There are lots of reasons to launch a website, and an increasingly popular option is for engaged couples to publicize their marriage and provide info for invited guests online.

If you’re getting ready for your big day, but you don’t know where to start with designing an eye-catching and functional website, read on for a quick overview of the options available to you.

Use a site building service

After you shop at Diamondère for the bespoke wedding ring, and you book a highly sought-after, exquisite venue, it would be a shame if there is no official website announcing the nuptials. A quick and inexpensive option is to use a platform intended to streamline and automate much of the heavy lifting involved.

Today, there are tons of top notch website builders out there, from Wix and Squarespace to Zyro and beyond.

What they have in common is the ability to offer users a wide choice of templates which can form the basis of their website. You can tweak and customize certain aspects, but you won’t have to worry about things like doing any coding or configuring every aspect of the layout for the pages you propose to use.

Pick a URL that fits the event

When using a site builder, you might have the option to either have a generic URL for your site, or choose your own instead. It’s sensible to push the boat out with a unique URL which references your wedding, rather than the default option.

This is not just about making your site seem polished and professional, although that’s definitely part of it. The other advantage is that if your URL is related to you and your partner, guests will have less trouble remembering it when they need it as the big day approaches.

Choose images to enhance the aesthetics

The best wedding websites all have a plethora of pictures that feature the happy couple, ideally chosen from throughout the course of your relationship.

If you want to go one step further, it’s perhaps worth commissioning a professional photographer to take a few snaps of you together which are destined for the site, and nowhere else. This will give it that extra-special feeling, rather than it just seeming as if you pulled down a random selection of snaps from your social feeds and stuck them together in one place.

Add all the information guests need

Your site might look the part, but if it doesn’t have all the details that are relevant to the people you’ve invited, then it could be more confusing than anything else.

Obvious inclusions such as the time, date and location of the wedding are all essential. You should also include info on things like nearby accommodation, transport to and from the venue, and any other likely FAQs that people might need answering ahead of time.

Also state whether you’re happy to accept gifts, whether you’ve set up a gift list, whether you’d prefer donations towards your honeymoon, or whether there’s no expectation of anything other than the presence of the people you care about most in the world.

Make it a joint effort

Last but not least, don’t take on the creation of a wedding website as a solo project, but get your partner involved from the word go. They’ll probably have valuable input both in terms of what the site looks like, and what features it should offer.

Don’t be afraid to get others involved as well if you get stuck, as this will help iron out any kinks before the site goes live.