For months your wedding website was the busiest page in your life. The day after the wedding, most of it is out of date: the schedule has happened, the shuttle has gone and the reply form is closed. But guests still visit, looking for photos, the registry or simply to relive the day. This guide covers how long to keep the site, what to change, what to say and what to save.
How long should a wedding website stay up?
There is no fixed rule, but there are useful anchors. Etiquette is clearer than many couples think: the Emily Post Institute calls the "guests have a year to send a gift" idea a myth and says a gift should be sent within three months of the wedding at the outside, and that your own thank-you notes should be written within three months of receiving each gift.
That gives a practical range:
- At least three months, so late gift-givers can still find your registry and guests can find any photos you promised to share.
- Up to a year if you are sharing professional photos later, or if you simply like having it as a keepsake.
- Longer only if your platform allows it and you are happy for the link to keep circulating.
Check your platform's terms before the wedding. Some free sites stay up indefinitely, some paid plans end on a set date, and some close a fixed time after the wedding. Knowing the date lets you save what you want in time.
Your options after the wedding
| Option | What guests see | Good if | Do this first |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leave it as it is | The invitation, with an old schedule | You will take it down soon anyway | Close the reply form |
| Turn it into a thank-you page | A short thank-you message and a photo | You want guests to find something warm | Write the message; hide travel details |
| Add a password | A password page | You want to keep it but limit who sees it | Tell close family the password |
| Take it offline | Nothing, or a "not available" page | You prefer privacy or you are done with it | Download replies, photos and text |
| Delete it | Nothing, permanently | You are certain you will never need it | Save everything; deleting usually cannot be undone |
Taking a site offline is usually reversible, while deleting is not. If you are unsure, take it offline first.
What to update the week after
- Close the reply form, or make sure it says replies are closed
- Remove or hide the schedule, shuttle times and parking notes
- Remove hotel links and room-block codes
- Add a short thank-you message, ideally with one photo from the day
- Keep the registry link for a few months for late gifts, then remove it
- Remove anything private you no longer need online, such as travel dates
- If your site is in two languages, update the thank-you message in both
- Read the page on your phone once more, as a guest would
Thank-you messages for your website
A short message works best. The website does not replace personal thank-you notes for gifts; it is a warm word for everyone who visits. Adapt these:
Warm: "Thank you for celebrating with us. Seeing so many of the people we love in one place was our favorite part of the day. We'll share photos here as soon as we have them."
Classic: "With heartfelt thanks to our family and friends for making our wedding day so special. Your presence, kind words and generosity meant the world to us."
Short and playful: "We did it! Thank you for the dancing, the laughter and the questionable speeches. Married life is off to a wonderful start."
For guests who could not come: "To everyone who sent love from afar: thank you. We felt it, and we hope to celebrate with you in person soon."
Our wedding website wording guide has more examples in the same three tones.
Save what you want to keep
Before the site closes, collect what you may want later:
- Your reply list. Download it as a spreadsheet; it is useful for thank-you notes and for anniversaries.
- Your text. Copy your story, welcome and any messages you wrote. They are easy to forget and hard to rewrite.
- Your photos. Make sure you have the original files, not only the versions on the website.
- A copy of the site itself. A PDF or a set of screenshots on your phone keeps the design as guests saw it.
Privacy after the wedding
The link keeps circulating long after the day: in old messages, on printed cards and in screenshots. Take off anything that tells strangers more than you would like, such as the dates you are away on honeymoon, and consider a password if you plan to keep the site for a long time. Our guide to wedding website privacy explains what to leave off and when a password is worth it. For the timeline before the wedding, see when to send your wedding website and invitations.
After the wedding with our websites
From the day after your wedding (at midnight in your website's time zone, so no guest sees it while the wedding day is still going), your website turns into a thank-you page by itself; you can also switch it on earlier or switch it off. You write a short title and message and can add one photo, and you choose whether the Details page stays as a record of the day or is hidden. Replies close while the thank-you page is on, and the panel offers a ready thank-you message to send with your link. You can download your replies as Excel or CSV and your website as a PDF. Your website stays online until 12 months after your wedding date, and you can take it offline yourself at any time. See the features, open the Olive & Ivory demo, or start with how to make a wedding website on your phone.
FAQ
How long should we keep our wedding website up after the wedding?
At least three months, so late gift-givers can find your registry and guests can find any photos you share. Many couples keep it up to a year as a keepsake. Check your platform's terms early, since some sites close on a fixed date after the wedding.
Should we take the registry off the website after the wedding?
Not straight away. Etiquette asks guests to send gifts within about three months of the wedding, so keep the link up for that long, then remove it. Leaving it up much longer can look like an ongoing request for gifts.
Can a thank-you message on our website replace thank-you notes?
No. A message on the website is a kind word for everyone who visits, but each gift still deserves a personal note. Etiquette guidance is to write them within three months of receiving each gift, and sooner is better.
What happens when a wedding website expires?
It depends on the platform. Usually the site goes offline for guests, and your data may be kept for a while or deleted. Download your reply list, text and photos before the end date so you do not depend on the platform keeping them.