Disclosure: Gathr is ours. The advice works with any app, or with pen and paper.
In short
Send each guest a link they can answer in their browser, ask only what you need (yes or no, how many, dietary needs), and let the answers land in one list. Set the RSVP deadline three to four weeks before the event and remind only the people who haven’t replied.
- One link per guest beats a group-chat headcount.
- Ask three things: coming, how many, what they can’t eat.
- Remind once, a week before the deadline.
Free ways to collect RSVPs online
- A free form, such as Google Forms. Free and flexible, but guests type their own names (and typos), and you match them to your list by hand.
- A free wedding website from one of the big wedding sites. Good-looking, with an RSVP page, but guests often have to search for their name.
- An invitation app. Some are free, some charge per invite; check whether guests see ads. See our free Evite alternatives.
- An event planner app with RSVP links. Each guest gets a personal link, so replies attach to the right name.
What to ask guests
Keep it short or people won’t finish it: are they coming, how many people (if plus-ones are allowed), any dietary needs, and a space for a note. For a wedding with several events, ask about each one.
Anything else — song requests, hotel plans — can go in a later message.
When to set the RSVP deadline
For a wedding, three to four weeks before the day is usual, which leaves time to chase the stragglers before the caterer and venue need final numbers. For a party, a week before is plenty.
Put the deadline on the invitation itself, as a date, not “soon”.
How to chase the ones who don’t reply
Send one friendly reminder about a week before the deadline, only to the people who haven’t answered. After the deadline, a short personal message or a call works better than another group blast.
Need wording? Our RSVP text templates cover the invite, the reminder and the last call.
Collect RSVPs with Gathr
- Add your guests. Type names, pick from your contacts or paste a whole list — Gathr flags anyone already on it.
- Send each guest their own link. By text, WhatsApp or email from your own phone, with an invitation card in your event’s colours and a tone you pick.
- Guests reply on one simple screen. Going, Maybe or Can’t go, who they’re bringing and a note — in any browser, with no app and no account.
- Watch the list fill in. See who’s going, who’s a maybe and who hasn’t answered, and remind the quiet ones in two taps. Share the list with the caterer as text.
A guest limit counts plus-ones and can hold a waitlist. Gathr is free, with no ads and no charges to you or your guests. It never moves money; Finance is a record you keep.
Common questions
How do I collect RSVPs online for free?
Use a free form, a free wedding website or a free event app that gives each guest a link. Apps with personal links match replies to names for you.
When should the RSVP deadline be for a wedding?
Usually three to four weeks before the wedding, so you can chase late replies before final numbers are due.
Do guests need an app to RSVP?
Not with Gathr. Each guest opens their own link in any browser and taps Going, Maybe or Can’t go.
Can guests RSVP to each wedding event separately?
Yes. In Gathr, a guest invited to several functions answers each one in one sheet, or taps “Going to all”.
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