Web Programming (WK3) - Design Blog

This week I spent a lot of time looking through wedding venue websites, and became abundantly aware of how important a well designed website is. It’s funny how quickly you can tell the vibe of a place just from the font and overall layout before you even read anything.

Some of the more traditional venues, especially castles, leaned heavily into serif fonts. They used elegant, classic typefaces that almost felt like they belonged on formal invitations. It definitely worked for the aesthetic (they felt timeless and expensive) but sometimes it also made the websites feel a little dated or harder to read, especially when paired with long paragraphs and darker backgrounds. On the other hand, a few of the more modern venues used clean sans-serif fonts. These sites felt easier to navigate and more user-friendly overall. The text was clearer, spacing was better, and everything felt more deliberate. Even if the venue itself wasn’t as visually dramatic as a castle, the website design made it feel more accessible and organized.

I noticed across almost all of the websites that imagery does a lot of the heavy lifting. When those images were paired with simple, readable fonts, the experience felt smooth and cohesive. But when the fonts were overly decorative or inconsistent, it distracted from the photos instead of enhancing them. Another detail that stood out was consistency. The best-designed sites stuck to one or two fonts max and used them everywhere. The weaker ones mixed too many styles, which made everything feel a little chaotic and less polished.

Something that surprised me was how quickly a bad website made me lose interest entirely. If the colors clashed or felt harsh on the eyes, it immediately made the venue feel less appealing, even if the actual location might have been beautiful. The same thing happened with typography. Fonts that were too spaced out, overly stylized, or just difficult to read made it feel like more work to get through the information. Instead of wanting to explore, I was quick to exit these pages. It really highlighted how much design affects perception. A confusing or visually overwhelming website doesn’t just look bad, it creates friction. It makes you question how organized the venue is overall, or whether communication would be just as frustrating.

Looking at these sites made me think differently about my own design choices. It reinforced how important it is to match your typography to the feeling you’re trying to create. A romantic, moody wedding aesthetic (like what I’m going for) can absolutely use more decorative or serif fonts, but they need to be balanced with readability and simplicity. I came away with a better understanding of how design choices shape first impressions. It’s something I’ll definitely keep in mind, both for wedding planning and for any future design work I do.

Example of one of the websites I quickly left:

My complaints: The color scheme doesn't make sense. Navigation is confusing. Font choice is basic and letters are too close together, making it difficult to read. The white on bright green makes it difficult to read as well. 

Example of a website I thought was well organized: