The wedding guest list.
Eleven columns — the ones that earn their place, and none of the ones that don’t. One row per household rather than per person, RSVP tracked as a state rather than a tick, and a thank-you column so nothing slips in the months after the day. Three sample rows show how it is meant to read. Download the CSV for Google Sheets or Excel, or the PDF if you would rather work on paper.
| Name | Party | Side | Address | Phone | Save-the-date | RSVP | Dietary notes | Table | Thank-you | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Margaret and David Chen | Chen household (2) | Hers | 414 Alder Street, Portland, OR 97205 | mchen@example.com | (503) 555-0142 | Sent 12 March | Accepted (2 of 2) | Margaret — vegetarian, no shellfish | Table 4 | Sent 3 August |
| Devon and Alika Ross | Ross household (3) | His | 88 Crescent Avenue, Decatur, GA 30030 | devon.ross@example.com | (404) 555-0117 | Sent 12 March | No reply — call 6 June | One kids’ meal (Nia, 6) | — | — |
| Priya Raman and guest | Raman party (2) | Both | 2201 W Belmont Avenue, Apt 3, Chicago, IL 60618 | priya.r@example.com | (312) 555-0186 | Sent 12 March | Declined | — | — | Sent 3 August |
The rule that makes every other column work: one row per household, not per person. A row is an invitation — the Chens are one row with two seats, not two rows. This matches how envelopes are addressed, keeps the count honest, and means your total invited number is a single sum down the Party column. Couples who track individuals almost always double-count somewhere, and the error surfaces at the worst possible moment: the caterer’s final headcount.
RSVP is a state, not a checkbox. A tick tells you nothing in October about what happened in June. Track the progression — Not sent, Invited, Accepted with numbers (2 of 3 matters when a household of three sends two), Declined, No reply — and when the deadline passes, work the No reply rows by phone. A date next to a state settles every later argument about who was asked, when, and what they said.
The B-list is nearly universal, and there is nothing dishonorable about it — the failure is timing, not the list. Mail the A-list 10–12 weeks out instead of 8, and each decline frees a seat while a B invitation can still land a comfortable 6+ weeks before the date. Two rules keep it kind: no invitation should ever arrive within a month of the wedding, and no one should ever see a spreadsheet with the word B-list on it — use a discreet column code if you must.
Questions, answered plainly
- How do I organize my wedding guest list?
- One row per household, not per person — a row is an invitation, with a Party column recording how many seats it holds. Track eleven things per row: names as addressed, party size, side, mailing address, email, phone, save-the-date sent, RSVP as a state with numbers, dietary notes, table, and thank-you sent. Summing the Party column gives your true invited count, which is what venues and caterers price against.
- How many wedding guests will actually attend?
- Typical decline rates run 10–20% for a local wedding and 25–35% or more when guests must travel — so an invite list of 120 local guests usually seats 95–110. Treat these as typical planning figures, not guarantees: your own rate depends on distance, date, and how much notice you give. Invite to about 110% of the number you actually want in the room, and let the RSVP column tell you the truth.
- When should I finalize my wedding guest list?
- In layers. The full list — to the nearest ten — comes first, before you tour venues, because headcount is what venues price. Invitations mail eight weeks out with an RSVP deadline four weeks before the date. The list is truly final 10–14 days out, when the caterer takes the guaranteed headcount you will pay against, and only then should you build the seating chart.
- Is this guest list template free, and do I need an account?
- Free, no account, no email address. Download the CSV and open it in Google Sheets or Excel — the three sample rows show the intended format and delete cleanly — or print the PDF to work by hand. Add, rename, or remove any column; the template is a starting point, not a cage.
An Aisle account replaces the spreadsheet entirely — guests RSVP on your wedding site and the list, the dietaries, and the tables keep themselves.