Wedding Guest List Spreadsheet: Columns to Use and How to Import It

A good wedding guest list spreadsheet has one row for each person and a column that says which party they belong to. Add a name, an email address and a child flag, and you have what most tools need to import it. If you keep your list this way from the start, you can bring it into your wedding website in a few minutes instead of retyping everyone.

This guide sets out the columns to use, how to handle parties and children, and how to import the list into Fizz.

The columns to use

Start small. You can always add more.

• Name. The full name as you want it printed.
• Email. One address for each party is enough, but the main guest's matters most.
• Party. A label that is the same for everyone on one envelope, such as "Marshall family".
• Child. Yes or No, so children can be treated differently for meals and seating.
• Side. Optional. A label for your own counting, such as one partner's family or friends.
• Group. Optional. A label for which parts of the day they are invited to, such as "Ceremony and dinner" or "Evening only".

Keep dietary notes out of the first version. It is easier to ask guests than to guess.

Lay it out by party

The most useful rule is that everyone in a party shares the same value in the Party column. That is what lets a tool turn rows into parties. If you have no party column, a good tool can suggest parties from shared surnames and email addresses, but you will save time if you have already done the grouping.

Check the list for duplicates before you import. Two people with the same email address usually means one party.

Import it into Fizz

On Fizz, you can import your list from the Guests page of your wedding. Importing is on the Celebrate and Champagne plans. On Toast you add parties one at a time.

• Press Import a list and choose your file. Fizz reads CSV and Excel files. From Google Sheets, use File, Download, Comma-separated values. If you are starting from nothing, Download a template gives you the columns.
• Check the columns. Fizz guesses what each holds, and you can change any guess.
• Check the parties. If your file has a party column, rows with the same value become one party. If not, Fizz suggests groups, and you can untick any to split them.
• Check the preview. It shows how many parties and people you will add, how many have no email address, and how many look like duplicates.
• Press Import. Fizz adds the parties to your wedding. You choose when their invitations go out.

If the import would take you over your guest limit, Fizz tells you and imports nothing, so you can leave some people out or raise your limit. A collaborator, such as a planner, can import too, and it follows your plan, not theirs.

Download CSV on the same page gives you the list back, one row for each person, with their replies, and you can import that file again. See the Fizz guest list page for the screens, and guest list setup in the help centre for the steps.

After the import

Check each party has a named main guest, add sides and groups if you use them, and look at the count against your limit. Then you are ready to send invitations and collect replies. Our guide to setting up online RSVPs covers the next step, and organising parties, plus-ones and children covers the policies.

Your spreadsheet checklist

• One row for each person.
• The same party label for everyone on one envelope.
• A child flag.
• An email for the main guest of each party.
• No duplicates.
• Saved as CSV or Excel.

Disclaimer

This article is general guidance for planning a wedding, not legal or medical advice. Plan features are as described on the pricing page.