Wedding Website and App Reviews
The streamlined way of sending out the save the dates and wedding invites online appeals to our generation. Plus, you can have all of the information that your guests would ever need to know all in one place.
Gone are the days of sending paper save the dates and wedding day invites.
Wedding websites are quickly becoming the norm and with the right website builder, you can do it all yourself!
The streamlined way of sending out the save the dates and wedding invites online appeals to our generation. Plus, you can have all of the information that your guests would ever need to know all in one place.
There are quite a few DIY website builders out there and they all have their pros and cons. For this article, we are only going to look at these three:
THE KNOT
Price: Free, but you can also purchase a custom domain for $20 (R318,99).
Pros and Cons:
There is a vast selection of free, professionally designed templates. However, the customisation options are limited on The Knot. There is no way to add and customise the theme by adding a FAQ page, changing certain pages/tabs, certain colours, etc.
It’s pretty cool that you can also match your invitations, timelines, menus, name tags, etc to your website design for a seamless look.
Super easy to set up, you don’t need a BSC in computer science, and within minutes you can have your website up and running. They also have a user-friendly wedding planning app to help you stay organised for the big day.
There is only a one-page layout, which can make navigation easy, but it also lumps everything onto one page. This can be a pro or con depending on how you like to organise your information.
For RSVPing, the Knot gives you two options. You can opt only to allow the guests specified on your list to RSVP via your website. Or, you can open it up to the public and let anyone RSVP.
Plus there’s an option for guests to enter their meal selections and dietary restrictions when they RSVP, which means you can get all of that information with a simple export sheet.
A messaging hub on the site allows you to communicate with guests via email or SMS texts.
APPY COUPLE
Price: $49 (R780) for the “boutique” option, or $149 (R2 380) for the “luxury” option.
Pros and Cons:
The designs are gorgeous and you really don’t need any website building experience to make your website look great.
With over 500 designs you’ll be spoilt for choice but it can also make it hard to choose the right one. You can change your design as many times as you like for free and your website will automatically update. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, you can order a one-of-a-kind design at an extra cost.
I love how you can add photos of the key people in your wedding party and parents, and add in photos of you, your holiday, your engagement photos… anything really like a fairytale story!
You can download free printable invites, table names and thank you cards. All of this will be the same theme that you have chosen.
If you are wanting to list multiple events as well as your wedding day, you can add in things like a bachelorette/stag party or a post-wedding breakfast (or any other event) by simply creating a new event page. The great thing is that you can choose who you want to invite to each event.
There are one-page or multiple-page layout options, unlike The Knot which only has a single-page option.
The downside to Appy Couple is that a lot of the invites and save the date emails get sucked up in spam.
I also found that every time I want to send something (Save The Date, Invites, Reminders) I have to create a copy and save it even if I want to send it to just one person.
Meal requests for those that RSVP yes can be added. With a simple export of the sheet and you will get meal choices and any dietary restrictions to send through to your caterer.
There is an online guest book for guests to write well wishes on, which is nice, especially for guests that can’t make the wedding.
An in-built wedding countdown timer to help get everyone else excited is also a nifty addition.
WITHJOY, ALSO KNOWN AS JOY
Price: Free!
Pros and Cons:
The themes are simple and pretty. You can customise colours and fonts to make it more personalised.
Like all the others it’s easy to set up, it’s just a little less intuitive than the previous two mentioned. The theme you choose can also be used to create wedding timelines, menus, name tags, etc for a seamless look.
There is only a one-page layout, which can make navigation easy, but it also lumps everything onto one page. This can be a pro or con depending on how you like to organise your information.
There is an app available to use and download for both you and your guests. However you need to log in via the desktop version if you want to make any changes. Also to see any broadcasts and announcements as a guest you need to have the app downloaded and active.
I did notice that there are features that don’t work so well on mobile such as the RSVP process could be more intuitive, especially for less technologically-savvy guests.
There’s an option for guests to enter their meal requests and answer any questions you ask, such as if they require accommodation this is unlike the other two website builders.
You can also have multiple events and invite those you want. You can add your bachelorette or stag party or a post-wedding breakfast (or any other event) by simply creating a new event page. You are also able to track your multiple events.
It’s pretty cool that you can live stream your wedding through this platform.
You can perform some planning tasks too such as allocating table numbers to guests, which then shows how many per table.
I could go on for hours and they all have some really good features to take advantage of. It’s up to you to find the one that feels right.
Regardless of which one you choose, they all offer these same features:
- Set up is really easy
- Link up a gift registry
- Add in banking details for monetary gifts
- You can add the selections for meal choices for your guest to choose from
- You can add extra information such as accommodation, travel and location
- Custom domains at a cost
- A good reputation and ratings, both by professional organizations and through customer reviews
All in all a website is quick, easy, and cost-effective. It also makes a better guest experience as you can add ALL the information you need upfront (where, when, dress code, location, accommodation, etc) compared to working with paper. Taking a bit of extra time to set up a wedding website looks more impressive than a generic digital invite.
If DIYing a website sounds like too much stress or you don’t have the time to do one, here are two South African companies that you can do a commission with.
Sulit Design Studio
You can choose which package to purchase for a custom-made website. Just the website ranges from R1 500 to R1 850. Website and save the date ranges from R2 300 to R5 000.
Elaine the designer not only creates the designs, but produces the stationary too. This is a huge plus as this will be another task ticked off your to-do list.
Once all your information and deposit is received, the design takes about 1-3 weeks, with the added wait time for stationery once the final details have been signed off.
My Big Event
You can choose which package to purchase for a website, there are a few to choose from. Just the website and save the date ranges from R3 299 to R5 000 with added stationery.
Meg the designer from My Big Event also designs stationery to go along with your website however she does not do any printing – but the price includes finding a local printer and dealing with them until stationery is ready for collection. Click here to see more.
These two companies handhold and help with guiding you through this process.