Creating an event takes about a minute. The new-event wizard has two steps: The occasion and Who & when. On a desktop a sidebar on the left shows the steps and where you are; on a phone they run one after another with a Step 2 of 2 line at the top. The look of your site (theme, colours and fonts) is chosen afterwards in the studio, with your page in front of you. Nothing you choose here is final except the web address.
The two steps
The occasion.
Pick a starting point. A template decides what your page contains; how it looks is chosen later, in the studio’s Design workspace. There are six templates and a blank page:
- Wedding, badged Recommended: the full page, with a cover, a countdown, your story, the schedule, a photo gallery, the venue, FAQs and an RSVP.
- Simple invitation: a digital invitation that opens like an envelope. A cover, a countdown, the venue and the RSVP, with the envelope already switched on. If you give a date in step 2, the RSVP closes three weeks before it.
- RSVP only: for when the invitations went out on paper. A cover, the RSVP, the venue and three FAQs. If you give a date in step 2, the RSVP closes six weeks before it, and you can move or clear that deadline in the RSVP section.
- Evening reception: for evening guests. A schedule starting at 7pm, the RSVP, the venue and a photo gallery. Music requests need Plus or above: add the section from the library once you have upgraded.
- Engagement party: the RSVP, the venue, a gift list and a photo gallery. Its task list is a short one for a party, not the full wedding checklist.
- Save the date: your names and date, a countdown and the venue, with no RSVP yet.
- From scratch: an empty page to build up yourself.
The templates come with example words, times and a venue for you to replace. The studio marks each section that still holds them, and you can add or remove sections later whichever you pick.
The essentials.
With any template you’ll see First partner and Second partner fields; these become the names on your page, under a line that suits the template (You’re invited on RSVP only, Save the date on Save the date). Below them are The date and a time. If you haven’t settled on a date, tick We haven’t decided the date yet; the studio will ask for it when it is needed, and before you publish. For a from-scratch event the fields are Event name, Date and Time instead.
This step also sets Your link, the address guests will open. We make one from the names and show it on a single line marked Available; press Change to type your own using lowercase letters, numbers and hyphens. Create my site → stays disabled until the address is available. Choose carefully: the address is permanent. There is no way to change it once the event is created, so if you need a different one, create a new event.
Press Create my site → and your event is made. The footer here reads Free to build and preview. Choose a plan when you’re ready to go live. That is exactly how it works. You don’t pay anything, or even pick a plan, until you decide to publish.
What happens next
After creating the event you land in the studio: a live preview of your page in the middle, with workspaces down the left side (or in a bottom tab bar on a phone) for content, design, guests and the rest. A phone shows you the page first, with Outline and Page at the top. On the right (on a phone, at the top of the outline) a Make it yours list sets out what to change first: a theme, your wedding date, your story, the venue, the day’s times, the answers to guests’ questions, a reply deadline and a preview. A cover photo is not on the list: a theme dresses the cover without one, and you can add one from the cover’s panel if you like. Each item opens the right section (on a computer, with the cursor in place), and ticks itself off as you go. The masthead shows Preview, which opens the page as guests will see it, and Publish →, which stays there until you go live. A from-scratch event shows an empty canvas reading Your page starts here. with an Add your first section button (on a phone, under Page; the outline offers + Add section). The Build and design your page guide covers it in detail.
Can I change my answers later?
Everything except the web address. The names live on the cover: in the Content workspace, click the hero at the top of the canvas and edit Your names in the inspector. The date, time and timezone are in Settings under Event details. The theme, colours and fonts are chosen in the Design workspace, and sections can be added or removed at any point. If you chose the wrong template, the simplest fix is to create a fresh event and delete the old one from Settings > Delete event.