Online RSVP: a reply page for your event

What is an online RSVP?

RSVP comes from the French “répondez, s'il vous plaît”. Online, it is a link in the invitation that leads to a page where the guest answers in seconds, instead of writing an email or phoning. The host receives each reply in a list that is already counted.

What matters is precision: a caterer, a venue or a speaker asks for a number, and that number should rest on written, dated replies you can look back at.

How do you create a reply page for your event?

You create the event in your account: title, date, venue, capacity, programme and flyer. The reply page exists from that moment, at an address you put in the invitation. You can see it as a guest will see it on the site's example page, which is a real page with a fictitious event.

The flyer is chosen from the gallery, in French or English, and edited in the editor: title, colours, photo. It is free as soon as your account is open.

Can guests reply without an account?

Yes. The guest opens the link, fills in the form and receives a confirmation by email. No password and no app to install: that is the difference between a page people complete and a page they abandon.

How do you track replies and send reminders?

The running total updates with every reply. The D−14 reminder, drafted when you create the event, goes only to guests who have not replied; those who already answered do not receive it.

Put a reply-by date in the invitation. A precise deadline gets more replies than “as soon as you can”, and it justifies the reminder.

How do you close replies when the event is full?

Once the capacity you entered is reached, the page stops confirming. The next person goes on a waiting list and knows it: they are not confirmed until a place frees up. That spares you a “yes” given for want of a seat.

What should you check before sending?

Three things. Is the reply-by date written in the invitation? Is the capacity entered? Does the email say in one sentence what the guest has to do? Carton Blanc checks your first mailing before it goes out in any case, but those three points are yours.

What should the email carrying the reply link say?

The subject names the event and the date. The first paragraph says who is inviting and why, in one sentence; the second gives the venue and time; the last gives the reply-by date and the link, just one. A guest who cannot find the link in the first five lines does not reply.

Read the email on a phone: that is where most guests will read it. If the link is not visible without scrolling, move it up.

When is the list final?

When the reply-by date has passed and the D−14 reminder has gone out. That is the number, not the first day's, that you give the caterer or the venue. Then keep a waiting list: it absorbs last-minute drop-outs without you having to renegotiate the number of covers.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between an RSVP and a registration?

None in form: in both cases the guest answers on a page. We say RSVP for a private invitation and registration for an event announced more widely.

Is online RSVP free?

Not with Carton Blanc: one event costs €49 incl. VAT. Only flyers are free as soon as your account is open.

Can you see the page before sending?

Yes: the site's example page shows exactly what the guest sees, from reply to confirmation.

What does the guest receive after replying?

An immediate confirmation by email, then a reminder the day before with the address and a link to add the date to their calendar.