How to Craft Your Perfect Wedding Website with Squarespace
Table of Contents
Do I really need a wedding website?
Why Squarespace is great for wedding websites
What to include on your wedding site
7 steps to build your wedding website
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Creating your wedding website represents the beginning of an entire wedding planning journey.
It’s not just a website. It's the blueprint for your big day, detailing where, when, and how everything will unfold.
This makes the task both exciting and intimidating.
Having celebrated my wedding recently, I wanted to share with you some insights and top tips on how to craft a wedding website using Squarespace.
We’ll discuss some general questions about creating a wedding website first, then dive into the nitty gritty of content and design. Let’s jump in!
You may be wondering if it’s worth your time to make a wedding website.
The advantages of having a wedding website are manifold. A well-structured wedding website streamlines the entire process, making wedding planning not only more manageable but also more enjoyable.
Without one, the wedding planning process will be more stressful and time-consuming. You'd be faced with several challenges:
Traditional invitations: You'd need to create and print physical invitations, relying on the postal service for their delivery.
RSVP hassles: Managing RSVPs manually, hoping guests don't misplace their invitations.
Social media confusion: Considering a Facebook event, but it can easily get lost in the sea of notifications and other events, causing confusion.
Guest list headaches: Managing your guest list through phone calls and texts to confirm attendance, which can be time-consuming and prone to miscommunication.
Furthermore, a great wedding website does more than disseminate information. It narrates your love story, allowing guests to feel the love and offering a sneak peek into your special day!
Squarespace has great functionalities that make building a wedding website easy, such as:
Beautiful templates: There are several wedding website templates to use as a starting point for your website.
User-friendly interface: With a drag-and-drop editor, you can build the entire website without any coding knowledge.
High customizability: You can tweak almost every detail to your liking. Squarespace empowers you to bring your dream wedding website to life.
That said, there are other platforms that offer comparable features. I chose Squarespace because I am familiar with the platform. However, you can take a look at templates from different platforms and sign up for a trial to find one you feel most comfortable with.
You will most likely only need the lowest price Squarespace plan, which is the Personal Plan at $30/month (pay monthly).
To receive monetary wedding gifts, you can upgrade the plan to a Business Plan ($45/month plus 3% transaction fee) or Commerce Plan ($50/month with no transaction fees). Keep in mind that the 3% transaction fee is in addition to the payment processor’s fee, which is also about 3%. View Squarespace’s full pricing details here.
✨ Cost-saving tip 1: You can use PayPal personal account to receive gifts instead of upgrading Squarespace’s plan.
✨ Cost-saving tip 2: If you’re interested in trying Squarespace, start a free trial with the link below and use code TAYLORNGUYEN10 for 10% off.
Once you've decided on a website builder, it's time to plan the structure of your website.
Start by creating a sitemap, which will help you organize your thoughts and ensure you don't overlook any essential details.
First, ask yourself: If you were invited to a wedding, what information would you want to find on their website?
Here's a breakdown of some key elements:
Date and Time: Provide the wedding date and time to help guests plan their schedules accordingly.
Location: Share the venue's location, especially if it's a destination wedding, so guests can make travel arrangements.
Program: Outline the day's schedule, including the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, and any other events. Clarify which ones guests are invited to.
Dress Code: If there's a specific dress code, mention it to help guests choose appropriate attire.
Gift Preferences: Indicate your gift registry or preferences for those who want to offer a present.
Love Story: Share your unique love story; it adds a personal touch to the website.
Contact Information: Make it easy for guests to reach out to you if needed.
Based on this information, you can structure your website into different pages to ensure easy navigation.
Here's how I organized my wedding website into 6 simple pages:
Homepage
Warm welcome and introduction to your love story over the years.
Contact information
RSVP
A simple RSVP form for guests to confirm their attendance.
Call-to-action button
Program
Wedding date, time, and location.
Detailed program for the D-day (ceremony, dinner, party).
Dress Code if any
Travel and Stay
Directions to the wedding destination.
Details about nearby accommodations for out-of-town guests.
Nearby tourist spots.
Gift Registry
Information about your gift preferences and how to contribute.
Gallery
Photo gallery featuring engagement photos and special moments.
Now that you've got the foundation, here are 7 straightforward steps to build your wedding website:
1) Select a template
Opt for one that closely aligns with the wedding site you envision.
Consider the template as a launchpad to delve into different layouts and ideas. Avoid investing too much time in finding the "perfect" one, as customization will be necessary later on.
Example: Soria template by Squarespace
2) Personalize your design
Customize the template by adjusting fonts, colors, and layout to match your wedding theme.
✨ Design tip: If you've already designed your printed save-the-date or invitations, maintain consistency by employing the same fonts and colors on your website.
3) Create compelling content
Craft engaging and well-structured content, including your love story and relevant wedding details.
The wedding is a chance to reminisce about your relationship, the journey you've had together over the years. Feel free to share when and where your love story started, some anecdotes, and fun facts about your relationship. People enjoy hearing and discovering more about your love story!
✨ Content tip: Numbers can tell a powerful story. Create an illustration that looks like a post-it note to highlight the journey you've shared. Here's an example from my wedding website:
Translation from French:
"Our story throughout the years:
3310 days spent together
23 countries and 55 cities visited together
Our adventure is only just beginning!"
4) Add multimedia elements
Enhance your website by incorporating high-quality images and videos that capture your journey and wedding preparations.
Collect all the photos from throughout the years and carefully choose the ones that best reflect your relationship and the moments you've cherished together.
✨ Content tip: Use placeholder photos if needed.
When I started designing my website, we hadn't had our pre-wedding photoshoot yet. As a workaround, I used generic wedding photos and our selfies over the year.
After receiving the retouched photos from our photographer, all I need to do is to swap out the old ones on our website.
I also showcase the entire album on a designated "Gallery" page, allowing guests to easily explore and enjoy our dearest moments.
Your wedding website is like a digital album, a cherished book brimming with beautiful memories. Share the most enchanting moments of your journey with the world!
✨ Design tip: You can use a polaroid-style carousel to create a straightforward yet visually appealing layout. We use this to feature our favorite couple moments throughout the years.
Illustration of a polaroid-style carousel on my website
5) Implement an RSVP form
An RSVP page enhances event planning by providing efficient communication, accurate guest counts, and a streamlined, customized experience.
Depending on your needs, you can simply create a basic form using the website builder's built-in features. For example, Squarespace provides user-friendly forms for this purpose.
Example of a basic RSVP page built in Squarespace
6) Test and review
Before going live, thoroughly test your website to ensure it functions flawlessly.
Make sure there are no unfunctional links or typos.
Use an incognito window to explore your website from a guest's perspective. Put yourself in their shoes, navigate the site, read information, and see if there’s any confusion or questions they may have.
Have your partner double-check after your review to identify any missing detail or errors.
7) Publish and share
Once you're satisfied with the design and content, publish your website. Distribute the link to your guests using save-the-date cards, invitations, or email messages.
Personally, when inviting my guests, I reach out to them individually on social media and share a digital invitation in PDF format, including the link to my wedding website. To accommodate older guests who areaccustomed to physical invitations, I've created an alternative version featuring a QR code linked to my website, along with instructions on how to scan for access.
Here are the two samples I employed:
Digital Invitation in PDF format with hyperlink
Printed Invitation with embedded QR Code
When should I create my wedding website?
You should complete your website at least three months before your wedding date. This allows ample time to include all essential information and ensures your guests have enough time to access and use the site.
Should I choose a custom URL?
It's advisable to use a brief and personalized URL for your wedding site, making it easier for guests to remember and access.
Opt for a concise URL that incorporates your names. For instance, you can customize the built-in domain on Squarespace like this: laura-nicolas.squarespace.com.
If you choose to make your website public, you can acquire a domain name with extensions like .com, .fr, .net, etc., ensuring widespread access to your site.
How do I protect my wedding website's privacy?
Platforms like Squarespace offer the option to set a password, allowing you to safeguard your website's privacy. Simply share the link and password with your guests to provide access.