7 Website Design Mistakes Wedding Planners Make (And How to Avoid Them)

I was doing a website audit last month for a wedding planner who had been in business for five years. Beautiful work. Incredible reviews. And a website that was, to put it gently, not reflecting any of that. She told me she’d been losing inquiries to planners she knew weren’t as experienced as her, and she couldn’t figure out why. When we went through her site together, we found seven things that were working against her. And friend — every single one was fixable.

I see these same mistakes across planner websites constantly. Let’s go through them so you can check your own site and fix whatever’s getting in your way.

Mistake 1: Showcasing Process Over Transformation

So many planner websites are heavy on what they DO and light on what clients EXPERIENCE. “Full-service coordination, vendor sourcing, timeline management, day-of direction” — fine, but a couple doesn’t lie awake at night dreaming about timeline management. They dream about the feeling of walking into their reception and bursting into tears because it’s even more beautiful than they imagined. They dream about not having to stress or think about a single thing that day. Lead with that transformation. The deliverables are the supporting details.

Mistake 2: Using Generic Wedding Industry Photography

If the photos on your website could belong to any planner anywhere, they are not doing you any favors. Generic stock photos or vendor-provided images that look like every other wedding website don’t tell your story — they blend you into the crowd. Brand photography of YOU, your workspace, your details, your personality is what differentiates a website that books and one that doesn’t. (See the brand photography post for how to plan this!) Check out real examples in my portfolio.

Mistake 3: Neglecting Mobile Optimization

Wedding planning happens on phones. Constantly. I’m going to stop being polite about this: if your website is not a genuinely great experience on mobile, you are losing bookings every single day. Go look at your site on your phone right now. Is the text readable? Does it load quickly? Can you tap the menu and find things easily? Is the contact form usable? If any of those answers are no, that is your priority fix.

Mistake 4: Making Portfolio Difficult to Navigate

A portfolio buried three clicks deep, or organized in a way that makes it hard to find “the kind of wedding I want,” is a portfolio that’s not working for you. Your portfolio should be easy to find from your homepage, clearly organized (by wedding style, venue type, or service level if that makes sense for your business), and beautifully presented. Each gallery should have a brief description that includes venue name, location, and a little bit about the couple’s vision. That context helps with SEO and helps potential clients see themselves in your work.

Mistake 5: Hiding Pricing Information Completely

I know this is a hot topic. Some planners have very strong feelings about not listing pricing online. And I get it — every wedding is different and packages are custom and blah blah. But here’s the thing: when you have absolutely no pricing information on your site, some potential clients assume the worst and leave before reaching out. A “investments starting at” or a price range gives people enough context to know if they’re in the right ballpark, which means the people who DO reach out are far more likely to convert. See how I handle this on my own pricing guide for a real example.

Mistake 6: Overwhelming Site Navigation

If your navigation has eight items in it, it has too many. More options create decision fatigue, and decision fatigue makes people leave. Your main navigation should have five items maximum, and every item should be something that moves a potential client closer to booking. Services, portfolio, about, blog, contact. That’s basically it. Everything else can live in a footer or as a sub-page.

Mistake 7: Neglecting to Showcase Vendor Relationships

This one is specific to planners and it is SO underused. Your vendor relationships are a genuine selling point — especially to couples who are early in the planning process and overwhelmed by all the decisions ahead of them. If you work with incredible florists, caterers, photographers, venues — and they trust YOU — that is enormously reassuring to a potential client. Weave your vendor relationships into your site: in testimonials, in portfolio captions, in a dedicated preferred vendors section. It builds credibility and community at the same time.

The Fix: Template or Custom?

If you’re reading this and nodding along to several of these mistakes, the good news is that all of them are fixable. Depending on how many issues you’re dealing with and how well your current site is built, you might need anything from a content refresh to a full redesign. Our Showit templates are a beautiful, strategic starting point if you want to DIY it, or come check out my portfolio and reach out if you’re ready to do this properly with a team behind you. The blog is also full of more tips like this!

The Bottom Line

Your website should work as hard as you do. Every one of these seven mistakes is fixable, and fixing even two or three of them can meaningfully change your inquiry rate. You put so much care into the weddings you plan — put that same care into the website that brings those couples to you in the first place.

Cheering you on,
Sarah