The useful minimum
For most weddings, an online RSVP only needs the guest’s name, whether they are attending, the number of people in their party if applicable, dietary requirements and one optional message field.
What should a wedding RSVP form ask?
| Field | Why collect it | Usually needed? |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Match the reply to the guest | Yes |
| Contact or update reference | Usually | |
| Attending / declining | Headcount | Yes |
| Party size | Total seats required | If invitations allow groups |
| Dietary requirements | Venue/catering planning | Often |
| Message | Optional note from guest | No |
How far before the wedding should the RSVP deadline be?
Work backwards from the date your venue, caterer and seating plan need final numbers. Then give yourself a buffer for people who reply late. The exact deadline depends on your suppliers and whether guests are travelling, so confirm those cut-off dates before publishing the RSVP deadline.
Should guests be able to add any number of people?
Usually not. If every invitation has a different allowance, the safest setup is invitation-specific guest access. A simpler fixed-scope website can instead cap the maximum party size and make the invitation wording clear. The important point is not to imply that an unlimited plus-one is available.
What about children and plus-ones?
Put the rule in both the invitation and the website FAQ. Guests should not have to infer it from the RSVP form. If a plus-one is included, say so. If children are invited only by name, say that plainly.
Why online RSVP beats chasing messages
WhatsApp replies, calls, paper cards and family messages can all work individually, but they create a reconciliation problem when they are mixed together. One RSVP route means one response list. A couple dashboard or CSV export then gives you a usable count instead of a collection of conversations.
Useful RSVP dashboard numbers
- Total responses received
- Total people attending
- Number of declines
- Dietary requirements
- Outstanding invitees, if your system supports a private guest list
Privacy: guest link versus couple dashboard
A shareable wedding guest website is not the same thing as a private account. Anyone with the guest link can normally see the guest-facing wedding information. The response dashboard should therefore use a separate private link and should never be shared with guests.
See the guest experience first
Build a free wedding website preview before deciding.
Choose a style and add your names, date and venue. If you later buy the hosted version, the same design carries into the paid builder.
Create my free previewWhat the T Bruce Studio paid version adds
The paid wedding website includes the hosted guest page, RSVP collection, attendance, party size, dietary notes, countdown, schedule, venue/map, dress code, travel, registry, FAQ, add-to-calendar file, private couple dashboard and CSV export. The founding price is R249 once-off, with no subscription.