Wedding RSVP with Google Forms: Free Template + Tips
Quick answer: Build your RSVP with guest name, an attending yes/no, a capped guest count, meal choice, dietary restrictions, a song request, and an optional note field. Turn on email collection for confirmations, mention your deadline in the description (Forms can't auto-close by date), and share via a QR code on your invitations or wedding website. Everything lands in a Google Sheet you can hand straight to your caterer.
Wedding RSVP cards get lost, forgotten in a junk drawer, or never mailed back. A Google Form fixes that: guests tap a link or scan a code, answer a handful of questions, and their response lands instantly in a spreadsheet you can share with your caterer, venue, or wedding party. Here's a complete template and the settings worth getting right.
The wedding RSVP template
Here's a field-by-field layout that covers what most couples need without overwhelming guests:
- Guest name — Short Answer, Required. Ask for full name so you can match responses against your guest list.
- Attending? — Multiple Choice with "Joyfully accepts" / "Regretfully declines" (or a plain Yes/No), Required.
- Number of guests attending — Multiple Choice or Dropdown, capped to whatever the invitation allows (e.g., "Just me" or "Me and one guest"). Capping this in the question options — rather than a free-text field — prevents someone from writing in a number larger than you invited.
- Meal choice — Multiple Choice, one option per guest if you're collecting multiple guests in one submission, or a repeated section per guest for larger parties. Keep the options short: "Chicken," "Fish," "Vegetarian."
- Dietary restrictions or allergies — Checkboxes for common ones (nut allergy, gluten-free, vegan, shellfish), plus a Short Answer field right after for "anything else we should know."
- Song request — Short Answer, optional. A fun, low-effort field that guests enjoy filling in.
- Note to the couple — Paragraph, optional, for well-wishes or a message.
Settings worth configuring
Collect email addresses for confirmation
Turn on Collect email addresses under Settings so guests get an automatic email confirming their response went through — it saves you from a stream of "did you get my RSVP?" texts.
Mention your deadline — Forms can't auto-close by date
A common assumption is that you can set an RSVP deadline and have the form close itself automatically. Google Forms doesn't have that built in — there's no native scheduler that flips "Accepting responses" off on a specific date. The honest workaround is to state your deadline clearly in the form description ("Please RSVP by [date] — thank you!") and manually toggle responses off when the date arrives, or reference our guide on scheduling a Google Form to open or close for script-based options if you want it automated.
Sharing your RSVP form
Two practical ways to get guests to the form without them typing a long URL:
- QR code on printed invitations. Generate one from the Send dialog and print it directly on your invitation or a small insert card — guests scan it with their phone camera and land straight on the form. See our guide to generating a Google Form QR code for sizing and print tips.
- A link on your wedding website. If you have a wedding website, embed the form link or the QR code there as the primary RSVP method, and keep the paper option as a backup for guests who prefer it.
Tracking headcount and meal counts for your caterer
Click the green Sheets icon in the Responses tab to link a Google Sheet — every RSVP appears as a new row the moment it's submitted. To get a live meal count for your caterer, add a simple formula like =COUNTIF(D:D,"Chicken") next to the meal-choice column, one per option, and you'll have an always-current count without manually tallying anything. The same approach works for total headcount by summing the "number of guests" column.
Don't require every question
It's tempting to mark everything Required so you get complete data, but that adds friction exactly where you don't want it — a guest who doesn't have a song request shouldn't be blocked from submitting. Keep Required limited to the essentials: name and attending status. Everything else — meal choice if they're not attending, dietary details, song request, notes — can stay optional. See our guide to required questions in Google Forms for how the toggle works and where to use it sparingly.
FAQ
Is Google Forms good for a wedding RSVP?
Yes — free, fast to set up, and every response lands automatically in a Sheet you can share with vendors.
Can Google Forms automatically close on a deadline date?
No native auto-close by date. State the deadline in the description and manually turn off responses when it arrives.
How do I track meal counts for my caterer?
Use a COUNTIF formula on the meal-choice column in the linked Sheet for a live, always-current count.
Should every RSVP question be required?
No — keep only name and attending status required, and leave details like song requests optional.