weddingAdd every guest with their plus-one, dietary need and RSVP, and watch the headcount update as you go. When the list looks right, copy it and paste it wherever you plan. Free, no account.
Showing 4 of 4 guests
Start with a number, not names. Set a guest cap from your budget and venue, write separate lists with your partner, merge them into must, should and nice-to-invite tiers, then set one rule for plus-ones and kids. Track every RSVP, plus-one and meal in one list, and expect about 75 to 85 percent of invitees to come.
The 75 to 85 percent turnout figure comes from Zola's attendance guide. The template above does the counting: it adds plus-ones to the headcount, totals dietary needs for guests who said yes and groups everyone by RSVP when you copy the list.
Watch a guest scan the QR code and add photos from the browser, no app and no account. The people on your list end up as the people behind the camera, and every photo lands in one place.
WEDDING ALBUM
Example album
Most guest list stress comes from doing these in the wrong order: names before a number, or invitations before the plus-one rule. Work top to bottom and every later decision gets easier.
Pick a guest number from your budget and the venue's capacity. The Knot's 2026 Real Weddings Study puts the average 2025 wedding at 117 guests and $292 per guest, so every name has a real price tag.
Each of you writes a list alone, as Zola suggests, then you compare. Parents who are paying usually get a share of the seats, so agree on that number early.
Must invite, should invite and nice to invite. Fill the cap from the top tier down and stop when you hit the number.
Write one rule for each and apply it to everyone. Spouses, fiancés and live-in partners are always invited, per Emily Post.
Emily Post's master list holds names, addresses, phone numbers and emails. Get the exact spelling now, it ends up on envelopes and place cards.
Zola puts typical turnout at 75 to 85 percent of invitees. Local guests come more often than out-of-town ones, so weigh your list by where people live.
Mark each reply, chase the guests who have not answered near the deadline and give the caterer one final number with meal and dietary counts.
Sources: guest count and cost per guest from The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study, separate lists and turnout from Zola, master list contents and partner rule from Emily Post, checked October 2026.
Tiers turn a list of names into a list of decisions. Fill the cap from tier A down. When the number runs out, you stop, and the cut line is the same for both families.
Immediate family, the wedding party, grandparents and the friends you cannot picture the day without.
Aunts, uncles and cousins, close friends you see often, partners' closest friends.
Coworkers, parents' friends, old school friends, plus-ones for single guests.
Put the tier letter in each guest's notes in the template above. It shows on the guest's card and in the copied list, so when you have to trim, the C names are easy to spot. Emily Post's view on running a second wave from tier C is in her invitation advice.
Eight columns cover every job the list has to do, from envelopes to the caterer's count. The last column shows which ones the free template on this page handles and where a spreadsheet picks up the rest.
| Column | What goes in it | Why it matters | In this template |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guest name | Full name as it goes on the envelope | Spelling errors end up on place cards and escort cards | Yes |
| Plus-one | Yes or no, plus the name if you know it | Every plus-one is a full seat and a full meal | Yes, counted in the headcount |
| One email per guest or household | Save the dates, links and reminders | Yes | |
| Mailing address | Street, city, postcode, country | Paper save the dates and invitations | Use the notes field |
| Side and tier | Partner A, Partner B or both, and tier A, B or C | Makes cuts fair when you have to trim | Use the notes field |
| RSVP status | Pending, attending or declined | Drives the headcount and the follow-ups | Yes, with filters |
| Dietary need | Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, allergies and more | The caterer needs counts, not guesses | Yes, 9 options with totals |
| Notes | Kids, accessibility, travel, gifts | Anything that does not fit a column | Yes |
Emily Post's planning series lists names, addresses, phone numbers and emails as the core of a master guest list. Seating comes later: once RSVPs are in, move the yeses into the seating chart planner.
Not everyone on the list will say yes, and distance is the biggest reason. Zola's turnout rates by guest type give you a planning number long before the RSVPs arrive.
| Guest type | Typical turnout | Invite 50, expect | Who they are |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local guests | About 85% | About 43 | Live in or near the wedding city |
| Out-of-town guests | About 55% | About 28 | Need a night or two away |
| Destination wedding guests | About 35% | About 18 | Need a flight and an extended stay |
| All invitees, rule of thumb | 75 to 85% | 38 to 43 | Not counting tiny wedding-party-only ceremonies |
Say 100 guests live nearby and 40 travel in. At Zola's rates that is 85 local guests and 22 out-of-town guests, about 107 people. Emily Post's rule of thumb, that 10 to 20 percent of invitees send regrets, gives 112 to 126 for the same list. Plan the venue and the catering quote around the higher number.
Turnout rates from Zola, regrets range from Emily Post, checked October 2026. These are planning averages, not promises. For the full method, see what share of wedding guests attend.
Plus-ones and children cause more guest list arguments than anything else, and both are easier when you write the rule down once. These are the lines etiquette experts draw.
Spouses, fiancés and live-in partners are invited, whatever the couple's gender. A boyfriend or girlfriend who does not live with the guest is your call.
Adults only, family kids only or everyone's kids. Pick one, tell parents by phone and hold the line for every family.
Invite the ones you see outside work, or the whole small team. Picking half a team is the version people talk about on Monday.
Partner, kids and follow-up rules from Emily Post on handling guests; envelope wording and B-lists from Emily Post on invitations; plus-ones on the invitation from Zola. Checked October 2026. Need the wording? Read how to tell guests there are no plus-ones.
The list is finished long before the wedding, but it keeps working until the last week. Zola and Emily Post give different invitation windows, so both are here. Pick one and count back from your date.
| When | Guest list task | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 12 to 9 months before | Build the master list: names, addresses, phones and emails | Emily Post |
| 10 to 7 months before | Send save the dates, only to people you will invite | Zola |
| 4 to 3 months before | Send invitations (Zola's window) | Zola |
| 8 to 6 weeks before | Send invitations (Emily Post's window) | Emily Post |
| At least 4 weeks to reply | Give every wave of invitations at least four weeks before the reply date | Emily Post |
| Near the RSVP deadline | Follow up with every guest who has not answered | Emily Post |
| Final weeks | Give the caterer the final headcount and meal counts | Emily Post |
Emily Post also describes sending invitations in two waves: the first at least three months out, each wave with at least four weeks to reply. Keep the reply date the same for every guest you invite at once. For the planning tasks around these dates, use the wedding planning checklist.
The names on your list are the people who catch the toasts, the dance floor and the kids under the table. Give them one QR code and their photos and videos land in one shared album, no app and no account.
Scan to join the album
No app, no account
UPLOADING
THE ALBUM
June 21, 2026
647 photos · 95 guests
There is no single right place for a guest list. This template is the fastest way to a first draft and a headcount. A spreadsheet or a wedding website is where a list lives for months.
| Option | Account | Saves your list | Addresses | RSVPs | Headcount | Getting the list out | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The tool on this page | None | No, the list lives in the open tab | Notes field only | You set each status by hand | Automatic, plus-ones and dietary totals included | Copy as plain text | A fast first draft and a live headcount while you decide who makes the cut |
| Spreadsheet (Google Sheets, Excel) | Google account for Sheets, none for an Excel file | Yes | Any column you add | By hand | Only with formulas you write | CSV or XLSX download | The long-term master list you share with family and the planner |
| Wedding website guest list (The Knot, Joy) | Required | Yes | Yes, Joy adds a link guests use to send their address | Guests reply online and the list updates | Automatic | CSV export (Joy) | Couples who also want a wedding website and online RSVPs |
Swipe to compare
Joy's address link, online RSVP sync and CSV export from its guest list page; The Knot's guest list tool from its own video below. Checked October 2026.
Want guests to answer online? Joy describes its free guest list as one that updates when guests RSVP on the wedding website. We compare more options in RSVP app vs Google Form vs paper vs website and in the best wedding planning apps.
First dance
You guys!!
Give everyone on your list one QR code and every photo and video they take lands in one shared album, no app needed. Start free with 20 uploads, or pick a one-time plan from $49.
From Mom
Scan to join the album
No app, no account
UPLOADING
THE ALBUM
June 21, 2026
647 photos · 95 guests
SCAN TO TRY
pix.wedding/
your-wedding
Turnout rules are averages. Invite only as many people as you can seat if everyone says yes, or keep a few extra chairs ready as Zola suggests.
A save the date is a promise that an invitation follows. Finish the cuts first, then send them.
Letting one couple bring their children breaks the rule for everyone else. Emily Post is clear: no exceptions.
A list of 120 names with 20 plus-ones is 140 seats. The tool's total headcount adds them for you.
Some guests never reply. Follow up near the deadline so the caterer gets a real number, not a guess.
Ask with the RSVP and keep it on the list. Allergies are a safety question, not a preference.
This tool does not save. Copy the list and paste it somewhere you keep before you leave the page.
The Knot covers the same order this page uses: budget first, then venue capacity, who gets a say, building the list, plus-ones, kids and coworkers. Keep the template open in another tab and add names as you watch.
Watch on YouTube (5 min)We tried Wedshoots first and it felt clunky. Switched to Pix two weeks before the wedding and never looked back. The album page is gorgeous on its own, we sent the link around after and people still scroll thru it
Outdoor desert ceremony with golden hour light that looks unreal. Our photographer got the formal stuff, Pix got the candids that show how the light really felt. Both matter, but Pix added a layer we didn't know we needed
Destination wedding in Hawaii. The album has sunsets, snorkeling, the welcome luau, the ceremony, the after party. Everything our guests did over four days, in one place. The voice messages were the sweetest surprise ngl
What couples ask while they build the list: average guest counts, how many to invite, plus-ones, timing and how the template works.
117. The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study surveyed 10,474 US couples who married in 2025 and found an average of 117 guests and an average cost of $292 per guest. Use it as a reference point, not a target. Your budget and venue set your real number.
About 118 to 133. Zola puts typical turnout at 75 to 85 percent of invitees, so divide 100 by 0.85 and by 0.75. A mostly local list sits near the low end of that range, a list full of out-of-town guests near the high end. Only invite more than you can seat if you are ready for everyone to say yes.
No. The list lives in your open browser tab and is not stored anywhere, so refreshing or closing the page clears it. Use Copy Guest List to Clipboard and paste the text into an email, a note or a doc before you leave. For a list you keep for months, use a spreadsheet or a wedding website guest list.
Spouses, fiancés and live-in partners. Emily Post says they must be invited, whatever the couple's gender. Boyfriends and girlfriends who do not live together do not have to be. Beyond that, pick one rule, apply it to every guest and say it clearly on the invitation.
Before the save the dates go out. Emily Post puts the master list at 9 to 12 months before the wedding, and Zola sends save the dates 7 to 10 months out. Everyone who gets a save the date should get an invitation, so the cuts have to happen first. The final headcount goes to the caterer in the last weeks.
Yes. Each guest gets an RSVP status (pending, attending or declined), a plus-one and one of nine dietary options. The Dietary Needs card counts attending guests only, and the copied list groups guests by status with a summary line. Guests cannot reply on their own here; for that, use a wedding website or our RSVP tracker.
