How to collect wedding RSVPs online, and get a headcount you can trust

By the eInvite team · Updated 12 October 2026 · 7 min read

To collect wedding RSVPs online, send every household one link that opens your invitation with a short reply form: name, yes or no, and how many people are coming, with a limit per household. Set the reply-by date three to four weeks before the wedding, send one friendly reminder a week before it, and call whoever is left. Count people, not replies.

Most headcount problems aren't caused by guests who never reply. They come from replies that are vague ("we'll try to come"), replies in five different places (texts, calls, comments under a photo) and households that quietly grow from two to five. A good online RSVP fixes all three: one place, a clear answer, and a number with a limit.

What to ask in a wedding RSVP

Ask only what you will use. Every extra question lowers the number of people who finish the form.

• Name, as you'd write it on a place card or guest list
• Yes or no, with no "maybe"
• How many people, with the most this household can bring
• Meal choice, only if the caterer needs it per person
• A message, optional, for allergies or a note to the couple

Skip phone numbers and addresses unless you will post something. If you have several events, like a ceremony, dinner and brunch, ask once and make sure each guest's invitation shows only the events they're invited to.

Set the reply-by date

Put the date on the invitation itself ("Kindly reply by 14 May"), not only in the message that sends it. Messages get buried; the invitation is what guests open again.

Stop the headcount from growing

1. 1

   Set a limit per household

   Decide how many people each invitation covers and let the form allow no more. A guest can't type "4" if the most is 2. It is far kinder than a conversation later.

2. 2

   Make personal links for groups

   Give each family or group its own link, so the invitation can greet them and show only their events. On an invitation website you can create these in a minute and send each one where it belongs.

3. 3

   Count people, not replies

   Twenty replies can be 35 people. Keep the total of everyone coming, and for several events, the total for each event.

4. 4

   Keep everything in one list

   If someone tells you at a family dinner, add their reply to the same list. Two lists are how a caterer ends up with the wrong number.

Wording you can copy

More messages for WhatsApp, text and email are in our wedding invitation messages guide.

Online RSVP options compared

Guests should never need to download an app or make an account to reply. Every extra step costs you replies, especially from older relatives.

How it works on eInvite Cards

Your invitation is a page your guests open from the link, on any phone. Below the details, they answer once: their name, yes or no, how many are coming (up to the number you set), meal choices if you ask for them, and a message. Every reply lands in your guest list with the total for each event, and you can download it for the caterer. If a time or venue changes, you edit the invitation and the same link shows the update. Guests need no app and no account.

Start with a template. Making and previewing your invitation is free; you pay once when you publish.

Common questions

Should I allow a "maybe"?

No. A maybe is a no until it becomes a yes, and it leaves your headcount stuck. Ask guests to answer when they know, before the deadline.

What if a guest replies for more people than invited?

Set a limit per household so it can't happen. If it already has, call them kindly and explain the venue's numbers.

Can guests change their answer?

Yes. Ask them to reply again or message you, and check the list in the last week, when plans change most. With a personal link for each family, a new answer replaces the old one, so nobody is counted twice.