Guest List

The guest list is the control centre of your planning: every guest in one table – who accepted, who eats what, who would like to sit next to whom, who sits where.

You find it in the sidebar under Planning – either through its own entry, as soon as it is active and recently used, or through All Tools and the Guest List tile.

The list is free, the export and the allowance are not

The guest list ships with every package. Two things around it are paid: the export as a file (see below) and your package’s guest allowance. Adding, maintaining, sorting and filtering stays unlimited either way – above the allowance only the deliveries close: the export, the seat lookup for guests and the personal RSVP links. A note with your numbers runs above the table as soon as you approach the line.

For you only – never for guests

The guest list holds personal data (names, email, phone, dietary notes). That is why it is – together with the budget – one of two tools without a guest page and without a widget: the editor has no tab bar at all – no Display, no Visibility, no QR code, and therefore no way to publish it by accident. The editor spells it out: “Only for you and your event admins — guests never see this tool.” It is locked technically too: guest requests are rejected on the server.

The header row

Above the table sits the action bar with Import, Export and a counter line showing where your planning stands: guests, attending, declined and pending. On the right is the Save button, preceded by Unsaved changes whenever something is open.

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① The Active switch – the note next to it is explicit: the guest list is for you and your event admins only, guests never see it. ② Import and Export, with the tally beside them (“52 guests · 50 attending · 2 declined · 0 pending”). ③ Columns shows and hides columns. ④ Add guest creates a new row.

The table

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① Add guest appends an empty row to the table. ② Type the name into Guest name, ③ the Group right next to it – the groups already in use are offered as suggestions. ④ Below the table you read where the seats come from: tables and the room layout are built in the seating plan.

Default columns

Every cell is editable right in the row.

• Name – companions carry a small +1 in front of their name; behind it sits the note of who they belong to.
• Group – free text with suggestions from the groups already in use (such as “Bride’s family”, “Colleagues”).
• RSVP – Pending, Attending or Declined.
• Response message – the message the guest left when replying.
• One column per custom RSVP question – every question from the RSVP tool automatically creates its own column, including its answer options and the No answer entry.
• One column per course – if your menu has courses, you pick the dish per course here. + New dish… creates a new menu dish straight from the row.
• Seating wishes – the names this guest would like to sit next to. Separate several names with commas; the first word counts as the first name.
• Table / seat – the seat assignment from the seating plan, editable right here: one dropdown for the table, one for the seat. Without an assignment it reads Unassigned. In the table dropdown, + New table creates a table on the spot; in the seat dropdown, + Add seat grows the table by one seat.
• Email and phone – from the RSVP reply or entered by you.
• Dietary / allergies – intolerances and dietary preferences.
• Notes – your own field for everything else.
• Your own columns – see below.
• Figure – Auto, Male, Female or Child. This only controls which figure the guest gets in the illustrated seating view; Auto derives it from the name.

Working with the table

Clicking a column header — here RSVP — opens its own menu; highlighted are Sort ascending, Sort descending and Freeze column to the left. Right below sits the column filter, for RSVP the value list Pending, Attending, Declined. The same header can be dragged to move the column.

The Columns button above the table opens Visible columns: tick a column to show or hide it, use the lock to freeze it to the left. The menu is longer than the screenshot – Add your own column… and Reset layout sit at the very bottom.

• Search guest… – the search field filters across all guests.
• Clicking a column title opens that column’s menu: Sort ascending, Sort descending, Clear sorting and a filter. Text columns get a Contains… field, choice columns (group, RSVP, table, courses, figure, yes/no columns) get a checklist of values.
• Dragging a column title reorders the column.
• Reset filters clears every filter at once; Clear this column’s filter only that one.
• Columns opens the Visible columns menu: tick or untick columns, jump into the column editor with Add your own column…, and put order and visibility back to default with Reset layout.

Order and hidden columns are remembered by your browser – they are your personal view and change nothing about the data.

Editing rows

• Add guest creates a new row. Pressing Enter in the name field jumps to the next row, or appends a new one on the last row.
• The person icon at the end of the row inserts a companion (+1) underneath that guest.
• The bin icon removes the guest. The checkbox at the front selects rows, and Delete selection removes them together.
• Next to Email sits Send email, next to the phone number sit Call and Send SMS – one click opens your mail or phone app.

Deleting pulls other things with it

Before deleting, Photogala asks and points it out: the guest’s companions and seat assignments are removed too.

Your own columns

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① Quick add creates a ready-made column with a matching type in one click – Accommodation, Gift received, Shuttle, Address, Invitation sent, Children, Side and Thank-you sent. ② Add blank column builds your own with a type you pick. ③ The note below is a reminder: your own columns are admin-only and end up in the exports. ④ Save puts them into the table.

If the default columns are not enough, add your own via Columns → Add your own column…. They are pure host bookkeeping: no guest is ever asked about them.

Quick add offers ready-made templates with a matching type: Accommodation, Gift received, Shuttle, Address, Invitation sent, Children, Side (with Bride, Groom, Both) and Thank-you sent.

Add blank column builds your own with one of these types:

• Text – free text.
• Number – also sorted numerically.
• Choice – a list of options you maintain yourself.
• Yes/No – a tick box.
• Date – a date field.

The arrows reorder the columns, the bin icon removes one. If a column already holds entries, the editor tells you how many before it goes.

Removing deletes no values

Custom columns are admin-only and are included in the exports. Removing a column takes it out of the table – the values already entered stay stored. So getting a column wrong never costs you data.

On multilingual events you maintain column names and options per language via the language bar.

Importing guests

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① Choose file (Excel or CSV) loads the list. ② Merge (recommended) matches existing guests by email or name and updates them; seats and RSVP answers are kept. Add new only sits between the two. ③ Replace list throws the existing list away – including the seat assignments of guests that disappear. ④ Import stays greyed out until a file is picked; after that it applies the guests to the editor – only Save writes them down.

If your guests already live in a list somewhere, you don’t have to retype them.

1. Open Import and load the file via Choose file (Excel or CSV). Excel, CSV and text files are read; columns like name (or first/last name), group, RSVP, email, phone, dietary and notes are detected automatically. Lists without a header row work too, and the names of your own columns are recognised as well.

2. The dialog reports how many guests it recognised and shows a preview of the first rows. Rows without a name are skipped and reported separately.

3. Choose how the file combines with your existing list:

   • Merge (recommended) – existing guests are matched by email or name and updated, new ones are added. Seats and RSVP answers are kept. A preview line tells you upfront how many would be new, updated and unchanged.
   • Add new only – names that already exist are skipped.
   • Replace list – all existing guests are replaced. Seat assignments of removed guests are lost.

4. Import applies the guests to the editor. Only the Save button at the top writes them down.

Exporting guests

Export hands the list back out – handy for caterers, best men or place cards.

The export is part of the paid packages

If your package does not cover it, a box sits at the top of the dialog: Export is part of the paid packages – “Maintaining, sorting and filtering the list stays free — taking it away as a file starts with the Plus package.” The Export button stays greyed out until then.

The same block applies when your list is above your package’s guest allowance. Instead of the upgrade box the dialog then carries the allowance note – “25 guests — your package covers 20.”, for example – with what still works and the route to the package overview.

You pick a format and the columns:

• Excel (.xlsx) – opens directly in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers.
• CSV (.csv) – universal text format for other tools and imports.
• PDF (.pdf) – festively styled list for printing and sharing.

Below that you tick the columns. Preselected are all columns that actually hold values; empty ones are marked empty and start unticked. All and None set the whole list; the name column always stays in. Photogala remembers your pick for the next export.

① The three formats on top, Excel (.xlsx) is preselected. ② Below it Columns (13) with All and None on the right – Name always stays ticked. ③ Columns without values carry the empty marker and start unticked, here Email. ④ Export creates the file. Next to the standard columns you can also pick this event’s RSVP questions.

Keep the PDF deliberately narrow

For the PDF, the dialog warns you once the column count grows – up to nine columns stay comfortably readable in print.

Depending on your pick, the export also carries Companion of, the seating wishes, your own columns, one column per RSVP question, and Table plus Seat as soon as a seating plan exists.

Example

Your aunt sends an Excel list of 42 names, 18 of which are already in your guest list. You pick the file, the dialog reports 42 guests recognised, shows a preview of the first rows and reports three nameless rows separately. With Merge (recommended) you see upfront how many would be new, updated and unchanged – the seats and existing RSVP answers of those 18 are kept. After Import the guests sit in the editor; only Save at the top writes them for good. For the caterer you then export as PDF and tick only name, group and dietary: up to nine columns the printed list stays readable.

Self-registered guests

If you allow self-registration in RSVP, guests add themselves through the shared QR code. Those entries do not go straight into the main list but into a separate Self-registered guests block underneath – together with their companions and with whatever they answered (seating wishes, dietary notes, contact, response message, custom questions). Exactly those details are what you need to decide whether it is the same person.

Each entry gives you three routes:

• Accept – the guest becomes a standalone entry and moves into the main list.
• Assign – the entry is merged into an existing guest. The existing entry keeps its master data and takes over the answer. If Photogala spots a likely duplicate, the matching guest is preselected and the entry is flagged possible duplicate.
• Reject – the entry is removed along with its companions.

Accept all in the top right takes every entry on as a standalone guest in one go.

Assigning only works after saving

Assign reloads the list and is therefore blocked while you have unsaved changes. Save first, then the button becomes available. Accept and Reject, by contrast, work on the draft and go out with your next Save.

Tip

Sort out the self-registrations before you build the seating plan – otherwise you are planning seats for duplicates.

On to the seating plan

Once the list stands, it is time to seat people: the Open seating plan button takes you straight into the seating plan. Tables and the floor plan are designed there; the plain seat assignment can also be changed here in the Table / seat column. The other way round, the seating plan brings you back via To the guest list.

Troubleshooting

• A column is missing. It is probably just hidden: check Columns → Visible columns or click Reset layout. Menu and seat columns only appear once the menu has courses and the seating plan has tables.
• My changes are gone. The table does not save by itself. As long as Unsaved changes is shown, click Save.
• Saving reports a conflict. Someone else – or an RSVP answer arriving right then – saved in the meantime. Your input is kept; review it and save again.
• The import finds no guests. The file has no rows with names. Check that a name column exists (or separate first/last names) and that the sheet is not empty.
• A column is missing from the export. Columns without a single value are unticked by default and marked empty – just tick them in the export dialog.
• The Export button is greyed out. Either your package does not cover the export, or your list is above the guest allowance. Which of the two it is, the box at the top of the dialog tells you.
• A guest appears twice. They self-registered. Use Assign in the Self-registered guests block.

Related pages

• For Hosts: RSVP – where the answers and the custom questions come from.
• For Hosts: Seating Plan – Seating Guests – assign seats and honour seating wishes.
• For Hosts: Seating Plan – Illustrated View, Export and Print – what the Figure column is for.
• For Hosts: Menu – the courses behind the meal choice.
• For Hosts: Tooling – Overview – how the tool editor is laid out overall.