LGBTQ+ Wedding Websites: What to Look For

An LGBTQ+ wedding website should let you introduce yourselves accurately, share useful information and enjoy making something that feels like you. It should not turn planning into a series of workarounds for a template that assumes one bride and one groom.

You might want two brides, two grooms, a bride and a partner, no titles, or another description. You might love traditional stationery or prefer a completely unconventional celebration. Those are separate choices. An inclusive website gives you room to make each one.

Start with a five-minute product test

Before committing your guest list to a platform, build a tiny fictional wedding. Use the names and titles you would actually like displayed, add an event and preview an invitation. Look at the guest-facing result, not just the settings screen.

Save your test, reopen it and check any emails or exports you intend to use. An editable homepage is helpful, but it is not the whole guest experience.

Choose titles per person

One person's choice to use bride does not decide what another person is called. You could use bride and bride, groom and partner, or names only. Neither traditional nor neutral wording is inherently more authentic.

Ask each person separately what they want on the website, stationery and in spoken introductions. A simple working note is enough:

Website name: [name]
Wedding title: [title or none]
Pronouns to display: [pronouns or leave blank]
Spoken introduction: [approved wording]

Read our wedding titles and pronouns guide for a fuller wording checklist.

Keep the design about your taste

You do not need rainbow colours to make a wedding website inclusive. A formal black-and-ivory design, a mountain illustration or a colourful editorial layout can all represent an LGBTQ+ wedding.

Choose the design because you like it. Then check that the type, photographs and spacing work for your names and information. A beautiful design should not require you to shorten someone's name to fit a preset label.

Write a welcome that is personal without becoming an explanation

You can simply introduce the celebration:

We're so happy you're here. Join us to celebrate [names] on [date] in [place]. You'll find the schedule, travel details and RSVP information on this website. We can't wait to celebrate with our favourite people.

You do not owe guests a coming-out story, a family history or an explanation of your relationship. Share what feels right to everyone involved. An About section can be short, humorous, romantic or absent.

Treat privacy as a design decision

Agree on which names, images and personal details belong on the website. Ask permission before publishing another person's pronouns or labelling them as a member of a community. A guest may be comfortable with information in one setting but not another.

Check the site in a logged-out browser and inspect the preview when sharing its link. Search visibility, link access and password protection are different questions; do not assume one setting answers all three. Share private event details only through a method you have tested.

Include your people without assigning them a conventional family role

A sibling can give a speech. A friend can accompany you into the ceremony. A chosen-family member can be your practical point of contact. Introduce the people who matter using descriptions they are comfortable with.

For example:

Morgan - Person of honour
Our longest-standing friend, enthusiastic planning companion and excellent emergency-snack provider.

Our chosen-family wedding guide includes host lines and role ideas.

Make the practical information excellent

Guests still need a date, an address, an arrival time and clear RSVP instructions. Include dress-code examples that describe clothes rather than assign them by gender. Provide a private contact for questions about access or attendance.

Your wedding website can feel welcoming and still be beautifully straightforward. The best test is whether a guest can find what they need without asking you to explain the platform.

Build around the people celebrating

Shared Beginning provides names, pronouns and flexible wedding conventions so your planning does not have to begin with a bride-and-groom assumption. Start with your introductions, then build the guest information around your actual celebration.

Start planning your celebration.