Wedding Guest List

What a guest list has to track

A guest list is more than names. To plan a reception you need to know, for each person, whether they've responded and how, whether they're bringing a plus-one or children, what they're eating, and which group or side they belong to. Those four facts drive everything downstream: the final headcount the venue needs, the meal totals the caterer needs, the tables you balance, and the place cards you print. A list that only holds names forces you to re-gather all of that later, usually from memory and a stack of reply cards.

The hardest part is keeping it current. RSVPs trickle in over weeks, a few guests change their answer, plus-ones get named late, and meal choices arrive last. A list that's easy to update — and that updates everything connected to it — is what stops the day-of surprises: the extra chair, the missing meal, the name card for someone who isn't coming.

How the guest list tool works

Open the Guests panel from the toolbar in the tool above. Add guests by typing a name, or use Import to paste or upload a CSV from the spreadsheet you've already started — one name per line, or columns for name and table. Each guest gets an RSVP status you can tap to cycle through pending, yes, and no, plus fields for a meal choice and a group or side. The panel shows live counts so you always know where the list stands.

When it's time to seat people, you don't start over. Click a seat in the chart and assign a guest from the same list; the meal and group you recorded travel with them. As you seat guests, the list marks who's placed and who still needs a chair, so you can work down to zero unseated. Change a guest later — a swapped meal, a declined invite — and the chart, the place cards, and the caterer count all read from the one updated record.

Everything is saved in your browser as you go, so you can close the tab and come back to the same list. Nothing is sent to a server on the free plan, and there's no account to create — you own the list on your device, and you can export it whenever you want a copy.

From guest list to seating, place cards, and meal counts

The reason to keep the guest list and the seating in one tool is that every printed output for the day is built from the list, so they can never disagree. The same names and meals that fill your list produce the seating chart, the place cards at each setting, the find-your-seat sign at the entrance, and the meal-count summary your caterer needs. Record a guest once and they appear, correctly, everywhere.

That closes the loop most couples stitch together by hand across a spreadsheet, a design app, and a print shop. Here, the guest list is the source: a confirmed yes becomes a seat, a meal becomes a line on a place card and a number on the caterer's sheet, a late change updates all of it when you re-export. The list is where the planning lives, and the printed day-of paper falls out of it.

Tips for an accurate final count

Set a response deadline two to three weeks before the wedding, earlier if your caterer needs final numbers sooner, and plan to chase the stragglers by phone or text in the last week — a meaningful share of guests never return the card. Enter each reply as it arrives rather than in a batch, so the count is always live and you're not reconstructing it the week of.

Track plus-ones and children as their own line so the headcount and the meal totals are right, and capture meal choices and dietary needs in the meal field as guests confirm them. When the list is final, it is also your seating-ready roster and your caterer's count — one record, checked once, that the rest of the day is printed from.

Quick tips

• Open the Guests panel from the toolbar to add, import, and track your whole list in one place.
• Already have a spreadsheet? Use Import to bring it in as a CSV instead of retyping names.
• Tap a guest's RSVP to cycle pending → yes → no, and watch the live confirmed/declined counts.
• Record meals and groups on the guest, not on a side list — they flow into place cards and the caterer count.
• Set an RSVP deadline 2–3 weeks out and enter replies as they arrive so the count stays live.

Frequently asked questions

Is the wedding guest list tracker free?

Yes. Building and tracking your guest list — names, RSVPs, +1s, meals, and groups — is free with no sign-up. The list is saved in your browser. Exporting watermark-free print materials from it uses Pro at $19 per month or the $9 one-time Event pass.

Can I import a guest list I already have?

Yes. Use the Import button in the toolbar to paste or upload a CSV — one name per line, or columns for name and table. Imported guests join your list and can be seated in the chart right away.

Does it track RSVPs and meal choices?

Yes. Each guest has an RSVP status you tap to cycle through pending, yes, and no, plus a meal field and a group or side. The panel shows live counts, and the meal choice flows into the place cards and the caterer meal-count summary.

How does the guest list connect to the seating chart?

They're the same tool. Add guests to your list, then click a seat to assign one — their meal and group travel with them. The list marks who's seated and who still needs a chair, so the list and the seating plan always match.

Is my guest list private?

Yes. On the free plan your list is stored only in your browser on your own device and is never sent to a server. There's no account required to use it.

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