Free Wedding Guest List Manager

Plan your guest list before invitations.

Q: Why three sides instead of two?

Both / Joint handles guests who belong to both partners (mutual friends, joint colleagues, the couple's shared neighbors). Forcing every guest onto one side or the other creates artificial allocations and skews the breakdown. With Both as a third option, the totals reflect reality.

Q: What if I want to use different category names?

In this version, categories are fixed: Immediate Family, Extended Family, Wedding Party, Friends, Colleagues, Plus-Ones, Other. For full custom categories, use the full Zennvue couples app. The fixed categories here cover the most common breakouts couples actually use.

Q: Should I add my wedding party to the guest list?

Yes. Use the Wedding Party category to track them separately. They count toward your headcount for catering, seating, and budget. Plus your wedding party often brings spouses or significant others as plus-ones, so make sure those are listed too.

Q: How do I handle plus-ones if I do not know their names yet?

Two options. Add the plus-one as part of the primary guest's party size (Sarah Johnson with party size 2 means Sarah and her plus-one). Or add a placeholder entry: Sarah Johnson +1 with size 1 in the Plus-Ones category. The first approach is faster, the second lets you swap in the actual name later.

Free interactive guest list manager. Track who you are inviting by side and category. See live category breakdowns. Plan headcount before sending invitations. No signup required.

✓ 100% free, no signup ✓ Side & category tracking ✓ Copy to clipboard

Total Headcount

0 invitations · 0 guests

Partner A's Side

0% of total

Partner B's Side

0% of total

Category Breakdown by Side

Add a guest or party

Name (or party name)

Side

Your guest list

List copied to clipboard ✓

How It Works

Build your headcount by side and category.

Differentiates from RSVP tracking. Use this for pre-invitation planning to balance the guest list and project total headcount before invitations go out.

Add invitations, not individuals

One entry per invitation sent. "Smith Family" with party size 4 is one entry, not four. Use side (A, B, or Both) to track whose side each invitation comes from. Use category to organize.

Watch the breakdown live

Side totals update as you add. Category breakdown shows how many guests fall in each category broken out by side. Useful for confirming "100 guests means 50 from each side, 30 family per side, 70 friends total".

Lock the list, send invitations

Once your headcount is realistic for your venue and budget, copy the list to your clipboard and use it as your invitation list. Then track responses in the free RSVP Tracker.

Guest List Tips

8 tips for a balanced guest list.

⚖️

Aim for 50/50 between sides

Wedding etiquette traditionally splits the guest list evenly. If one side has significantly more, the imbalance is noticeable at the reception. Adjust early during planning rather than after invitations go out.

🎯

Set the cap before building the list

Decide your max headcount based on venue capacity and budget BEFORE starting your list. Most couples want to invite 30 to 50% more than they can afford. Building toward a fixed cap forces tough choices early.

👥

Use the "have you spoken to them in the last 2 years" rule

If you have not had a meaningful conversation with someone in 2 years, they probably do not need to be at your wedding. This is the single most useful rule for trimming bloated guest lists.

🚫

Categorize as "Tier B" maybes

Some couples build a primary "Tier A" list, then a "Tier B" list of people they would invite if Tier A declines. Use the category field to mark these. Send Tier B invitations as Tier A declines come in.

🍽️

Each guest costs $100 to $300

Catering, bar, rentals, and seating all scale per guest. Cutting 20 guests typically saves $2,000 to $6,000. Use the live total here as a real-time budget check, not just a list.

👶

Decide on kids early

If your wedding is adults-only, do not invite specific families' kids. Otherwise, you create awkward exceptions. If you are inviting kids, set party sizes accurately to avoid surprise guests.

💑

Plus-ones: be consistent

Pick a rule and stick to it. Examples: only married/engaged/cohabiting partners, or only guests in serious relationships, or any plus-one for guests over 25. Inconsistency causes hurt feelings.

📞

Get parental input early

Both sets of parents typically want to invite their friends and extended family. Have this conversation before building the list, not while finalizing it. Allocate a specific number of "parent invites" per side upfront.

Next Step

Now find a venue that fits your headcount.

Venues, caterers, and rental vendors that price per guest

Once you know your target headcount, the next step is finding a venue with the right capacity, then locking in vendors who charge per guest: caterers, bar service, rentals. The Zennvue marketplace lets you filter venues by capacity and category by price tier. Free for couples, no signup required to browse.

Find Venues Find Caterers Find Rentals Find Bar Service Find Planners

Common Questions

Guest List Manager FAQ.

Is my guest list saved between sessions?▼

No. The list runs entirely in your browser and does not save between sessions. If you close the tab, your list is gone. Click "Copy List" before closing to copy the formatted output to your clipboard, then paste into your notes app, planning doc, or shared spreadsheet. For persistent guest list tracking with auto-save, use the free Zennvue couples app.

How is this different from the RSVP Tracker?▼

Different stage of planning. The Guest List Manager is for pre-invitation planning: deciding who to invite, balancing the list between sides, projecting headcount before invitations go out. The RSVP Tracker is for post-invitation: tracking responses (confirmed, declined, pending) as people RSVP. Most couples use Guest List Manager first to lock the list, then RSVP Tracker once invitations are sent.

Why three sides instead of two?▼

"Both / Joint" handles guests who belong to both partners (mutual friends, joint colleagues, the couple's shared neighbors). Forcing every guest onto one side or the other creates artificial allocations and skews the breakdown. With "Both" as a third option, the totals reflect reality.

What if I want to use different category names?▼

In this version, categories are fixed (Immediate Family, Extended Family, Wedding Party, Friends, Colleagues, Plus-Ones, Other). For full custom categories (Childhood Friends, College Friends, Work Friends, Religious Community, etc.), use the full Zennvue couples app. The fixed categories here cover the most common breakouts couples actually use.

Should I add my wedding party to the guest list?▼

Yes. Use the "Wedding Party" category to track them separately. They count toward your headcount for catering, seating, and budget. Plus your wedding party often brings spouses or significant others as plus-ones, so make sure those are listed too.

How do I handle plus-ones if I do not know their names yet?▼

Two options. (1) Add the plus-one as part of the primary guest's party size: "Sarah Johnson" with party size 2 means Sarah and her plus-one. (2) Add a placeholder entry: "Sarah Johnson +1" with size 1, category Plus-Ones. Approach (1) is faster, approach (2) lets you swap in the actual name later when you find out.

What format does the "Copy List" button produce?▼

Tab-separated text with summary counts at the top, then one row per invitation. Pastes nicely into Google Sheets, Excel, Notion, Airtable, or any spreadsheet app. Includes name, side, category, party size, plus a category breakdown matrix. Use the spreadsheet version to add columns for address, mailing status, RSVP status as you progress.

Ready for the next step? Plan your whole wedding free.

Zennvue's free couples app saves your guest list automatically, syncs with your seating chart and RSVP tracker, and pulls vendors that match your headcount. Plus budget tracker and day-of timeline.

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