WedSites vs Riley & Grey

Looking for the right wedding platform? Both WedSites and Riley & Grey offer premium wedding websites with digital invitations and RSVP management, but they take different approaches to pricing, features, and overall wedding planning support.

Riley & Grey has positioned itself as a premium wedding website platform with elegant, high-end designs and a strong focus on the guest experience. Their membership model ($39/month or $299/year) includes a custom domain, unlimited digital invitations, and registry features with some of the lowest transaction fees in the industry (2-2.5%). The platform has been recognized by BRIDES for their RSVP and guest management system, a notable credential in the wedding industry.

WedSites is a wedding platform built around one-time pricing and integrated planning tools. While Riley & Grey focuses on websites, invitations, and registry, WedSites provides planning features like timeline builders, payment tracking, seating charts, and advanced guest management alongside your website and stationery. Here's how the two platforms compare.

Quick Comparison

Pricing Comparison

Riley & Grey uses a membership model with monthly or annual options. You can build your website, design invitations, and set up your registry completely free with no credit card required. When you're ready to publish and let guests access your site, you'll need a paying membership: $39/month or $299/year (a 36% savings over monthly). There's also a Reserve Plan for $39 that reserves your domain and design, with that cost credited toward a future membership.

Their registry includes some of the lowest transaction fees in the industry: 2% for bank transfers and 2.5% for credit cards. Digital invitations are free to send regardless of quantity.

WedSites offers three tiers with one-time payments and no recurring fees:
- Basic Plan: $39 one-time payment gets you started with core website features
- Standard Plan: $99 one-time includes digital stationery, email tracking, and advanced guest management
- Pro Plan: $199 one-time unlocks the planning suite with checklist, budget, vendors, payment tracking, seating chart, and timeline builder

Riley & Grey's annual plan at $299 covers 12 months and would need renewal for longer engagements. WedSites Standard at $99 or Pro at $199 is a one-time payment with no renewals or expiration. Each model has trade-offs: Riley & Grey's subscription includes the flexibility to cancel anytime and a try-before-you-pay approach, while WedSites' one-time pricing offers long-term cost certainty.

RSVP & Guest Management, Riley & Grey's Strength

Riley & Grey has earned recognition from BRIDES as having one of the best RSVP and guest management systems available. This is a notable industry credential. They offer two modes:

Simple Mode allows anyone to RSVP without needing to match an email or guest list entry, making it easy for guests to respond without friction.

Advanced Mode lets you create a detailed guest list and control what events each guest can see and RSVP to. This is valuable for weddings with multiple events where not everyone is invited to everything, like a rehearsal dinner or VIP reception.

Their Status Tracker monitors email delivery, opens, site visits, and RSVP responses, giving you visibility into guest engagement.

WedSites offers guest management with a different focus. The household system groups families and couples together so they can RSVP as one unit, useful for families with children or couples with plus-ones. Organize guests into custom groups for planning and filtering.

Create A/B lists to manage large guest lists. The "Collect Guest Details" feature sends a custom form to gather email addresses, phone numbers, and mailing addresses before sending save-the-dates.

Email tracking shows who opened your save-the-date, who clicked through to RSVP, and who needs a reminder. The stationery tracking feature records every piece of communication in each guest's profile automatically.

Both platforms handle RSVP well. Riley & Grey's dual-mode approach and BRIDES recognition speak to its quality, while WedSites provides more advanced household and group management.

Multi-Language Support

Riley & Grey offers translation into 13 languages: Afrikaans, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Vietnamese. For unlisted languages, they offer custom translation assistance. Guests see the site in whichever language you set. For many couples, a single language is all they need, and Riley & Grey's 13 options cover a wide range.

WedSites includes website translation with a language switcher that guests can toggle between. Create a version of your wedding website in another language, and RSVP forms, event details, timeline, and site content work in both languages. This is particularly useful for bilingual weddings where guests on both sides need to navigate comfortably in their own language.

Both approaches work well depending on your needs. If your wedding is primarily in one language, Riley & Grey's 13-language support covers most situations. If you need guests to switch between languages on the same site, WedSites' toggle approach offers that flexibility.

Digital Invitations & Registry

Riley & Grey includes unlimited digital invitations with any paying membership. Send as many as you need at no additional cost. Coordinating invitation designs match your website aesthetic, and they also offer paper printing services for couples who want physical invitations.

Their registry feature is a genuine strength. Transaction fees are among the lowest in the industry: 2% for bank transfers and 2.5% for credit cards. They also offer gift card redemption bonuses. For couples who want an integrated cash fund, this is a real advantage that few competitors match.

WedSites Standard and Pro plans include digital stationery with integrated email tracking. Design save-the-dates and invitations that match your website, and send them directly to your guest list with visibility into delivery and engagement.

WedSites doesn't include a built-in registry, instead letting you link to any external registry service of your choice. This gives flexibility but means you're managing registry separately and won't get Riley & Grey's low transaction fees.

Digital Archive vs Permanent Access

Riley & Grey offers a digital archive for $39 that captures your entire website as a full-resolution PDF when your wedding concludes. This preserves your site's content even after you end your membership.

WedSites takes a different approach: your website stays accessible as long as you want it. There's no membership to end, no archive to purchase. Your one-time payment keeps your site live indefinitely. Couples often keep their sites running for years, adding photos and using it as a digital memory book.

Planning Tools Comparison

Riley & Grey focuses on the guest-facing experience: website, invitations, and registry. Their platform doesn't include planning tools like checklists, budget trackers, vendor management, payment tracking, seating charts, or timeline builders. This is consistent with their focus as a website and communication platform. For planning needs, you'd use separate tools alongside Riley & Grey.

WedSites Pro plan ($199) includes a planning suite:

Pre-Populated Checklist: Generates automatically based on your wedding date with recommended deadlines. Add custom tasks for your unique to-dos.

Budget Calculator: Expense tracking with customizable categories. See allocations, spending, and remaining funds at a glance. Reallocate between categories as priorities shift.

Vendor Management: Store vendor contacts, contracts, files, and notes in organized profiles.

Payment Tracking: Payment reminders linked to vendor profiles and budget categories. When you create a payment for your florist, it connects to your "Flowers" budget line and your florist's vendor profile.

Seating Chart Builder: Drag-and-drop tool using the groups from your guest list. Guests get color-coded labels based on their group.

Timeline Builder: Create your day-of wedding runsheet with time blocks for every event. Use the virtual highlighter to mark key moments and print copies for your team.

Note that these planning tools are only available on the Pro plan at $199. The Standard plan at $99 does not include them.

Privacy & Security

Riley & Grey emphasizes data protection: no ads, no selling guest information to third parties. Guest list verification allows you to control who accesses your site. The platform takes privacy seriously.

WedSites provides privacy controls including password protection for your entire site or specific pages, the ability to block search engines from indexing your wedding website, and custom SSL certificates.

Both platforms treat privacy appropriately.

WedSites Limitations

• Smaller template library: WedSites has fewer design templates than Riley & Grey's curated collection
• No mobile app: WedSites is web-based only, with no dedicated mobile app for planning on the go
• No built-in registry: WedSites lets you link to external registries but does not offer its own cash fund registry like Riley & Grey's low-fee option
• Planning tools require Pro plan: The checklist, budget, vendors, seating chart, and timeline builder are only available on the $199 Pro plan

Who Should Choose WedSites

WedSites may be a better fit if you:

• Want integrated planning tools: The Pro plan includes checklist, budget, vendors, payment tracking, seating chart, and timeline builder
• Need email tracking with guest integration: Delivery and open tracking connected directly to your guest list
• Have a bilingual wedding needing language switching: The language toggle lets each guest choose their preferred language
• Need household and group management: Households, groups, A/B lists, and custom forms work together
• Want custom CSS control: Extensive fonts and full CSS for detailed design customization
• Prefer one-time pricing: Pay once with no renewals or expiration

Who Should Choose Riley & Grey

Riley & Grey may be a better fit if you:

• Want a premium, curated aesthetic: Their 27 high-end templates offer sophisticated, elegant designs
• Need a cash fund registry with low fees: Their 2-2.5% transaction fees are among the industry's lowest, a genuine competitive advantage
• Value BRIDES-recognized RSVP management: Their dual Simple/Advanced mode system has earned industry recognition
• Want paper printing options: Coordinating printed invitations available through their platform
• Prefer a try-before-you-pay model: Build your complete site free, then pay only when ready to publish
• Like the Reserve Plan option: Pay $39 to hold your domain and design, credited toward future membership
• Want a digital archive option: The $39 PDF archive preserves your site after your membership ends
• Don't need planning tools: Comfortable using separate tools for budget, timeline, and vendor management

Making Your Decision

Both platforms serve different strengths well. Riley & Grey excels at curated design, low-fee cash registries, and its BRIDES-recognized RSVP system. WedSites offers deeper planning tools, household-based guest management, and one-time pricing. Consider trying both -- Riley & Grey lets you build for free before paying, and WedSites starts at $39 for the Basic plan -- to see which approach fits your wedding best.

This comparison is based on research conducted in February 2025. Features and pricing for both platforms may have changed since publication. Visit both websites to confirm current offerings.