A wedding website in South Africa costs anywhere from nothing to about R7,500 in 2026. Free builders give you a template. Budget designers charge R250 to R1,650 for a simple page. Custom done-for-you studios charge between R2,500 and R7,500. WedlySite builds custom done-for-you wedding websites for South African couples for a flat R2,997, with every price published on one page.
The difference between those numbers is not the technology. It is who does the work: whether the words are written for you, whether the design is built around your wedding, and whether your guests land on a page that feels like the two of you or a form that feels like everyone else's. Here is the full picture, in rands, including the costs nobody mentions until later.
What you pay at every level
| What you get | Typical 2026 price |
|---|---|
| Free DIY builder (template, you do everything) | R0 |
| Budget static invite page (one page, no RSVP system) | R250 to R1,650 |
| Custom done-for-you website (a studio builds it) | R2,500 to R7,500 |
| WedlySite, The Whole Story | R2,997 flat |
| Matched website and stationery suite | R3,697 to R5,997 |
Every WedlySite price sits on one public pricing page, with a calculator that builds your exact quote in about 90 seconds. No call required to see a number.
What actually drives the price
Four things separate a R0 website from a R7,500 one.
Who writes the words. On a free builder, you do. Your story goes into a text box at 9pm on a Tuesday, and it reads like it. At a studio, someone sits with your story and writes it properly. That is usually the single biggest difference you can feel on the finished page.
Who designs the page. Templates are shared by thousands of couples. Custom design starts from your wedding: your colours, your venue, your invitation. It is the difference between "we filled it in" and "this is us".
Whether the RSVP actually works. A proper RSVP system collects attendance, dietary requirements, and song requests in one place, and saves you six to 12 hours of WhatsApp admin. A static page makes your guests message you anyway.
What lives on the page. Venue, maps, accommodation, dress code, itinerary, FAQ: the sections your guests will actually use take time to build well, and that time is what you are paying for.
What free actually costs
Free platforms like Happly, and international builders like Zola or Wix, are honest offers: R0, a template, and your own time. For a couple who enjoys the project and needs the basics, that can be enough.
The cost is paid in evenings. Setup, copywriting, design decisions, RSVP wrestling: couples routinely report three to eight hours before the site looks acceptable, and many give up with "it still doesn't feel like us". There is no writer, no designer, and no one to phone when the form breaks the week before the wedding. With 61% of South African couples now sending exclusively digital communications, the website has become the thing every guest sees. Free is only cheap if your time is.
What R2,997 gets you at WedlySite
One package, everything that matters: your story written for you, the signature envelope opening, RSVP with dietary requirements and guest questions, dress code, up to 10 photos woven into the design, and your venue, date, and details in one link. Hosting for the first 12 months is included. You talk. We write, design, and build. You share one link.
| Product | Price |
|---|---|
| The Whole Story (the wedding website) | R2,997 |
| Digital Save the Dates | R497 |
| Digital Invitations | R697 |
| Personalised guest invitations | R35 per guest |
| Animated Video Invitation | R1,497 |
| The Love Letter (website + invitations + save the dates) | R3,697, saves R494 |
| The Happily Ever After (the full matched suite) | R5,997, saves R1,470 |
The bundles exist because most couples design invitations in one place and build a website in another, and the two never match. One studio, one aesthetic, one story from the first save the date to the last thank you.
The costs nobody mentions
Whoever builds your website, ask about these before you commit.
The domain. A personalised address like yournames.co.za is separate almost everywhere. WedlySite purchases and connects one for R397; you can also register your own through any South African registrar.
Hosting after the first year. Most wedding websites include a hosting period, then lapse. At WedlySite the first 12 months are included, and an additional year is an optional R397 if you want the site to stay up as a keepsake. Nothing renews automatically.
Per-guest pieces. Personalised invitations are priced per guest, R35 each at WedlySite. For 80 guests that is R2,800, so decide early whether you want every invite to carry a name.
Your own time. The invisible line on every quote. A done-for-you build costs more in rands and close to nothing in evenings. A free build is the reverse.
So is it worth paying for?
Not for everyone. If you enjoy building things, have the evenings to spare, and only need the basics online, a free platform will serve you well.
Paying makes sense when the website matters to you: when you want the invitation and the website to belong together, the story told properly, the RSVPs handled without admin, and the week before your wedding calm. That is what a done-for-you studio sells, and in South Africa in 2026 it costs between R2,500 and R7,500. At WedlySite it costs R2,997, every price published, and the full guide to how it works is one click away.
Quick answers
How much does a wedding website and invitation cost together?
At WedlySite, The Love Letter bundles the website, Digital Invitations, and Digital Save the Dates for R3,697, which saves R494 against buying them separately.
Can I get a wedding website for free in South Africa?
Yes. Free platforms give you a template and the tools to build it yourself. You trade money for your own time, a shared design, and no support.
How much is a domain for a wedding website?
WedlySite purchases and connects a personalised domain for R397. Registering your own through a South African registrar costs a similar amount per year.
Do we keep the website after the wedding?
The first 12 months of hosting are included, which carries you well past the day. After that, an optional R397 renews it for another year, and nothing renews without you choosing it.