BY THE WEDLEY TEAM · PRACTICAL PLANNING GUIDANCE · UPDATED
The short answer
Use one row per person and a shared household label for people invited together. That lets a couple receive one invitation while each person has their own attendance, meal choice and seat. A household is an invitation group; it does not have to mean a shared address.
Choose fields that answer real questions
Start small. You need to know who is invited, what they are invited to and whether they are attending. Add operational details as they become useful rather than collecting personal information just because a spreadsheet has room.
| Field | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Guest name | The individual person, not just “Smith family”. |
| Household label | Groups the invitation without combining the people. |
| Included events | Distinguishes ceremony, meal and evening invitations. |
| Attendance | Pending, attending or declined for the relevant event. |
| Meal and requirements | Record only what your caterer actually needs. |
| Table assignment | Keep the seat connected to the right person. |
Name plus-ones when you can
Agree which invitations include a plus-one before sharing them. If the name is unknown, leave a clearly identified placeholder in your working list, then replace it with the actual name once confirmed. Do not treat an unconfirmed plus-one as a confirmed attendee.
List children individually where they are invited and need their own attendance or meal arrangements. Ask the venue which children, suppliers or staff count towards its different capacity and catering totals; do not assume all totals mean the same thing.
Two people can give two different answers
Alex and Sam share one invitation. Alex can attend; Sam cannot. The household has replied, but the dinner count is one—not two. Keep the household’s invitation progress distinct from individual attendance.
The same principle applies to events. Someone may attend the ceremony but not the meal. A single “yes” column is not enough when your invitation includes different parts of the day.
Check before importing or merging
Review missing names, repeated rows, invalid email addresses and inconsistent household labels before saving an import. Similar names are a reason to investigate, not evidence that records should be merged.
Before combining genuine duplicates, check members, existing replies and event access. Keep one agreed master list. The blank worksheet below is for planning; it is not a promise that any file layout can be imported directly into Wedley. Use the product’s import requirements and validation preview.
Share the minimum useful version
Your caterer needs meal requirements; a seating helper may only need names and tables. Do not circulate a complete contact list when a narrower version will do. Confirm dietary requirements with guests and the caterer directly.
Wedley connects household organisation and table assignments. Complete adds live guest links and individual online replies; Planner can be used to manage the list without live RSVP collection.