Meal options, meal choices and dietary notes
Updated
In short
Set up your menu under Overview → Meals → Manage. New weddings start with Chicken, Beef, Fish, Vegetarian, Vegan and Kids meal. Then click the Meal cell on a guest's row to pick their choice. Allergies and restrictions go in Dietary notes, a separate field, so a meal choice never hides an allergy.
Every guest can have a meal choice (what they’re eating) and dietary notes (allergies and restrictions). They’re kept separate on purpose: a guest can choose the fish and have a nut allergy, and your caterer needs to know both.
Set up your meal options
New weddings start with six options: Chicken, Beef, Fish, Vegetarian, Vegan and Kids meal. Change them to match your menu.
- 1
Open Meal options
Go to Overview and click Manage on the Meals card. - 2
Add a meal
Type a name, like “Mushroom risotto”, and click Add. - 3
Rename or remove
Click a meal’s name to rename it. Renaming updates every guest who chose it. Click the bin icon to remove a meal.
Each meal shows how many guests have chosen it. Removing a meal from the list doesn’t change guests who already chose it; they keep their choice.
Give guests a meal
- From the list: on a computer, click the Meal cell on a guest’s row (it says Add meal when empty) and pick from your options. Choose No meal to clear it.
- From their details: click the guest’s name, open More details and fill in Meal choice. Your options are suggested as you type, or type something else. This is the way to do it on a phone.
- Many at once: tick guests and use Meal in the bulk bar. See bulk edit.
- On import: map a Meal, Entrée or Meal choice column. See import a CSV.
Add dietary notes
Click the guest’s name, open More details, and type in Dietary notes, for example “Nut allergy” or “Gluten free”. Click Save. On a computer, the note shows in small text under the guest’s name in the list.
Find everyone with a dietary need
Where meals and notes show up
- Guests screen: a running tally of each meal sits at the bottom of the list. See caterer counts.
- Overview: the Meals card shows your top meals and how many guests haven’t chosen yet.
- Meal directory: a printable list for your caterer, grouped by meal, with each guest’s table and a plate count per meal (Pro). See the meal directory.
- Find Your Seat: guests only see their own meal if you switch on “Show each guest’s meal”.
Meal and headcount totals leave out declined guests, since they won’t be eating.
See how it all fits together on our RSVPs, meals and guest needs page.
Frequently asked questions
Can I offer a different set of meals for children?
Yes. Kids meal is one of the starting options, and you can add others, like a children's pasta, under Overview → Meals → Manage.
If I rename a meal, do guests who chose it update?
Yes. Renaming a meal in Meal options updates every guest who chose it.
Where do I put an allergy?
In Dietary notes, under More details in the guest's details. Keep the meal choice for the dish they're having.
Do declined guests count in my meal totals?
No. Meal totals only count guests who aren't marked Declined.
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Related articles
- What guests can see on Find Your SeatFind Your Seat matches names on our server and only shows what you switch on. Here’s exactly what’s public and what stays private.
- Add guests one by oneAdd a guest in a few seconds: name, group and RSVP, plus optional meal, age, side and contact details. Tick Add another to enter a whole list quickly.
- Print place cards and escort cardsPrint a themed name card for every seated guest, showing their table and meal. Use them as place cards, or as escort cards at the entrance.
- Import a CSV or paste a list from Excel or SheetsBring your whole guest list in at once: paste names, or upload a CSV from Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers. We match the columns and you confirm every row.
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