Guest List Maker

How to build the guest list

1. Type a name, set People to the number that invitation covers (1 to 99), choose a group and tap Add guest. The group stays filled in, so a run of relatives or colleagues goes in quickly.
2. To add many at once, switch to Paste a list and put one guest on each line. After a name you can add the number of people and a phone number, separated by commas: Priya Nair, 2, +91 98765 43210. Names that are already on the list are skipped.
3. Tap the circle beside a guest when you have called them or handed over the invitation. They move from To invite to Waiting.
4. When they answer, change the reply to Coming or Can't come.
5. Tap the pencil to correct a name or a count, add a note, or remove a guest.

Reading the headcount

The bar under the boxes shows the same thing by invitation: green for Coming, blue for Waiting, grey for Can't come, and the empty part for the calls you still have to make.

Invitations and people are two different numbers

One invitation often brings a household. Sixty invitations to families of four are 240 people, not 60, and the hall, the food and the chairs are all booked by the second number. That is why every line has its own People count. When you are not sure whether “and family” means three or six, enter the larger figure and correct it when they reply.

Deciding who goes on the list

• Start with the people who must be there — immediate family, and anyone with a part in the event. Add the wider circles after them.
• Work one circle at a time. The group box suggests Family, Relatives, Friends, Neighbours and Colleagues, and you can type your own, such as “Bride's side” and “Groom's side”. Going circle by circle is how you notice who is missing.
• Check the total against the venue and the budget before the first call. Each extra person costs a plate and a seat, and the Event Budget Calculator shows what that does to your cost per guest.
• Use the note for anything the day depends on: vegetarian, needs a pickup from the station, must be invited in person.

Calling through the list

Tap the To invite filter and the list shows only the people you still have to reach, so you can work down it and tick as you go. A guest with a phone number gets a Call button that opens your phone's dialler. If the number is written with its country code, such as +91, a WhatsApp button opens a chat with that number.

For a large function, share the work. Sort the list by group, or show one group alone, then Print list — it prints whatever the list is showing — and hand each helper their page. Copy as text puts the whole list on the clipboard, grouped by status, ready to paste into a message.

Keeping the list safe

The list is saved in this browser on this device and is never uploaded, which also means it is not on your other devices and is lost if the browser's site data is cleared. Tap Export CSV now and then: the file opens in Excel or Google Sheets and is your backup. If you remove a guest or clear the list by mistake, an Undo button appears for a few seconds.

When the replies are in, seat the people who are coming with the Seating Planner and size the food for the same number with the Catering Calculator.