When you create a Joy site, you automatically get a free URL like withjoy.com/courtney-and-jesse. A custom domain is a separate web address you purchase and connect to that site, so guests can find you at something like www.courtneyandjesse.com instead.

Once your custom domain is connected to your Joy site, you can use it anywhere you'd share your website address: save-the-dates, invitations, printed programs, or a quick text to family. It's shorter, easier to type, and looks more intentional than a withjoy.com URL.

A custom domain typically costs around $19.99 per year, though the exact price can vary depending on the domain name you choose.

Joy connects to external domains through URL forwarding. You'll set up a redirect in your registrar's DNS settings that points your custom domain to your withjoy.com address (for example, withjoy.com/yourname). The exact steps vary by registrar, so search for "URL forwarding" or "URL redirect" in their help center. If your registrar asks for specific DNS records to point to Joy, contact our support team and we'll provide the values you need.

It depends on where you purchased your domain. Domains bought through Joy typically activate within a few minutes. Domains from external registrars can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours, depending on how quickly DNS changes propagate. If it's been more than 48 hours and your domain still isn't working, reach out to our support team.

No, Joy supports domain forwarding only. That means when guests type your custom domain into their browser, they'll land on your Joy site, but the withjoy.com address will still appear in the URL bar.

This is expected behavior. Joy uses domain forwarding, which redirects guests from your custom domain to your Joy site, but the withjoy.com address will always appear in the browser's URL bar. Joy does not support domain masking, where your custom domain stays visible in the URL bar throughout. Your custom domain will still work correctly as a shareable link; it's just the behind-the-scenes URL that shows withjoy.com.

You can register your domain for 1, 2, 3, 5, or 10 years. By default, auto-renewal is turned on, which means your domain will renew automatically at the end of your registration period so you don't risk losing it. If you turn auto-renewal off, your domain will expire at the end of the period you paid for.

If your domain expires, your site returns to its original free withjoy.com address. You won't lose any of your content. Everything on your site stays intact. You can find your Joy URL at any time on the Settings page.

Yes. Your withjoy.com URL stays active no matter what. Both addresses will point to your site, so there's no need to choose between them.

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