Send invitations and track RSVPs

The invitation editor and its templates are free on every plan.

Each design lives under Your designs on the Invitations page. Select one to open the editor. Use the menu on a design to Rename, Duplicate or Delete it.

A new design opens Start your invitation. There are seven suites: Laurel, Heather, Golden hour, Grove, Thistle, Shore and Midnight. Each suite has a matching invitation, save the date, photo save the date, evening invitation and thank you card. Choose a layout, or Blank canvas.

The editor's side panel has Elements, Text, Icons, Images, Fields and Settings. Fields adds details that fill in from your plan, such as couple names, wedding date, RSVP deadline, venue name and address, and the RSVP link. It also has QR codes for guests to share photos or leave a video message, when those are set up.

The editor saves as you go and shows All changes saved. It needs a bigger screen. On a phone you'll see Design on a bigger screen.

When you email an invitation, every guest receives the same picture of your design. A field that changes for each guest, such as the guest's name, reads the same for everyone. The email itself greets each guest by name.

Create invitation needs at least one design and at least one guest who doesn't have an invitation yet.

When more than one guest has no invitation yet, choose Everyone not yet invited to create invitations for all of them at once, with the same design, reply-by date and options.

Allow a plus-one lets the guest reply for themselves and their plus-one. Ask for meal choices adds the meal and dietary questions to the reply.

Each invitation gets its own PIN. To change one, select the guest's name on the invitation list, or choose Edit from its menu. You can change the RSVP Deadline, Allow Plus One, Meal Selection and the Custom message, then choose Save changes.

The send button emails the invitation to the guest's email address. The email shows your design and a link to the guest's own invitation page, with their PIN already filled in.

A guest needs an email address on the guest list to be sent one by email.

If an email fails or bounces, the row shows Failed or Bounced, and the send button becomes Resend.

Up to 100 invitation and save the date emails can go out per hour for one wedding. If you reach that, try again later.

The WhatsApp button opens WhatsApp with a message ready to send: a short greeting, your names and the guest's invitation link. If the guest has a mobile number on the guest list, the chat opens to that number. Otherwise you choose who to send it to.

WhatsApp can't tell PlanHitch whether you sent it, so PlanHitch asks whether you sent it to that guest. Choose Mark as sent to update the row.

Once you have invitations, the Invitations page shows Automatic reminders: on, with a switch. Reminders are on unless you turn them off.

A guest who hasn't replied gets a short reminder email a week before and two days before the reply-by date on their invitation. Reminders never go after that date, and a guest never gets more than two.

No reminder goes in the first three days after an invitation was sent, so the invitation lands first. A guest invited close to the date gets only the later reminder.

A guest only gets reminders if their invitation has been sent, by email or marked as sent, it has a reply-by date, and they have an email address on the guest list. If they've replied, or you've set their reply yourself on the guest list, they don't get one.

The reminder links to your RSVP page, where the guest enters the PIN from their invitation. It is sent in your names and doesn't advertise PlanHitch.

Turn the switch off and no reminder emails go to your guests. You can still send anyone their invitation again yourself.

Save the dates sits on the Invitations page, between your designs and the invitations. Choose Send save the dates, or Send more once you've sent some.

Pick a design and tick the guests to send to, then choose Email. Each save the date carries your design, a calendar file and, if your website is published, a link to it.

To send to one guest on WhatsApp instead, use the WhatsApp button beside their name, then choose Mark as sent.

Guests without an email address, and any left over after the hourly limit, aren't sent and stay ready to send later.

The invitation link opens a page with your design, your names, the date, and your custom message.

The reply is built into the page. Guests answer Will you come? with Yes, I'll be there or I can't make it. If you allowed a plus-one, the choices are We'll both be there, Just me, or We can't make it.

If you asked for meal choices and they're coming, they see And to eat? with Meat, Fish, Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-free and Dairy-free, a box for Allergies, and Anything else the kitchen should know? Anyone can add A note for the couple. They finish with Send my reply.

Below the reply, the page shows the day's timings, your booked venues with directions, and travel and places to stay, when you've added them. There are buttons for Add to calendar and, if you have a published website, Our wedding website.

After replying, a guest who is coming can add the wedding to Google, Outlook or Apple calendar. If they have an email address, they also get a confirmation email.

The link is theirs alone, and they can change their answer later from the same link.

Guests can also reply from the RSVP button on your wedding website. They enter the Invitation PIN from their card or message, which is six letters and numbers, and choose Find my invitation.

Each reply updates the guest's RSVP on your Guest list. A plus-one already on the guest list and linked to that guest is marked as coming or declined to match. Meal choices, allergies and dietary notes from the reply are saved to the guest.

On Invitations, filter by All invitations, Not sent, Sent, Delivered or Replied, and sort by Needs action first to see what still needs doing. Each row shows a delivery status, such as Not sent, Sending, Sent, Failed or Bounced, and a reply, such as Attending, Both attending, Coming without plus-one or Declined.

On the Guest list, filter by Not replied to see who you're still waiting on. You can also set a reply by hand with Mark attending, Mark declined or Mark not replied.

For one guest, send their invitation link again with the WhatsApp button or Copy invitation link.

On Premium and Unlimited, the Messages tab lets you email your whole guest list. Choose New message, then fill in Name, for your reference, a Subject line and a Message. Choose Send now or Save as draft. It goes to every guest with an email address on file, whether or not they've replied, and can't be recalled once sent.

You can download your design from the editor's Export menu: Download PNG, Download PDF, or Print-ready PDF (A5, 3mm bleed, 300dpi) to take to a printer. Print… sends it to your own printer.

To have cards printed and posted to you, choose Export, then Order printed copies… in the editor, or Printed copies on the Invitations page. Check the preview, choose how many, and add an optional line for the back, then order.

Cards are flat 7 × 5 in with an envelope each, in packs of 20 (£45), 50 (£99) or 100 (£179), with UK delivery included. You can order up to 500. Every card is the same, so fields that change for each guest show what you see in the preview.

If printing isn't available, the page says Printed invitations aren't available just now.