How to build your guest list by hand

RSVPAll-in-One plan

Your guest list is a set of households: one invitation, one shared reply, and a seat cap per household. Adding them by hand takes about ten seconds each and gives you more control than a spreadsheet import; including per-event invitations and private notes.

Plan: All-in-One plan · Where: Sidebar → RSVP (under “Your guests”) → Guest list tab

Before you start

  • The household list only applies in Invitation only mode; in Open door mode there is no list to manage. See which mode to use.
  • Have your rough headcount handy: the seat cap you set per household is a hard limit on the form.

Steps

  1. Open the Guest list tab and pick Invitation only. In the sidebar, click RSVP, then Guest list. Under “Who can reply?”, select the Invitation only card.

    the Guest list tab with Invitation only selected

  2. Click Add a household. The household editor opens; “One invitation, one reply for the whole household.”

    the household editor popup, empty

  3. Name the household. Type a Household name like “The Whitfields”. This is what guests find when they search their name, so use something they’d recognize.

  4. Add the names on the invitation. Under Names on the invitation, type a name and press Enter; each becomes a small chip you can remove later. These names pre-fill the RSVP form for the household. You can leave this empty and rely on the household name alone.

    the editor with two name chips added and the Add a name field focused

  5. Set the seats. Use the − and + stepper under Seats for this household ; “names plus room for anyone unnamed.” Two named guests with 3 seats means they can bring one extra person. The count can’t go below the number of named guests, and adding a name beyond the cap raises it automatically.

  6. Limit which events they’re invited to (optional). If your form has two or more events, an Invited to list appears with a checkbox per event. Leave everything checked to invite them to it all, or untick events this household shouldn’t see.

  7. Leave yourself a note (optional). The field marked “Note to yourselves · guests never see this” is for anything worth remembering; “vegetarian”, “Grandma’s table”, “may need a ride.”

  8. Click Save household. The editor closes and the household appears in your list with its names, “up to N seats”, the events it’s invited to, and No reply yet.

    the households list with a few rows, one showing “Replied · 3 coming”

What you should see

A row per household. As replies come in, each row’s status changes to “Replied · N coming” or “Replied · cannot make it”. Click Edit on any row to change names, seats, events, or notes; or to Delete household. Guests who search their name on the RSVP form now find their invitation with everything pre-filled.

If something goes wrong

  • “Give the household at least one seat.”. The seat count is empty or zero. Every household needs at least 1 seat.
  • “Give the household a name or add at least one guest name.”. A household needs something guests can search for: a household name, a named guest, or both.
  • A guest reports they can’t find their invitation. Search is by first or last name. Check the spelling of the household name and the names on the invitation.