Guests

Get meal, age and side counts for your caterer

Updated October 14, 2026

In short

Scroll to the bottom of the Guests screen for live counts: each meal, adults, children and infants, guests still awaiting an RSVP, and how many guests are on each side. Everyone except Declined guests is counted, so finalise RSVPs before sending numbers. Overview shows the same picture, and the printable meal directory (Pro) lists each guest's meal and table.

Your caterer and venue will ask for numbers: how many of each meal, how many children, how many people in total. Lovely Seating keeps those numbers up to date as you edit your list, so you never have to count by hand.

Where to find the counts

Scroll to the bottom of the Guests screen. The summary card there has up to three lines:

Meals: how many guests chose each meal, most popular first. On a computer it also shows No meal set for guests without a choice yet.
Headcount: adults, plus children and infants if you have any, plus how many guests are still awaiting RSVP.
Sides: how many guests are on each partner’s side, both sides or other. This line appears once you’ve set sides.

Overview shows the same numbers in a more visual way. The Attendance card has RSVP totals and the Guest mix (adults, children, infants). The Meals card has your top meals, how many guests haven’t chosen, and how many have dietary or accessibility needs.

Who is counted

Everyone except Declined is counted

Meal totals and the adults, children and infants headcount include every guest who isn’t Declined. That includes guests still marked Invited, Awaiting or Maybe. Before you send final numbers, chase the last replies and mark anyone who isn’t coming as Declined. See track RSVP status.

The awaiting RSVP figure counts guests marked Invited or Awaiting, so you can see how many answers could still change your numbers. Sides count everyone on your list, including declined guests.

Get the numbers right

Fill in missing meals: the No meal set count tells you how many are left, and Overview’s Meals card shows how many are without a choice. See meals and dietary needs.
Set ages: children and infants are only counted separately if you’ve set their Age. See age and accessibility.
List dietary needs: open Filters and tick Has dietary notes for everyone with an allergy or restriction.
Don’t forget plus-ones: they’re full guests, so give them a meal too.

Something to hand your caterer

The meal directory export is a printable sheet for the kitchen. It shows a plate count for each meal, then lists every guest under their meal with their table. Exports are part of Pro ($39 one-time). On the Free plan you can see a watermarked preview. See the meal directory.

A real meal directory export, made from a fictional sample wedding.

You can also download your guest list as a CSV from ⋯ → Export guest list, with names, RSVP, meals, dietary notes and groups. See export your guest list as CSV.

Not sure how many people to plan for yet? Try our guest count estimator.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my meal total higher than the number of people coming?

Meal totals count every guest who isn't Declined, including guests marked Invited, Awaiting or Maybe. Mark anyone who isn't coming as Declined before you send your final numbers.

Are infants included in the headcount?

Yes, but separately. The headcount shows adults, children and infants on their own, so you can tell your caterer exactly who needs a meal or a high chair.

Can I print the meal counts for my caterer?

Yes, with the meal directory export, which is part of Pro. It lists plate counts per meal and each guest's table. On Free you can see a watermarked preview.

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