A family tree for a wedding, built for two families
Not a wooden signing frame guests leave fingerprints on. This is an actual, multi-generation family tree for both sides, editable by anyone you invite, that keeps working long after the reception is over.
Free for 10 people · $9.99 once to go unlimited · No subscription, ever
What a wedding family tree actually is
A family tree for a wedding is a chart, printed or shared as a link, that traces both partners' family lines and merges them into one diagram for the reception or program. FamBranch builds it as a living tree: free for up to 10 people, unlimited for a single $9.99 payment once a tree outgrows that.
Most couples start this the same way: one Pinterest board, one Reddit thread asking how anyone actually merges two family lines that don't overlap, and a vague plan to print something nice for the welcome table. That's a reasonable place to start. It's also where a lot of people get stuck, because a static graphic can't hold two sides of grandparents, step-parents, half-siblings and a flower girl who's also somebody's second cousin.
A tree you can actually edit solves that. Both families add their own branch, you merge the two at the couple, and the whole thing stays correct even after somebody remembers an aunt got left off.
This isn't a guest book alternative
Search "family tree wedding" and a chunk of what comes back is the wooden signing tree — a framed print where guests press a fingerprint onto a branch, or drop a card into a box shaped like one. That's a nice keepsake. It is not what this page is about, and conflating the two is how people end up disappointed with whichever one they bought.
A guest book alternative
A physical object — a frame, a canvas, a card box — that guests interact with once, on the day. It records who attended, not who anyone is related to.
Bought once, finished once. Nothing about it updates after the wedding, and it usually isn't a family tree at all — it's shaped like one.
An actual family tree
A real genealogical chart — parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins — for both families, merged at the couple. Free to build up to 10 people.
Editable for years. Add a baby, a name change, a grandparent who joins after the wedding. It's still the same tree, at the same link.
If you want both, that's common: a signing frame for the day, and a FamBranch tree as the thing that's still accurate five years later when someone asks how the two families are actually connected. Some couples go a step further and set the tree up as something to hand a parent afterward — see turning a tree into a gift if that's the plan.
What goes into a combined wedding tree
Four pieces, in the order most couples build them.
- Two starting branches
- Add the bride's line and the groom's line as two separate branches first — parents, grandparents, siblings on each side. Don't try to merge before both sides exist.
- One point of connection
- The couple themselves is where the two branches meet. Everything above them stays two distinct family lines; the tree just displays them as one shape from that point down.
- Co-editors on each side
- Invite one person per family by email so they can fill in names and dates you don't know — a mother-in-law almost always knows more of her own side than you do. See how collaborative editing works before you send the invite.
- A template that fits the day
- Storybook Legacy and Bloom Family read well printed large for a reception table; Royal Archive suits a more formal program insert. All 5 templates come with the Premium Bundle, $19.99.
A printed craft vs. a tree you can actually edit
Here's the honest comparison, not the marketing version.
Scroll the table sideways on a phone
| What matters | Etsy print or Pinterest craft | FamBranch |
|---|---|---|
| Editable after ordering | No — it's printed | Yes, any time, by anyone invited |
| Both families add their own names | You type it all in yourself | Yes, by email invite |
| Works before, during and after the wedding | One-time physical object | Same link, indefinitely |
| Cost for unlimited people on one tree | Varies by seller, per order | $9.99 once |
| Number of generations it holds gracefully | Fixed at design time | Unlimited, grows as people add to it |
| Usable again for a future anniversary or reunion | Not without reordering | Yes, it's still the same tree |
"Varies by seller" is honest, not vague — we don't have a verified figure for what individual Etsy sellers charge, and stating one would be a guess. What we do know is the FamBranch side of the table, because it's our own pricing.
What it costs, and when the free tier stops being enough
Start free. It holds 10 people across 2 classic templates — Heritage and Minimal — which is plenty for a smaller wedding or an early draft while you're still collecting names from both families.
Where it breaks: two sets of parents, four to eight grandparents, aunts and uncles on both sides, and a handful of cousins gets past 10 names before you've finished either family. When that happens, $9.99 once lifts the cap on that tree to unlimited people, adds one premium template, a private link to share, timeline and gallery views, and the ability to invite relatives to co-edit. Want all 5 templates and the freedom to switch between them later? That's the Premium Bundle, $19.99, also one-time.
Do the arithmetic against the alternative: a single custom printable ordered once, that can't be corrected when somebody's name is misspelled or a great-aunt gets left off, versus a $9.99 payment that never expires and that you can still open and edit next year. There's no monthly charge either way — FamBranch doesn't have a subscription tier at all.
How to decide what you actually need
Answer these honestly before you start building.
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Will you clear 10 people once both sides are in?
Count both families' immediate line — parents, grandparents, siblings — before you start. Most combined wedding trees pass 10 the moment grandparents on both sides are added.
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Does anyone besides you need to add names?
If a parent or grandparent on either side knows dates you don't, invite them as a co-editor rather than chasing that information over text messages.
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Do you need it printed, or just a link to share?
A link costs nothing extra and works instantly. A printed version for the reception needs real lead time — see the honest limitation below before you promise it to anyone. If what you actually want is a single-family printable rather than a merged couple's tree, the family tree template guide is the better starting point.
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Do you want it to still exist next year?
If the answer is yes, that already rules out a one-time physical craft. The tree needs to live somewhere you can reopen and add to.
Where this isn't the right fit: if you need something printed and framed by tomorrow, this genuinely isn't it. Entering two families' worth of names, sorting out who goes where, and then getting a good print made takes real days, not a rushed evening — give yourself a few weeks before the wedding, not a few hours. And if what you actually want is historical record research — birth certificates, immigration records, DNA matches — that's a job for Ancestry or FamilySearch, not for FamBranch.
Common questions
Can I actually combine two separate families into one tree?
Yes. Build each family's branch on its own first, then connect both at the couple. Everything above the couple stays two distinct family lines; FamBranch just displays them as one merged shape from that point down.
How many people can I add before I have to pay?
Ten, on the free tier, using either the Heritage or Minimal template. Past that, a one-time $9.99 payment removes the cap on that specific tree — there's no subscription and no recurring charge.
Can other relatives add their own information?
Only on the Complete Tree ($9.99) or Premium Bundle ($19.99) tiers — both include inviting family to co-edit. The free tier is single-editor, so it's fine for a first draft but not for gathering names from both sides at once.
Can I get this printed in time for the reception?
Plan for weeks, not days. Collecting names from two families, correcting the inevitable mistakes, and getting a good-quality print made all take real time. Start the tree at least a month out if a printed copy is part of the plan.
Which template looks best for a wedding display?
Storybook Legacy and Bloom Family tend to read well printed large for a reception table. Royal Archive suits a more formal program insert. All 5 — Heritage Classic, Modern Minimal, Storybook Legacy, Royal Archive, Bloom Family — are on the Premium Bundle, and you can switch between them any time.
Does this replace Ancestry or a genealogy site?
No, and it isn't trying to. Ancestry, FamilySearch and MyHeritage are for historical record search and DNA matching. FamBranch is for building a tree you already know the shape of and want to look good and stay editable — a wedding tree is exactly that kind of project.
Is there a monthly fee for a bigger tree?
No. FamBranch doesn't sell subscriptions at all. Every upgrade — the $4.99 single template, the $9.99 Complete Tree, the $19.99 Premium Bundle — is a one-time payment per tree, not a plan you can forget to cancel.
Build both families into one tree, starting free
Add both sides, invite the relatives who know the names you don't, and decide about printing once the tree actually exists. Ten people costs nothing; going unlimited is $9.99, once.
Free for 10 people · $9.99 once to go unlimited · No subscription, ever
Prices, template names and limits reflect FamBranch's current one-time-payment pricing at the time this page was written and are subject to change.