Introducing Online RSVP and Guest Messaging

Introducing Online RSVP and Guest Messaging
April 29, 2018
Keeping guests up to date and collecting RSVPs can be a hassle. Between tracking who is confirmed for a weekend's worth of activities and trying to email everyone with the information they need (without feeling like you're spamming them), guest communications can be complicated. But today, the team here at APHQ is excited to announce our newest features to help you and your couples during the wedding planning process: Online RSVPs and Guest Messaging!
 
Plus, we made some updates to our Wedding Websites and now you and your couples can upload images to a photo gallery! Read on to learn how to streamline it all with these new wedding planning tools!

 

How to Add a Photo Gallery to Wedding Websites

Adding a photo gallery to a Wedding Website is easy! Simply click into a wedding from your Planner Dashboard and then click Website in the main menu. When you land on the set up page for the website, scroll past the story section, the event, and travel information pages and you will see a new section titled “Photo Gallery.” Click the Add Images button to upload up to 40 images from your computer.

If you’d like to reorder the images, click the Reorder Images button and a window will open; you can drag to reorder the images there. Click Done in the upper right hand corner of the window when you are through.

Aisle Planner Wedding Websites

After you add images to a photo gallery, visitors to the Wedding Website can view the photos through the new Photos tab that they’ll see in the website menu. You can preview how everything looks by publishing the website (click the box next to Publish Website near the top of the page) and then click View to view it.

Updates to the Guest Manager

Now you can add information like locations, dates, and times to an event within the Guest Manager! To do this, click into a wedding and then on the Guests tab in the main menu. If you want to add this information to a new event, start by clicking on the arrow that you see to the right of “Ceremony & Reception” and then select Add New Event from the dropdown that appears. A small window will open where you can enter the following information:

  • Event name
  • Event location (optional)
  • Date and time (optional)

Click Create Event when you are done and ready to add guests.

Aisle Planner Online RSVP

To enter this information for an event that has already been added to your Guest Manager, simply click on the Event Info & Options button that you see in the upper right hand corner of your screen. You will see fields to enter the information on the small window that opens.

Pro Tip: We recommend adding this information for events in your Guest Manager because, if completed, it will get pulled into any RSVP requests or messages that are sent to guests regarding the event.

How to Send Online RSVP Requests

Before we dive in, here are a few things that you should do before sending an RSVP request:

  • Make sure you have entered an email contact for each guest party
  • Set up a Wedding Website for the event if you want the RSVP page to pull the header image from it. If you don’t set one up, the RSVP page will pull the image you uploaded under “Settings”
  • Add locations, dates, and times to each of the events in the Guest Manager
  • Make sure each guest is marked with the events they are invited to. To quickly do this, click into the guest record, scroll down to the Event Details section and add or remove the guest from certain events
  • Mark guests as “out of town” in the contact information section of the guest record if you would ever want to just message out of town guests. To quickly do this, click into the guest record, scroll down to the Contact Information section and click the box next to “Out of Town” that you see in the middle of the screen
  • Add meal options to each event if you would like people to RSVP with that information. To quickly do this, select the event you want to add meal options to in the dropdown and click on the Event Info & Options You can add meal options at the bottom of the small window that opens

Aisle Planner Online RSVP

To send an online rsvp request, click into a wedding and then on the Guests tab in the main menu. Now you’ll see two new tabs just under your main menu: Guests and Messages. Click the new “Messages” option that you see. Next, click the New Guest Message button that you see in the upper left hand corner of your screen. A message screen will appear that defaults to an online rsvp message type. Set a reply by date and decide whether you want people to be able to rsvp after it (click the box next to “Allow Reply After Date” if you do). The next step is to select which guests you want to send rsvp requests to. Note: Even if you select all of the options, each guest will receive an RSVP request that only includes events they are invited to.

Aisle Planner Online RSVP

Click New Message and additional detail options will appear. Set your filters; the options are:

  • All guest
  • Confirmed guests only
  • Guests who have not responded
  • Out of town guests

Aisle Planner Online RSVP

Pro Tip: You can click on the View Recipient List button to see who will be receiving the RSVP request and spot check that all of the information looks correct.

Customize your subject line and message and then click on the reCAPTCHA box to confirm your humanity - then you can click send!

How Your Guests Can Respond to an Online RSVP

Guests will receive an email requesting a response. When they open it and click on the RSVP button, they will get directed to the RSVP page. Once there, they can list any food allergies, high chair needs, submit their RSVPs for the events they are invited to as well as make meal selections. They will receive a confirmation email once they have and they can update their RSVPs through the link that is included.

Aisle Planner Online RSVP

Aisle Planner Online RSVP

How to Send Messages to Guests

To send a message to guests, click into a wedding and then on the Guests tab in the main menu. You’ll see two new tabs just under your main menu: Guests and Messages. Click the new “Messages” option that you see. Next, click the New Guest Message button that you see in the upper left hand corner of your screen. A message screen will appear that defaults to an online rsvp message type; click on the arrow in that is to the right on “Online RSVP” and you can select message.

The next step is to select which guests you want to send a message to. Check the boxes next to all of the events that would apply and then click New Message. Additional detail options will appear. Set your filters; the options are:

  • All guest
  • Confirmed guests only
  • Guests who have not responded
  • Out of town guests
Pro Tip: You can click on the View Recipient List button to see who will be receiving the message and spot check that all of the information looks correct.

Customize your subject line and message and then click on the reCAPTCHA box to confirm your humanity - then you can click send to email your guests!

Sending Follow-ups and Checking Message Views

You’ll see a dashboard of all drafts and sent messages under the Messages tab in your Guest Manager. So, if you want to send a follow-up, click into the message thread, make any updates to the message settings and filters, customize your follow-up message and click Send!

Note: You cannot switch the Message Type once the original message or RSVP request has been sent.

To see which guests have viewed the email, click into the message thread, click into the message (which you will see under the Message History section at the top of the window), and then click on the View Recipient List button. You’ll be able to see who viewed the email in the window that opens.


 
As always, if you have any questions about our new features, don’t hesitate to get in touch! You can check out our FAQs in our help center here or reach us at customercare@aisleplanner.com
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About the Author

Aisle Planner Editorial Team
Aisle Planner Editorial Team
The Aisle Planner Editorial Team is a collective of creative writers, editors, and former event pros who obsess over weddings and special events—and the businesses behind them! Drawn to refined details, design, and creativity, our team provides intelligent and straightforward articles with insights, practical tips, and expert guidance in putting Aisle Planner's "Power of One" behind your business.
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