Wedding Window
Is This Your Business?3.5
3.5
Author: Kalicia Bateman
Wedding Window has been in business since 2001. The site features both free and paid premium wedding website creation and planning tools, as well the Wedding Loft blog with features on recent events, inspiration and DIY ideas, access to giveaways, posts from wedding experts, and a database of preferred vendors.
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The Good
- DIY Blog Section
- Great Wedding Planning Tools
DIY Blog Section
Wedding Window is an excellent choice for the bride-to-be on a budget. Its blog features a Do-It-Yourself section, but you'll find many more ideas in the Inspiration section, especially in the Favors, Design & Decor and Paper Goods categories - which, conveniently, are the items that most often become do-it-yourself wedding projects. Don't forget to check out the Creative Ideas category for unique suggestions like those found in "Alternative Bouquets:Wedding Inspiration" and "Go Green...Literally!"
Great Wedding Planning Tools
Wedding Window can also keep you organized while you're up to your ears in all those do-it-yourself projects: it has a few convenient tools that the other wedding planning websites we reviewed don't offer. For example, not only does Wedding Window let your guests RSVP and select their meals directly from your wedding website, it also integrates with Travelocity and Hotels.com so out-of-town guests can easily make their travel plans. It also has features for tracking gifts and thank yous, which will save you from trying to remember if you ever told your Aunt Mary how much you appreciate that stunning crystal vase. Other free planning tools on Wedding Window include a budget tracker, editable checklist, guest list manager, event calendar, side-by-side vendor comparison, vendor manager, personal wedding journal and, of course, software to create your couples site.
The Bad
- Pay for Premium Features
- Lots of Ads
- Mobile Access Issues
Pay for Premium Features
To get full use of Wedding Window's premium features, you'll need to upgrade to a paid account. However, the prices are reasonable: the Smitten package is only $69 per year or $10.99 per month and will give you access to the premium options for the couple's site, as well as the ability to send ecards and reminders to guests. If you'd like to have a few more bells and whistles, you can also opt for the Smart or Savvy packages - but the cheaper Smitten package is definitely enough to cover all your wedding planning bases.
Lots of Ads
The sidebar of Wedding Window's blog is chock-full of ads, which can be a bit distracting while reading. This also makes the search bar difficult to spot - it took our reviewers some time to find it because it's rather small and sandwiched in between the ads. In addition, some sections of the blog will only load three or four posts per page, so be prepared to be clicking the Next Page button quite a bit.
Mobile Access Issues
Another downside of Wedding Window is that it's not responsive - using the site from a phone or tablet will be difficult. Since mobile use continues to become more and more common, we ranked Wedding Window slightly lower for not offering the option for brides-to-be to use it effectively while on the run. Wedding Window does feature a shopping section (called Fave Finds) but it's not wedding-focused content - you may find yourself straying away from your wedding to-do list and checking out whimsical yoga-themed garden sculptures instead.
