Joy Review

Monday, December 2nd

2024 Wedding Planning Software Reviews

Joy

• Free service
• Create your own custom website
• Create a registry
• Send invitations and gather RSVPs
• Save up to 30% on guest lodging
• Password-protected website

Joy was created when one of the founders' sisters was planning her wedding and struggled to find a wedding website that offered personalization and attention to detail. Her brother built her a custom website and soon people began asking more questions about it and wanted one of their own. In 2016, Joy was officially launched and they've continued to modernize wedding planning and create a hassle-free experience for couples. Joy has been featured by InStyle, Vogue, The New York Times, Refinery29, The Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, TechCrunch, Bustle, Mashable, and Brides.

Fully custom website

There are 8 major services that Joy offers for couples who are ready to start the wedding planning process. The first is a wedding website that's completely customizable for you to add photos, create embellishments and designs that reflect your style, and add all your wedding details for guests to refer to. You can add dates, times, and locations of your events with a live countdown to the big day. You'll be able to choose who can see and RSVP to which events and even include a helpful FAQ about dress code, parking details, age limits, and more. This is great to have for people who might lose your invitation once it arrives in the mail or who just want more information than you can fit on a little card in the first place. It's a one-stop shop for all your wedding details to make sure everyone is equally informed. Plus, you can add collaborators to your website so everyone that's taking part in planning can work together.

Gather your guests

The next major tool that Joy can help with is tracking down your friends and family. You can collect addresses, add/import guest lists, send messages, and track RSVPs (with the Smart RSVP tool) all in one place. You can keep track of important details about each guest like food allergies/preferences, which events they will be at, and if they're in your wedding party. You can send them an invitation straight from Joy, alert them of date or time changes, send general messages, or remind them of upcoming events.

Create your invitations

The save-the-dates and wedding invitations you create through Joy can be done all electronically or you can pay to have them printed as well. They have hundreds of templates you can choose from to make your invites look exactly the way you want them to. The price per invitation will vary slightly based on the template you choose, but many of them start around $1.39 if you want them printed. Digital cards are free. You can select guests from your online list to send electronic invitations to and have them go out as soon as you approve your final proof. Physical invitations will be mailed to you in 12-14 days for you to send to guests personally with a $14.95 shipping fee. Express shipping is $39.95 and your invitations will arrive within 8 days.

Hotel block deals

If you're looking for lodging for your guests, Joy's Hotel Room Blocks can get you exclusive rates up to 30% off. You can reserve blocks ahead of time with no financial commitment and if your rooms don't get fully booked in the end, there are no cancellation fees. You can search rooms and group rates at your favorite hotels and resorts to find your guests a place to stay that they'll remember for a lifetime.

Service at no charge to you

So with all these helpful features, how much will you be forking out to use Joy? Surprisingly, nothing. The company makes money on the wedding registry tool where guests can pick out their favorite must-have items for guests to purchase or you can set up a honeymoon fund. Joy earns a percent on the commissions of the products that are sold, so in the end it doesn't cost a thing for couples to use this service.

Beats out competition

It's hard to complain too much when you aren't actually paying any money to use a service. The Better Business Bureau doesn't have a rating for Joy, but quite a few people who have used their tools have some things to say about it. Most people say it's really easy to use and since it doesn't cost anything, they went ahead and made a website for themselves and utilized whichever tools they felt were most helpful for them. People appreciate that the site is password-protected and looks really professional once it is set up. We noticed that many users said they'd tested out other platforms and when they compared them, Joy was the winner.

Nothing to lose

Joy is a fabulous place to turn for the guest management details of your wedding. It gives everyone a place to go for your registry, times/dates, location, and all the other things you want to know as a guest. Setting up a website with your partner would be a fun thing to do and you can make sure everything reflects your personality. This isn't a place where you can make a checklist of everything you need to do for your wedding prep, but it will take care of some big organizational items while not costing you a thing. There is literally nothing to lose by signing up with Joy, so we highly recommend using their wedding planning service.