Wedding RSVP website UK: how to collect RSVPs online without the chasing

Why collect RSVPs online?

• Guests reply on the spot. Most people open your invite on their phone. If they can answer there and then, they will. If they have to find a pen and a postbox, a lot of them won't.
• Everything lands in one list. No more piecing together answers from texts, emails, voice notes and someone's mum telling your mum.
• You can see who hasn't answered. That's what makes polite reminders possible.
• Changes are easy. If the start time moves or you add a coach from the station, you update one page.

What to look for in a wedding RSVP website

Not every site handles RSVPs the same way. Before you pick one, check these:

• How guests find their RSVP. Some sites ask guests to type their name and search for themselves. That works until "Robert" types "Rob". A personal link per guest avoids the problem.
• Day and evening guests. Most UK weddings have guests for the whole day and guests who arrive for the evening reception. Your site should let you invite people to the right part, and only show them what applies to them.
• More than one event. If you're also having a welcome drinks, a traditional ceremony, a mehndi or a brunch, each one needs its own yes or no.
• How the invite is sent. Email is fine for some guests. For many families, WhatsApp is where people actually reply.
• Pricing in pounds, and how it's charged. Check whether you're paying once, monthly, or per guest.

What to ask on your RSVP form

Keep it short. Every extra question is another reason to close the page and "do it later".

Always ask:

Worth asking if it applies:

Leave out:

If you're not offering plus-ones, don't put an empty "guest name" box on the form. People will fill it in.

• Name of each person replying (for couples and families, each name separately)
• Yes or no for each event they're invited to
• Meal choice, if you're asking guests to choose in advance
• Dietary needs and allergies
• Children's names and ages, if children are invited
• Access needs, such as level access or a seat near the door
• A song request for the evening (guests enjoy this one)
• A phone number, if you'll need to reach them on the day
• Anything you could put on the website instead, like dress code or parking
• Questions you won't actually use

When to send invites and set the RSVP deadline

Hitched, the UK wedding planning site, suggests sending invitations at least eight weeks before the wedding if you've already sent save the dates, or four to six months ahead if you haven't. It suggests an RSVP deadline about four weeks before the day.

Treat that as a starting point and work backwards from your suppliers:

That gap is your chasing time. You'll need it.

If lots of your guests are travelling from abroad, give them more notice. Flights, visas and time off work all take longer to sort than a train to Birmingham.

• Ask your venue and caterer when they need final numbers and meal choices.
• Ask your stationer or whoever is doing your table plan when they need names.
• Set your RSVP deadline at least a week or two before the earliest of those dates.

How to remind guests without nagging

A few people won't reply first time. It's not personal. They opened the invite at a bus stop and forgot.

A simple plan that works:

The golden rule is to never remind people who've already said yes. Nothing makes a guest feel more like a number.

• The invite. Personal, warm, with the deadline clearly stated.
• First reminder, about 10 to 14 days before the deadline. Only to people who haven't replied. "Just a quick nudge to let us know if you can make it. Here's your link again."
• Final nudge, a few days before the deadline. Again, only to people still missing.
• After the deadline. A quick personal message or call to the last few. By now it's usually a handful.

Guests who reply by phone or in person

Some guests, often older relatives, will ring you, or tell you at Sunday lunch. That's fine. Just make sure the answer goes into the same list as everyone else's, straight away, so you don't end up with two sets of numbers.

Once the RSVPs are in

When your deadline has passed:

• Send your caterer the numbers and meal choices for each part of the day.
• Start your table plan from the confirmed list, not the invited one.
• Note any dietary needs on the table plan so the catering team can find them.
• Keep the list up to date. Someone will drop out the week before, and someone else will ask if their new partner can come.

How WeddingBeacon handles RSVPs

WeddingBeacon is a wedding website builder made in London, and RSVPs are at the centre of it.

Pricing is a one-time payment, not a subscription, and there's no charge per guest. WeddingBeacon is Free to start, then Basic is £62, Standard is £118 and Season (for planners running five weddings) is £513.

If you're comparing options, read WeddingBeacon vs Zola and the best Zola alternatives for UK couples. If your family lives on WhatsApp, see the guide to WhatsApp wedding invitations. For lines you can copy, including WhatsApp RSVP messages in English and French, see the RSVP wording templates. For a published response-rate study, see the wedding guest RSVP statistics page.

A New York guest list has the same chasing problem across boroughs. The wedding RSVP page for New York is written for that split.

• A personal invite for every guest. Each guest gets a WhatsApp or email invite with their name on it, which opens their own page. There's no name search, so "Rob" never gets stuck.
• Day guests, evening guests and other events. Run up to six events on one site. Each guest only sees, and replies to, the events they're invited to.
• Meal choices, dietary needs and song requests go straight into your list, and you can record RSVPs yourself for anyone who replies by phone.
• Guest list import from Excel or CSV, with phone numbers cleaned before anything is sent.
• Reminders that skip people who've replied. On the Standard and Season plans, WeddingBeacon sends RSVP confirmations, reminders only to guests who haven't answered, a day-of note and thank-you messages.
• A QR pass for every confirmed guest, so check-in on the day is quick.
• English or French invites and guest sites, chosen per household.

FAQ

How far before the wedding should the RSVP deadline be?

Around four weeks is a common guide in the UK. Check when your venue and caterer need final numbers, then set your deadline a week or two before that.

Is it rude to ask for RSVPs online?

Not at all. Most guests find it easier. If you've got a few relatives who won't go online, take their answer by phone and add it to your list yourself.

How do I stop people bringing guests I didn't invite?

Name everyone who's invited, on the invite and on the RSVP. A personal RSVP link per guest helps too, because each link is tied to a named guest rather than shared round a group chat.

Can I collect RSVPs for day and evening guests separately?

Yes. With WeddingBeacon you set up each part as its own event, and evening guests only see the evening.

Can guests RSVP on WhatsApp?

With WeddingBeacon, the invite arrives on WhatsApp and opens the guest's own page, where they reply for each event. No app or account is needed.