting your guest list, allowing you to invite selected guests to different events, such as the rehearsal dinner and post-wedding events.

Lastly, look for a platform that displays real-time responses in one place and allows you to export RSVPs to Excel - after all, who wants to manually keep track of everything in a spreadsheet in this day and age?

6. Aesthetically Pleasing Templates

You want your wedding website to reflect your wedding theme, and sit alongside the rest of your stationery as seamlessly as possible. At the same time, you don't want to be stuck in a design rabbit hole for three days, agonising over every little detail. Ideally, you want aesthetically pleasing and easy, with a personal touch!

A good wedding website builder will offer a range of modern, aesthetically pleasing templates with matching online invitations and save-the-date cards, as well as custom font and colour options to suit your theme.

7. Wedding Planning Tools

You shouldn’t need a second system (or worse, a pen and notebook) to do wedding planning tasks like arranging your seating plan or creating a to-do list - look for a platform that can do everything for you!

Imagine being able to drag and drop your guests' names into a seating plan, and then tick that off your to-do list without breaking stride! Keeping everything in one place will make for a much less stressful wedding planning experience.

8. Integrated Travel and Accommodation Information

Rather than typing in travel directions manually like it’s 1999, a decent wedding website platform should let you embed venue details, maps and directions to your wedding location, as well as allowing you to add any extra information that out-of-town guests might need to find your wedding venue.

Trawling through accommodation websites to find hotels and self-catering options to recommend to your guests is an unnecessary time drain - the best wedding website builders should offer seamless integration with booking sites so that you can easily choose from recommended accommodation options in the local area.

9. Wedding Registry Integration

Awkwardly linking to your registry in your email signature? No, thank you. The best wedding websites let you embed or link your online wedding registry seamlessly, whether it’s a honeymoon fund or a more traditional gift registry. Help your guests by making it easy for them to click, browse, and buy without needing a tutorial.

10. Multilingual Translation

Ensure you select a multilingual wedding website if you have wedding guests who speak English as a second language. Whether they speak English fluently or not, they’re sure to appreciate being able to navigate your wedding website and read all the essential details in their mother tongue!

A wedding website isn’t just a pretty page where you can share your love story - it’s your digital HQ, somewhere to keep your guests informed and updated with all the important details. The right features make planning easier, reduce the chaos, and help not just you and your wedding planner, but also your guests plan ahead for the wedding day.

Not to toot our own horn, but as you may have already guessed, a Say I do wedding website is beautiful, functional and includes all of these features and more! Whether you’re a design whizz or a complete technophobe, our easy-to-use platform and aesthetic design templates are guaranteed to make the planning process a lot less stressful.