What an engagement website does
An engagement website announces the news to a much wider circle than a wedding does, sets the tone for the year ahead, introduces two families to each other before they meet under a chuppah, and does the work no group text can. That's the short answer. The long one is that Jewish tradition treats an engagement as a real halachic step, not merely a party: historically kiddushin (the formal betrothal) and nisuin (the completion of the marriage) were separate ceremonies, sometimes a full year apart. The engagement was already a status. Today the two stages happen under one canopy, but the engagement window remains a distinct and meaningful season, and the celebrations that fill it deserve their own thoughtful home online.
A wedding website usually launches four to six months out. An engagement site launches almost immediately: within the first two weeks, before the third-degree cousins hear the news secondhand and start guessing dates. It becomes the link you text when someone says "wait, tell me everything," the link on your engagement party invitation, and the quiet source of truth while the wedding date is still being worked out with the rabbi and the venue.
Custom engagement websites matter here more than they do for a wedding, because the engagement is when the two families first show themselves to each other in public. The design language, the family names side by side, the small explanatory notes for guests unfamiliar with a vort or a henna: all of it says, gently, that this union is being taken seriously by everyone involved.
What it's called across communities
Jewish engagement has more names, in more languages, than almost any other lifecycle moment. Here's the short glossary. Nothing on your site will require your guests to know these words; they're the vocabulary we use so your site speaks to your family the way your family actually speaks.
- Tenaim (Ashkenazi tradition)
- Literally "conditions." A written engagement agreement between the two families, historically the more formal engagement moment, often accompanied by breaking a plate. In earlier centuries breaking tenaim was a serious matter. Today tenaim are usually kept as a symbolic ritual at the wedding itself, a beautiful piece of Ashkenazi memory folded into the day.
- Vort (Yiddish)
- Literally "word," as in giving one's word. The Ashkenazi engagement celebration in modern usage: often a home party, sometimes at a hall, where the couple's engagement is announced formally to friends and family. In many communities the vort is the celebration guests actually attend; the tenaim, if kept, are quieter and family-only.
- L'chaim ("to life")
- A smaller, quicker toast to the engagement, often the first gathering after the couple decides. Common in Chabad and other Chassidic communities, sometimes held the very evening of the engagement. It's the joyous opening of the season, not the big party.
- Henna, hina, or mehndi
- The pre-wedding celebration common in Sephardi, Mizrahi, Persian, Yemenite, Moroccan, Bukharian, Indian, Pakistani, and other traditions. The name shifts by community (henna in English-speaking Sephardi contexts, hina in Moroccan Judeo-Arabic and modern Israeli, mehndi in South Asian). The celebration itself is joy, dance, traditional dress, and the ritual application of henna to the bride's hands and often the groom's. Full guide: our henna party explained.
- Aufruf (Ashkenazi)
- The calling up of the groom to the Torah on the Shabbat before the wedding, followed by candy and singing. Sometimes counted as part of the engagement window, sometimes treated as the wedding weekend proper; a good engagement site can mention it and hand off to the wedding site when the time comes.
- Kiddushin and nisuin
- The two ancient halachic steps of Jewish marriage: betrothal and completion. Once separated by up to a year, today combined into a single ceremony. The reason your engagement matters halachically, and the reason so many communities still mark it with something meaningful.
On your site, we use the words your family uses. If your guest list spans a Persian side and an Ashkenazi side, a small line of explanation on the site itself keeps everyone comfortable when the invitations go out.
The kind of engagement celebration you're planning
Every engagement takes a different shape. Some couples want one warm gathering; some want three. The website adapts to whichever form you're hosting, and lets guests know exactly what they're being invited to.
A single evening party (most common)
One big celebration, often the vort or engagement party, at a home or hall, with 60 to 150 guests. The site carries a warm announcement page, a photo of the couple, the two family names side by side, the venue, the dress code, and an RSVP. Simple, generous, done in a week. This is what most couples choose, and Essential or Signature both fit it beautifully.
A henna night for one side of the family
A henna, hina, or mehndi celebration for the bride's side, sometimes the groom's too. Colorful dress, traditional food, dance, and the henna ritual itself. The website carries the dress code (often "wear color" or a specific traditional color like green or gold), an explanation for guests unfamiliar with the ritual, family names in the language your family uses, and an RSVP that asks about dietary needs early.
A tenaim or vort with the families and closest friends
A smaller, more traditional evening: 30 to 60 people, often at home, with the tenaim document signed or the vort formally announced. The website is intimate: a beautiful announcement, a short piece on what a vort is for guests who've never attended one, the two families named, and a private RSVP. Password protection is often the right call at this size.
A small l'chaim, then a bigger party later
A quick toast in the days after the engagement, followed weeks later by the main celebration. The website introduces both, side by side, with clear "who's invited to what" language so no guest feels awkward at either. This is where a good site pays for itself: nobody has to ask.
What to include on an engagement website
The sections guests actually want, in the order they look for them:
- The story, short: two paragraphs. How you met. Where he proposed. Enough to make guests smile, not a memoir.
- The news itself: a warm, unmistakable announcement with the couple's names and, if you know it, the wedding date to follow.
- Both family names, equally honored: parents' names on both sides, presented side by side. The engagement is when the two families meet in public; the site sets the tone.
- The venue and time for the engagement celebration itself: address, map, start time, expected end.
- Dress code: especially for a henna, where color is often the theme, and sometimes traditional dress is expected. Spell it out; guests are relieved to be told.
- Gift information: many couples request no gifts at this stage; some communities have strong traditions around gold or jewelry. Be explicit. It saves everyone.
- RSVP: real form, real reminders, meal and allergy questions, plus one gentle "how did you hear the news?" if you want the memory later.
- Wedding date if known, or "wedding to follow" language if it isn't yet. Guests want the horizon, not the exact hour.
- What to expect, for guests unfamiliar with the tradition: two friendly paragraphs on what a vort or a henna actually looks like.
For deeper drafts and adaptable copy, see our engagement party website ideas and, for henna specifically, henna invitation wording.
One site or two?
Either works. Some couples want one site that spans engagement through wedding, with a "the story so far" arc that grows month by month. Some prefer two separate sites: an engagement site that lives its own life, and a wedding site launched later with its own reveal, its own theme, and its own quiet drama. Both are good choices; the decision is aesthetic more than practical.
One site is warmer if your engagement window is short (three to six months) and if you love the idea of guests bookmarking a single link that grows with you. Two sites are better if the engagement celebration and the wedding are stylistically different, if the engagement is very family-forward while the wedding is going to be a full production, or if you want the wedding to feel like a fresh chapter.
We've built both. If you'd like to think it through: our full comparison lives in engagement site vs wedding site.
Packages
Three packages, one-time prices, no subscription. The site stays online for a full year.
- Essential, $490. A one-page engagement site: announcement, story, families, venue, RSVP. Perfect for a smaller vort or l'chaim.
- Signature, $990. The popular choice: multi-section custom design, photo gallery, digital save-the-date, password protection. Fits most engagement parties and hennas beautifully.
- Prestige, $1,890. Fully bespoke art direction, gallery, RSVP with meal management, dedicated concierge until the celebration. If the bride's family is inviting 200 people to the henna, this is the fit.
Full details on the pricing page. Your date is booked with a 50% deposit, invoiced securely, wherever you are in the world.
The news is out. The website is next.
A 15-minute discovery call, a design proposal within 72 hours, online in about a week. Tell us who you are and who you're marrying.
Questions couples ask
When should we build the engagement website?+
Right after the news goes out to the closest family and friends. Within the first two weeks is common. The site becomes the link you text the fifty people who found out from someone else, and the one you attach when the engagement party invitation goes out.
What's the difference between an engagement party, a vort, tenaim, and a henna?+
They're all engagement celebrations, from different Jewish and cultural traditions. A vort is the Ashkenazi engagement party; tenaim are the written engagement conditions, historically a separate ceremony and today usually kept symbolic. A l'chaim is a smaller, quicker toast. A henna (or hina or mehndi) is the Sephardi, Mizrahi, and South Asian pre-wedding celebration with dance and the application of henna. Your website adapts to whichever you're hosting.
How much does an engagement website cost?+
$490 to $1,890 at Digithad. Essential ($490) is a one-page site for a smaller celebration. Signature ($990) is the popular choice: multi-section design, gallery, digital save-the-date, password. Prestige ($1,890) is fully bespoke with a concierge if the celebration is large. All are one-time prices.
Should we have one website for engagement and wedding, or two?+
Either works. One site tells the whole story from proposal to first dance, and guests bookmark one link forever. Two sites give the wedding its own space and dramatic reveal, and keep the engagement site clean once the wedding is over. Most couples pick one or the other; either is a good choice. Full comparison in our dedicated guide.
Do guests need to bring gifts to an engagement party?+
That depends entirely on the family, the tradition, and the size of the celebration. In many Sephardi and Persian communities, gifts of gold or jewelry are traditional at engagements. In Ashkenazi vort settings, gifts are often optional and small. Say clearly on the website what your family expects; guests will thank you for the guidance.
Digithad is the event web studio for Jewish celebrations: engagements, hennas, weddings, brits, bar and bat mitzvahs. One beautiful link for the days that matter most. Updated July 2026.