Your Guide To Popular Wedding Websites

Many little girls dream of their wedding day; they dress up their dolls and march them down the aisle dreaming of the flowers and cake — but not so much which wedding website to choose. Back when I was throwing weddings for my Barbies I certainly wasn’t thinking of reserving an affordable hotel block, or making sure Paddington Bear had the correct driving directions, or confirming that there would be a vegan option for Teen Skipper. Unfortunately, throwing real-life weddings is slightly more complicated than childhood fantasies, and that is why it so important to have all the proper tools.

You are essentially organizing the biggest party of your life, and in order for it to go flawlessly there are a lot of moving pieces to keep track of and information to communicate. In the old days, engaged couples would field countless phone calls to answer questions about dates and times, locations and directions. Telling Grandma for the tenth time that the dress code is “Dressy Casual” burns through valuable minutes that could be better spent cake tasting, or you know, literally doing anything else. Thankfully, with the advent of the Internet, spreading info and updates to vast groups of people has become easier than ever. By making a wedding website you are able to answer all your guests questions, clearly highlighting all the pertinent details. You can even put your own personal spin on it.

Whether you are coding adept or a total newbie, there is a perfect website for your needs. But with so many options, it can be hard to choose. If you are not a backend developer or Wordpress wiz, or just don't have the time to design by hand, you will be using a website builder and choosing a template. Below, we compare some top websites so brides-to-be can focus on the fun stuff— like getting dat dress!

Basic

TheKnot.com

Cost: Free

Templates: If you don't want to sweat the design, The Knot offers some good options. The templates to choose from are very similar, and only differ in font and color theme surrounding a central rectangular photo of your choosing. The background colors and images are not customizable, but they are mobile friendly.

The Deets: It has the basic drop down menus with pertinent information, and is easily navigated. It has space for photos from an engagement shoot, and streamlines your registry displaying it on the wedding website instead of having to link to it. It also includes RSVP and meal requests.

Why it works: If you are looking for a hassle-free website that is easy to set up, this one is for you. If not being able to customize how the website looks isn't a problem, than this is an easy choice to streamline information for you and your guests. Plus, it's free!

Wix.com

Cost: Free or $9.25 per month

Templates: Wix is a full website builder with wedding template options. They have fewer wedding-specific templates than other builders, but the ones they do have are more modern, and allow for larger photos. You can make your site a little more personal with the more customizable options. Wix's funkier layouts, and more unique navigation, makes your website stand out. However, setting it up is more of a medium level of difficulty. An added bonus, is they allow for flash so you can put an interactive map of your event's locations right in the website, instead of linking to it.

The Deets: At the bottom of every template it does say "proudly created by wix.com." However, the paid options allow you to remove all ads. With a premium service you also can choose your own domain name.

Why it works: This site works for you if you want maps, a flash player, and large customizable images. The template pickings might be limited but at least they are not cheesy.

Honorable Mentions:

WeddingWire.com

Cost: Free

Templates: Wedding Wire has upped its game recently by adding a custom photo backdrop template. This new design is unlike their other basic ones, allowing you to use a photo of you and your bae as the backdrop, giving it a more personal touch. They also can include the map images next to the locations within the site, so you don't have to link to one.

Added bonus: They have a free app "WedSocial" that collects and shares all the photos your guests might take during the ceremony. The app also allows your guests to access the event details offline. This means running late to the ceremony because "they lost the invite" isn't even an excuse anymore.

Mywedding.com

Cost: Free

Templates: This website looks more like a blog than an invitation. If you want an emphasis on text and less on photos than this one is for you. It provides pages for you to talk about everything from the featured fashion, to the music, and the inspiration of the wedding. This site is for the bride who is not fussy about font choice, but definitely has a lot to say.

Advanced

WeddingWindow.com

Cost: Free or $14.95 a month or $79 a year

Templates: The premium options are definitely the way to go with this website builder. While all the templates are clean and modern, the free option only gives you access to their library of images with a few places to insert a personal photo or two outside the gallery. With the premium option there are 60 templates, large amounts of photo and video storage, and you can customize every image on the template, putting your beautiful faces all over that baby!

The Deets: You can choose a Spotify playlist for your website to get the guests in the mood. And the premium options can host third party apps, and has the additional option of paying to create your own domain name. However, this site relies on links— meaning it does not have a registry located within the site like TheKnot, nor does it have maps of the locations included.

Why it works: The premium option is highly customizable, so you can fool your guests into thinking that you coded it all yourself.

AppyCouple.com

Cost: one-time payment of $39 for Boutique collection and $69 for Luxury collection

Templates: Appy Couple has made literally every list of top wedding websites, and it's easy to see why when you log on to their site. When you set up a wedding website through Appy Couple, you also are creating your own wedding app at the same time. The templates have nice, cheery, intuitive layout and are modern and quirky in design. There are more than 500 designs to choose from, so even the pickiest bride can find the perfect display.

The Deets: There is a lot of powerful tech behind this builder. The app works smoothly with the site, providing many easy options for you to integrate information— making travel and event details, photo sharing, and registry a breeze. Your guests are sure to be impressed with what a cool and functional site you created.

Why it works: If you want a highly detailed wedding website, look no further. Appy Couple will give you a stylish design, as well as integrating everything seamlessly.

Images: SanyaSM/E+/Getty Images, TheKnot, Wix, WeddingWire, MyWedding, Weddingwindow, AppyCouple/Vimeo, giphy