If your guest list has been sitting in a spreadsheet for ages, there is no need to type it out again. With the CSV import it moves into your event in one go. And if you need it the other way round for the seating plan or the caterer, you can download it again whenever you like. Both are free.
Preparing your file
Open Gäste (guests) and click „Importieren" (import) in the filter bar. In the dialog „Gäste importieren" (import guests) you first download the template gaeste-beispiel.csv through „Beispiel-CSV herunterladen" (download sample CSV). Open it in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets, enter your guests and save it as a CSV again.
Required column: Vorname (first name). You can leave out the Nachname (last name) if you do not know it.
Optional columns: E-Mail, Telefon, Gruppe, Haushalt, Plus-1 erlaubt, Interne Notizen (email, phone, group, household, plus-one allowed, internal notes)
The English headings firstname, lastname, email, phone, group and household are recognised as well.
Commas and semicolons both work as separators, and values may be wrapped in quotation marks.
In the Gruppe column you write the group name as text, for example „Familie Braut" (the bride's family) at a wedding or „Freunde" (friends) at a birthday. The template matches your type of event automatically. Values that are not recognised, and groups that do not exist for your type of event, end up in „Andere" (other).
In the Plus-1 erlaubt (plus-one allowed) column you write „ja" (yes) or „nein" (no). That way the toggle „Plus One erlauben" (allow a plus one) is already on for the right guests and they can name a companion in the sign-up form.
Whatever you put in Interne Notizen (internal notes) is for your eyes only, for example „Vegetarierin" (vegetarian) or „Kommt mit dem Zug" (coming by train).
Uploading the file
Drag your file into the field „Ziehen oder klicken zum Hochladen" (drag or click to upload) or pick it through „CSV-Datei auswählen" (choose CSV file).
Have a look at the preview. At the top you see how many valid guests were recognised, and next to it, if it applies, how many rows are invalid. Rows with a problem sit right at the top, with their line number from the file and the reason for it („Vorname fehlt" for a missing first name, or „Ungültige E-Mail" for an invalid email address), so you find them in your spreadsheet straight away.
If everything looks right, you click „N Gäste importieren" (import N guests). Invalid rows are simply skipped.
If something is off, remove the file with the X, correct it and upload it again.
The preview shows ten rows at most, the rest appears as „Und N weitere..." (and N more) below it. All valid rows are imported, of course.
If there are guests in your list already, you get a note right above the import button: how many guests you have, how many of them have replied, and how many names from your file are in the list already (and how many of those with a reply). So you can see beforehand whether you are about to get duplicates.
Good to know: The import deletes nothing. It adds the guests from your file on top, and your existing guests and all their replies stay exactly as they are. There is no duplicate check along with it: if you upload the same file twice, every guest is in your list twice afterwards. If you only want to add a few guests, it is best to use a file with exactly those guests. And if two entries for the same person do turn up, you merge them back into one with „Zusammenführen…" (merge) in the three-dot menu.
Two things come along with the import now: if there is a ja in the „Plus-1 erlaubt" column, the toggle „Plus One erlauben" (allow a plus one) is switched on right away for that imported guest, and whatever is in „Interne Notizen" (internal notes) lands in their notes. If you leave the columns out or empty, the toggle stays off and the notes stay empty, and you can change both for individual guests at any time through „Bearbeiten" (edit).
Replies do not come back through the import
The export brings along the column Status and all of your guests' answers, so that when you read through it you can see who has already said yes and what someone wishes for. The import cannot read those columns though. Every guest who comes in through a file starts on Ausstehend (pending), even if the file says „Zugesagt" (accepted). If your file brings a status column with it, the import dialog tells you so again explicitly.
What that means for you: as soon as the first replies are in, look after your list in the app and no longer in Excel. Never delete your guests in the app to create them again from a file afterwards. The replies hang on the guests in your list and do not come back through the file. For adding to your list the import is still safe at any time: it only adds, it never takes anything away.
Downloading your guest list
Click „Exportieren" (export) in the filter bar. You get the file gaesteliste.csv with everything you know about your guests. At the front sit first name, last name, email, phone, group and household. Then comes the Status of the reply, when they answered and who entered the answer: the guest themselves, the main guest during their sign-up, or you. If that cannot be said for certain, the field stays empty.
After that come the answers from your sign-up form, every question in a column of its own, for example dietary needs, allergies, song request, accommodation, shuttle and the personal message. You find the questions your form asks there, and everything your guests have already answered. At the end sit your internal notes, labels such as „Offene Anmeldung" (open sign-up) or „Möglicher Doppeleintrag" (possible duplicate), whether and when they were invited (invitation sent by email, opened, marked as invited, reminder sent), the invitation code and the personal invitation link. If you sent out a save the date, you also see when it went out and when it was opened.
Every person has a row of their own, and everyone who signed up together stays together: below each guest follow their companion and their children. The column Kategorie (category) tells you whether it is a guest, a companion or a child, and under Gehört zu (belongs to) you find the name of the guest that person is coming with. Children and companions without an entry of their own take over group, household and status from that guest, children the last name as well. Without a name they are simply called „Begleitung" (companion) or „Kind 2" (child 2). So if you filter the status column by „Zugesagt" (accepted), you have everyone in front of you who is coming. As long as you have not added a single guest, the button is greyed out.
The file is prepared for Excel: umlauts stay intact, the columns are separated by semicolons, and all times are given in German time. If an entry starts with a plus, minus, equals sign or @, a phone number with +49 for example, an apostrophe is put in front of it. That way Excel reads it as text and not as a formula. If you upload the file again later, the import takes that apostrophe off by itself.
Before you pass the file on: If you send your list to your caterer, your DJ or anyone else, delete the columns „Einladungscode" (invitation code) and „Einladungslink" (invitation link) first. With them, somebody else could reply to your invitation in another person's name.
Good to know: The export always contains all of your guests. The search and the status and group filters only affect what you see on screen, not the file you download. The status and the answers are meant for reading through and passing on, and the import does not bring them back into the app (see above).
Frequently asked questions
I cannot see the buttons „Importieren" and „Exportieren".
They are hidden on phones, where only „Gast hinzufügen" (add guest) stays. For importing and exporting, sit down at a computer or a tablet for a moment.
My file is being rejected.
Only real .csv files are accepted, otherwise you see „Bitte nur CSV-Dateien hochladen." (please upload CSV files only). The file also needs a header row plus at least one row of data, and the column „Vorname" (first name). In your spreadsheet program, save it through „Exportieren" (export) or „Speichern unter" (save as) in the CSV format.
Can I use the import to update guests I already have?
No, the import always creates new guests. You make changes to existing guests through „Bearbeiten" (edit).
Does a second import overwrite my replies?
No. The import does not touch existing guests, it only adds new ones. Your acceptances and refusals stay, but you do get the guests from the file on top in your list. You tidy up the duplicates afterwards with „Zusammenführen…" (merge) or „Löschen" (delete).
I exported my list, edited it in Excel and imported it again. Where are the acceptances?
The replies are in your file, but the import does not take them over: it does not read the status and the answers while uploading. If your original guests are still in the list, their answers hang on them unchanged and you can remove the newly imported duplicates again with „Zusammenführen…" (merge) or „Löschen" (delete). If you deleted the guests beforehand, their answers are gone. Write to us in the chat in that case, and we will look together at what can still be saved.