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RSVP – Collect confirmations

With RSVP your guests confirm or decline online – and the answers land in your guest list automatically. No paper slips, no phone calls, no manual matching.

What makes RSVP different

Section titled “What makes RSVP different”

RSVP behaves differently from most tools:

  • It does not appear on the event home page – neither as a widget nor in the guest menu. That is why the tile carries Direct link only at the bottom – no longer a chip, but part of a dot-separated line of text – and why the editor has no Display tab. Unlike the digital invitation, RSVP cannot be added to the guest menu later either; that switch does not exist here.
  • You send it out actively: as a link or QR code, on your invitation card for example.
  • Your guests only see the form, without gallery navigation around it.
  • The visibility window is the response window – once it closes, the form is closed.

Where to find RSVP

Section titled “Where to find RSVP”
Sidebar with the highlighted RSVP entry under Planning and the tab bar of the editor
① The sidebar lists RSVP in the Planning group – with a counter badge showing confirmations and total guests. It gets its own entry once the tool is active and recently used; otherwise go through All tools and the RSVP tile. ② The editor has just three tabs: Content, Visibility and QR code – there is deliberately no Display tab, because RSVP never shows up on the home page.
Header of the RSVP editor with title and the active banner
① Title and description of the tool. ② While RSVP is active, all that stays at the top is this slim Active banner reading “Not on the event home page — send the link or QR code yourself.” It is not an error message, it is the reminder that delivery is up to you.

Setting it up

Section titled “Setting it up”

  1. Open RSVP from the sidebar or via All tools.

  2. Switch it on at the top with Enable tool.

    The Enable tool card in its off state with the blue hint below
    While RSVP is off, the whole card Enable tool – Makes the tool available to your guests. sits at the top. The blue hint below says: “This tool is still disabled. You can prepare the content anyway — enable it above when you are ready.” So you can set everything up in peace and go live at the very end.

  3. Pick your answer options in the Content tab and add custom questions if you need them. Then hit Save.

  4. Set your response window in the Visibility tab.

  5. Send out the link – either one shared link for everyone, or personalized per guest.

The stats at the top

Section titled “The stats at the top”
The four stat cards Guests total, Confirmed, Declined and Pending
Four cards, live from the guest list: ① Guests total – every entry, plus-ones included. ② Confirmed. ③ Declined. ④ Pending – no answer yet.

Share the invitation

Section titled “Share the invitation”

Everything you need for delivery sits side by side in Share the invitation.

The Share the invitation section with address, Copy link and the three delivery buttons
① The shared link is spelled out right there. ② Copy link puts it on your clipboard. ③ The three personal routes: Personalized links (CSV), Personalized links (Excel) and Design invitations.

The shared link. The address is right there; Copy link puts it on your clipboard. The same link is available as a QR code in the QR code tab – there also as a PDF poster and ready to be restyled in the Design Studio.

Personalized links per guest. Two buttons create an individual link for every guest on the guest list and download it as a file:

  • Personalized links (CSV)
  • Personalized links (Excel)

Both files have two columns: Name and Invite link. You can feed the file straight into a mail merge. The upside: the answer is unambiguously attached to the right person, your guests never have to type their own name, and the plus-one limit applies per invite.

Design invitations. This button opens the Design Studio with the RSVP invitation template, preset to A6. The preview lets you page through your real guests; on export every card carries that guest’s personal QR code.

The two hint lines below the delivery buttons: event date and the pointer to the QR tab
Two hints below the buttons: ① Your event date with the Change link – printed invitations carry it, which is why it sits right here. If none is set yet, the link reads Set it now and takes you to the [general settings](/help/en/admin/settings-general/). ② The pointer to the QR code tab – that is where the QR code for the shared link lives.

When the guest allowance runs tight

Section titled “When the guest allowance runs tight”
A slim banner above the stats: 52 of 65 guests included in your package
As you approach the limit, a slim line runs above the stats: “52 of 65 guests included in your package.” Next to it, See packages leads straight to the selection. Nothing is blocked yet.
The allowance box above the editor and the greyed-out buttons for the personalized links
① Once your list exceeds the allowance, the line turns into a box: “52 guests — your package covers 40.” It explicitly says that planning stays unlimited – adding guests, placing tables, auto-seating. ② The only thing blocked is the personal invite links: CSV and Excel are greyed out and Design invitations disappears entirely. The shared link and the QR code keep working.

The QR code tab

Section titled “The QR code tab”
The QR code tab with the code, the direct link and the three file buttons
① The QR code for the shared link – guests scan it and land on the answer form directly, without signing in. The address with Copy link sits below. ② Three file formats to hand on: Export PDF (a ready-made sheet), QR as PNG and QR as SVG (for the print shop). Design in Design Studio turns it into a layout of your own.

Answer options

Section titled “Answer options”

You decide what gets asked – only ask for what you really need.

The first three answer options: self-registration, plus-ones and menu choices
① Allow self-registration – guests who are not on the list can add themselves. With the switch off, only names from the guest list can answer. ② Allow plus-ones – guests name companions when confirming. ③ Ask for menu choices – shows the courses from the [menu tool](/help/en/admin/tools-menu/) for selection; every plus-one picks their own dish.
The next three answer options: dietary requirements, reply assistant and seating wishes
① Ask for dietary requirements – a free-text field for diet and allergies. ② Guided reply assistant – on: step by step, off: all questions on one page. On a phone in particular, the assistant tends to get filled in more completely. ③ Ask for seating wishes – guests name up to three people they would like to sit next to.
The Plus-ones per invite (default) dropdown
Plus-ones per invite (default) only appears once Allow plus-ones is on – and it sits further down, below the seating wishes. The value applies to everyone; in the [guest list](/help/en/admin/tools-guest-list/) you can override it per guest.
The two contact questions for email address and phone number
① Ask for email address and ② Ask for phone number are not switches but three-way: Don't ask, Optional or Required. Both land as their own column in the guest list.

The order in the editor, top to bottom:

  • Allow self-registration – people who are not on the list can add themselves. You reconcile their entries in the guest list later.
  • Allow plus-ones – guests name companions when confirming.
  • Ask for menu choices – shows the courses from the menu tool for selection. Every plus-one picks their own dish.
  • Ask for dietary requirements – free-text field for diet and allergies.
  • Guided reply assistant – on: guests answer the invitation step by step. Off: all questions on one page.
  • Ask for seating wishes – guests name up to three people they would like to sit next to. The wishes show up in the seating planner and can be turned into seating rules there.
  • Plus-ones per invite (default) – only appears while plus-ones are allowed. The value applies to everyone; you can override it per guest in the guest list.
  • Ask for email address and Ask for phone number – each three-way on its own: Don’t ask, Optional or Required.

Custom questions

Section titled “Custom questions”

If the standard fields are not enough, add custom questions – “Will you take the shuttle?” or “Are you staying at the hotel?”, for instance.

Anatomy of a custom question: text field, question type and the three tool icons
Every question is its own card: ① the question text your guests read. ② The question type – Choice (one answer), Multiple choice or Free text. ③ The three tools on the right edge: Move up, Move down and the bin Remove question.
Answer options of a choice question with Add option and the two switches
Both choice types add answer options: ① One answer option – the X next to it removes it. ② Add option appends another one. ③ Two switches per question: Allow own answer (guests may type something extra) and Required question (the form cannot be submitted without an answer).
The same question as free text: the answer options are gone
① Switch the type to Free text ② and the card shrinks: answer options and Allow own answer disappear, because guests write freely anyway. Only Required question remains.
The Add question button below the existing questions
Add question appends an empty card at the bottom. New questions always land at the end – use the card's arrows to move them into place.

If your event runs in several languages, the language bar appears above the questions: questions and answer options are maintained per language.

Don’t forget to save

Section titled “Don’t forget to save”

Answer options and custom questions are a draft – they only reach the server when you hit Save.

The save row with the Unsaved changes note
As soon as you change something, Unsaved changes appears next to the button and Save turns solid. Before that the button is pale – there is simply nothing to store.
The prompt when switching tabs with an open draft
Switch tabs with an open draft and Photogala asks: Unsaved Changes. Save & Continue applies your changes and switches, Don't Save discards them. Clicking outside simply leaves you where you are.

What your guests see

Section titled “What your guests see”
The RSVP form as a guest sees it
A guest answers in a handful of steps – name, confirm or decline, plus-one, menu and a message. ① The step indicator with its progress bar. The total is not fixed: it grows once someone confirms and you have menu choices, custom questions, contact details, dietary requirements, plus-ones or seating wishes switched on – a decline goes straight to the message. ② First and last name. This step is skipped when the guest arrives through their personal invite link: the name is already known. ③ Next moves to the following step; on the yes/no question the answer itself moves things along.

There are two routes into the form, and they differ on purpose:

Through the shared QR code or link. The guest types first name and last name. The server then matches the name itself – either to an existing guest-list entry or as a new one.

Through the personalized link. Here the guest is recognised immediately: their name is at the top and an earlier answer is already filled in. Change answer lets them correct it at any time, as long as the response window is open. The individual plus-one limit is applied correctly too.

The whole flow step by step is on the guest page Confirm or decline (RSVP).

Setting the response window

Section titled “Setting the response window”

The Visibility tab defines from when and until when people may answer – it is the same visibility window every time-controlled tool has.

The Visibility tab with Visible from and Visible until
① Visible from – when guests may start answering; Immediately means: as soon as the tool is active. ② Visible until – when the form closes; No end leaves it open. Both fields share the same set of modes, including Event date with an offset. Finish with Save window.

The handy one is Event date with an offset: “until 14 days before the event” moves along automatically if you still change the event date. Once it has passed, guests can no longer reach the form. The modes in detail are covered in Tools – overview.

Reading the answers

Section titled “Reading the answers”

Below the settings, Answers lists the latest replies.

The Answers section with the confirmations and declines that came in
① A row holds the name, the status chip Confirmed or Declined, a +1 for reported plus-ones, the guest's message and the time of the reply. ② The list shows the latest replies – that is, only guests who answered through the form themselves. Anyone you entered by hand lives in the guest list.
The hint box below the answer list with the To the guest list button
Everything beyond that – menu choices, dietary requirements, contact details, custom questions, plus-one limits – happens in the guest list. To the guest list takes you straight there.

Troubleshooting

Section titled “Troubleshooting”
  • Nothing to pick in the menu selection. There are no courses and dishes in the menu tool yet. RSVP shows exactly what is there.
  • The personalized link export fails. With no guests there is nothing to export – add or import them in the guest list first.
  • The buttons for the personalized links are grey. Your guest list exceeds your package’s guest allowance. The shared link keeps working.
  • Guests end up on a password prompt. Your event is invite-only. Turn on Embed password in link in the QR code tab and send the link again.
  • A custom question vanished after saving. Questions without text in the default language are discarded, and so are choice questions with no answer option at all and without Allow own answer.
  • 50 confirmations at the top, but only seven rows in the list. The cards count all guests, the answer list only shows those who replied themselves. The full picture is in the guest list.
  • A guest appears twice. They added themselves through the shared link although they were already on the list. In the guest list you assign the new entry to the existing one.
  • The form is closed for guests. Check in the Visibility tab whether today falls inside the response window – and whether the tool is enabled at all.
Section titled “Related pages”