Agree the boundaries before adding names
Start with the space and budget you actually have. Agree how many places are available, whether children are included, who can invite a partner and which celebrations have a different guest list. These are planning decisions for the couple and hosts, not settings a spreadsheet can decide for you.
An estimated headcount helps with early venue discussions, but it is not the final catering number. Keep uncertain invitations separate while you agree the boundaries. Do not send a save-the-date to someone whose place you are still debating. Revisit the estimate when venue or travel plans change.
Create one row for every invited person
Write each person’s first and last name in a separate row, including a named partner and each invited child. Two people with the same surname or email address are still two people. One contact number can belong to a family without turning all its members into a single invitation or a single reply.
In the current SendInvites guest journey, you add people directly without first creating a household. An optional group label can identify family, friends or colleagues for organisation. It does not merge guest identity, event access or RSVP ownership. Older shared invitations retain their existing response journey and should not be treated as new independent invitations.
Keep the first spreadsheet simple
Start with first_name and last_name columns. Add email, phone or group_label only when useful. Check names with the people involved rather than guessing preferred spellings, partners or surnames. Leave information you do not know blank rather than inventing it just to fill the sheet.
SendInvites supports its CSV template and spreadsheet paste. Use the import preview to inspect invalid rows and duplicate warnings before saving. A warning about matching names or contact details is a reason to review the row, not proof that two entries are the same person. Imports should not silently overwrite an existing guest or collapse family members together.
- One person per row
- Names first, optional contact details later
- Preview errors and duplicate warnings
- Save only the rows you intend to add
Assign events deliberately
A guest invited to the ceremony and reception may have a different invitation from someone joining a welcome dinner. List each celebration clearly, then assign the correct events to each person. Never assume that adding a name automatically invites that person to every gathering.
Before preparing invitations, review the event names, times and venues together with the guest assignments. A group label is an organisational aid, not permission to attend an event. Check the individual record if two members of the same family are invited to different parts of the wedding.
Prepare the invitation before sending it
Choose a contact method that suits the actual guest. Check the phone number or email address when a delivery channel needs it. A names-only list is useful while planning, but it does not provide an address for an email or SMS. Review recipients, message wording, event details and plan allowances before confirming a send.
For WhatsApp, SendInvites prepares the message and link and opens WhatsApp for you to review and send manually. It does not automatically send through your personal account or read replies from your chats. A prepared handoff is separate from a confirmed delivery and from an online RSVP.
Collect individual replies and follow up calmly
Give guests a clear reply deadline and a way to ask for help. Collect meal choices or accessibility information only when it affects arrangements you are making. With Full Wedding Management, an individual RSVP connects the answer to the person and the events assigned to them. Personalised links and other features depend on the selected Management plan.
Use attending, declined and awaiting-response views to plan follow-up. A message attempt is not another guest, and a reminder is not a new RSVP. If someone responds by telephone, record the confirmed information through an authorised workflow so that the list used for planning remains consistent. Do not infer attendance merely because a message was opened.
Correct mistakes without losing history
Correct a spelling or contact detail on the existing guest rather than creating a replacement person after invitations have been issued. Keep invitation and reply history attached to the original record. In SendInvites, archived guests retain historical data and still count towards the package allowance. Archiving is not a way to obtain extra places.
A truly unused mistake may qualify for confirmed deletion only when the server proves there is no issued identity or important history. An invited or answered guest remains an archive case. Resolve any queued delivery work through the supported workflow before attempting changes; do not delete history to make a list look tidy.
Share only the information your suppliers need
Use current confirmed responses for catering and seating, and check the relevant event when a wedding has more than one celebration. Give an authorised supplier the minimum necessary export rather than your entire contact list. Keep dietary and accessibility details out of public screenshots, group chats and promotional pages.
Review the list again before the final venue deadline. Record late changes consistently, preserve useful historical context and limit access when a helper no longer needs it. Website and Website Plus are separate publishing plans; they do not include these guest-management and online-RSVP operations.