Step-by-step instructions for connecting your AWS Route 53 domain to WedSites.

If you manage your domain's DNS with Amazon Route 53, follow these steps to add the DNS records needed to connect it to your WedSites wedding website.

Make sure you've added your domain to WedSites first. Go to Settings > General and enter your custom domain, then save. Then come back here to set up your DNS records.

You'll need access to your AWS account. Make sure you can log in to the AWS Management Console and have permission to manage Route 53 hosted zones.

You'll be adding these two records to your Route 53 hosted zone:

Important: You only need the A record if you're using an apex domain (like yourwedding.com). You only need the CNAME if you're using a subdomain (like www.yourwedding.com). We recommend adding both so both versions of your domain work.

Go to console.aws.amazon.com and sign in to your AWS account.

If you don't have a hosted zone for your domain, you'll need to create one first by clicking Create hosted zone and entering your domain name.

Look for any existing A records for your domain name (without any subdomain prefix).

If you see existing A records:
- You need to delete any A records that don't point to 37.16.10.26
- Having multiple A records causes your domain to only work sometimes
- Select the conflicting record, then click Delete

Note: Route 53 may show the record name as your full domain (like yourwedding.com) rather than @.

Using a custom subdomain? If you're using something like wedding.yourwedding.com instead of www, replace "www" with "wedding" in the Record name field.

After creating, check the hosted zone records list to confirm both records appear:
- An A record for the root domain pointing to 37.16.10.26
- A CNAME record for www pointing to domains.wedsites.com

Wait for DNS propagation. Route 53 DNS changes typically propagate within 60 seconds for the Route 53 servers, but global propagation depends on TTL values and may take up to a few hours.

SSL certificate is automatic. Once your domain connects, we'll automatically add an SSL certificate so your site works with https. This happens within a few hours of your domain connecting.

Test your domain. After waiting, try visiting your domain in a browser. You should see your wedding website!

Domain not working after several hours?
- Double-check that you entered the DNS records exactly as shown above
- Make sure you deleted any conflicting A records
- Verify your domain's nameservers point to your Route 53 hosted zone (check the NS record)
- Check that you entered your domain in WedSites under Settings > General

Nameserver mismatch?
- If you registered your domain with Route 53, nameservers should match automatically
- If you registered elsewhere but use Route 53 for DNS, make sure your registrar's nameservers match the NS record in your hosted zone

CNAME issues?
- Make sure the Record name is "www" and not blank
- Verify the Value field is exactly: domains.wedsites.com
- Route 53 doesn't allow a CNAME at the apex (root domain) — only use CNAME for subdomains like www

Need to verify DNS setup?
- Go to dnschecker.org
- Enter your domain and select "A" record type
- You should see 37.16.10.26 in the results

Hosted zones: Route 53 organizes DNS records into hosted zones. Each domain gets its own hosted zone. If you don't have one, create it before adding records.

No CNAME at apex: Route 53 (and DNS standards in general) does not allow CNAME records at the apex domain. Use the A record for the root domain and CNAME only for subdomains like www.

Fast propagation: Route 53 is one of the fastest DNS providers. Changes typically appear within 60 seconds on Route 53's servers, though global propagation depends on TTL.

AWS costs: Route 53 charges for hosted zones ($0.50/month per zone) and DNS queries. This is separate from your WedSites subscription.

IAM permissions: If you're using an IAM user (not the root account), make sure you have the route53:ChangeResourceRecordSets and route53:ListResourceRecordSets permissions for the hosted zone.

Email hosting: If you use AWS for email (SES or WorkMail), your MX records are separate and won't be affected by adding these A and CNAME records.

If you're having trouble with Route 53 DNS settings, reach out to our support team and we'll help you get your domain connected!