Turn a guest list into a caterer's dietary summary
Paste names and requirements, get the counted summary a caterer can actually work from.
Template · free, no signup
Tool · Catering
Tool · Template
Guide · 5 min
Guide · 4 min
A free RSVP tracker you can actually keep up to date
Most RSVP tracking falls apart because the spreadsheet has either too few columns to be useful or too many to keep current. These are the ones that earn their place. Add your guests below, or just download the empty sheet and fill it in.
Name first. Add an email and a group after it if you have them — commas or tabs, so a column pasted straight out of a spreadsheet works.
Invitations to track
0
With an email address—
Groups found—
Expect never to reply—
Columns in the sheet8
What columns does an RSVP tracker need?
| Column | Why it earns its place |
|---|---|
| Name | As it should appear on a place card, not as you say it |
| How you chase. Phone numbers for the ones who will not answer email | |
| Group | Bride's family, work, university — this is what you seat by later |
| Invited | Ticked when the invitation actually went out, not when it was written |
| Replied | Separate from "attending", so you can see who is silent |
| Attending | Yes, no, or blank. Blank is information |
| Plus-one | The name if you have it, otherwise a count |
| Dietary | Collected now, because chasing it twice is unbearable |
Notice what is not there: addresses, gift received, thank-you sent. Those are real things to track and they belong on a separate sheet, because they are updated at a different time by a different person. Trackers die from too many columns, not too few.
Why keep "replied" and "attending" apart?
Because the number you need to chase is not the number of people who said no. It is the number of people who said nothing, and if the two live in one column you cannot see it. Expect 10 to 15 percent to never reply without an individual phone call.
Set two deadlines
The one on the invitation, and the real one a week later that only you know about. The gap is your chasing window. Every couple who has done this will tell you the same thing: the last fifteen replies take longer than the first hundred, and they arrive by text message to whichever of you is easier to reach.
Once replies are in, the seating can start — there is a guide on when to do that, and on what to do when people drop out afterwards.
Common questions
What columns should an RSVP tracker have?
Name, email, group or side, invited, replied, attending, plus-one, and dietary requirements. Anything else — addresses, gift received, thank-you sent — belongs in a separate sheet, because it is updated on a different schedule and by a different person.
How many guests will not RSVP?
Expect 10 to 15 percent to never reply without being contacted individually. Budget a week between your stated deadline and your real one, and plan to make phone calls rather than send another email.
When is the RSVP deadline for a wedding?
Three to four weeks before the wedding, which should be one to two weeks before the date your venue needs final numbers. That gap is the chasing window, and skipping it is why so many couples are still counting on the Thursday.
Next
Free printable seating chart template
Set your tables, print the sheet, fill it in with a pencil. Or take the CSV and do it properly.
When should you do your wedding seating chart?
Everyone leaves it too late, then does it twice. Here is the timeline that avoids both.
Guests dropped out a week before. What now?
Four cancellations, six days to go, and a table that now seats four. What actually needs fixing and what does not.