By Bliss & Bone
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:
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:
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.
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:
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:
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:
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.
While you’ll get plenty of bonus features and design elements with a paid wedding website, many of the best free wedding websites to choose from if you’re looking to save money. Below, we’re breaking down our top six choices for the best free wedding websites available to couples today. However, some of these wedding websites free of charge come with different subscription levels or add-ons you’ll want to keep in mind as you weigh your options.
WeddingWire: One of our favorite free wedding websites for planning, WeddingWire comes with handy organizing tools like a vendor manager and drag and drop seating chart. For those who are intent on staying within their allotted budget, there’s also a helpful spending tracker to watch the costs add up. In addition to the free wedding websites feature, WeddingWire is perhaps best known as a resource for finding the top venues and vendors based on your geographical location. When you visit this site, you’ll first see a search bar to help you look for wedding venues in specific locations. As you scroll, you’ll notice details about other vendor search engines, free wedding website details, stationery, and more.
Minted: Minted is a great option, especially for couples who want to design wedding invitations that can match one of the best free wedding websites. The company can make wedding websites free of charge, along with Save the Dates, wedding invitations, wedding menus and programs, and more. Because they offer so many templates for your stationery, similar to Bliss & Bone’s offerings, you can easily coordinate each piece of your wedding paper and digital products. Many share that it’s the best free wedding website because it still comes with plenty of personalization opportunities, such as adding photos and videos of you and your partner. For an additional $15 you can also purchase a custom URL to go with Minted’s best free wedding websites. And if you could use some assistance along the way, you can pay $49 to have a professional on the Minted team fully design the best free wedding website. So, while it’s technically a wedding website free for users, there are bonus options that will cost extra.
The Knot: For a straightforward, high-design, and of course, free wedding website, The Knot is a go-to for many couples—for more reasons than one. People are particularly impressed by the custom RSVP page, universal registry options, and the number of designs available. If you’re overwhelmed by your choices, you can also toggle to see the best free wedding websites based on popularity and style (including floral, botanical, rustic, classic, modern, and even pop culture ideas such as Netflix’s hit show Bridgerton). For couples who want a custom domain, you can purchase one for $19.99 for one year or $39.98 for two years. Taking the guesswork out of this step, The Knot will purchase, register, and set up your domain so you don’t have to do anything.
Zola: Zola is considered the best free wedding website for couples who are particularly concerned about syncing it with their registry. When you build a wedding website free on Zola, you will automatically connect it to a separate page dedicated to your registry. This makes it even easier for your guests, who can navigate from the best free wedding website right to your registry and add any gifts to their cart. There are also more than 1,200 templates to choose from, so it’s one of the best free wedding websites with a plethora of design options, too. In addition to having one of the best free wedding websites on the market, Zola also has a wedding budget tool to track your spending during the planning process. It will simplify payments, remind you when different installments are due, and provide you with personalized budgeting tips.
WithJoy: If we had to choose the best of the best free wedding websites, it’s WithJoy. The service provides you with hundreds of templates and a number of personalizations to make your best free wedding website truly your own. If you have an interest in web designing, you can even go into the backend and play with the CSS coding to make any changes to the best free wedding website you can imagine. Reviewers also rave about how it’s the best free wedding website for RSVPing, since you can create personalized schedules for each guest to follow for all of your wedding events. Couples also appreciate how they offer easy-to-use registries, which can incorporate a honeymoon fund, gift cards, and more.
WedSites: WedSites is one of the best free wedding websites for couples who want a multi-level set of services. With the Lite subscription, you can enjoy a wedding website free of charge, but there are upgrades available. The Standard subscription is $99, and the Pro subscription is $199. People are impressed by how streamlined the process is, and you can have access to all of their customizable templates even with the wedding website free subscription level. With the paid subscription, you get a few more perks, like the ability to collect online RSVPs, customize paperless invitations and Save the Dates, and more. And unlike the wedding websites free service, Pro subscriptions also come with multilingual functionality (ideal for couples who are inviting guests who live outside the U.S.) and personalized planning tools.
Wix: Wix is the best free wedding website for people who are creative and have time to bring their design to life. It’s especially recommended for people who feel comfortable with web design and HTML coding. Here are the remaining subscription tiers up for grabs: Light ($17 per month), Core ($29 per month), Business ($36 per month), or Business Elite ($159 per month). If you’re concerned about connecting to a registry feature, many couples have developed the best free wedding website on Wix and then set up a separate Zola registry. There are more moving parts here, so you’ll need to be a bit more organized.
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:
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.
The number of fees and vendors needed to pull off a wedding can feel a bit overwhelming, especially when it’s presented in a budgeting list like this. Fortunately, the best free wedding websites also share details about top-rated vendors in your area, which can make the planning process so much easier. You don’t have to navigate to several websites when you choose one hub for most (if not, all) of your wedding planning tips. The best free wedding websites will make your planning experience easier, not more confusing. Keep this in mind as you compare pricing and options for wedding websites and any other wedding vendors and services.
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:
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.