The guest list is rarely finished in one sitting. It gets passed around, debated, updated, and finally, eventually, locked in. Once yours is ready, Joy can pull it in straight from your spreadsheet so the work you've already done carries over. If you've added guests in Joy already, importing will add to your list, not replace it.
There are three steps to get your list into Joy:
Format your spreadsheet to match the template
Save it as a CSV file
Upload it
Note: You can import up to 250 guests at a time. If your list is larger, split it into multiple CSV files and import them one at a time. For example, a list of 600 guests would need three separate imports.
Prepare Your Spreadsheet
Joy's import tool reads a specific format, so your spreadsheet needs to match the template before you upload it. You can download the Google Sheets template and fill it in directly, or use it as a reference to reformat your existing spreadsheet.
Formatting Guidelines
Column headings must match the template exactly, starting in the first column. Do not rename or reorder them. A missing or misplaced column will cause the import to fail.
Each guest must have their own row. To address a guest by household name on invitations (for example, The Porter Family), use the Name on Envelope column.
Leave all column headers exactly as they appear in the template, including the word (Optional). It might look like something you can clean up, but Joy needs those exact header names to read your file correctly. Columns marked (Optional) just mean you don't have to fill them in for every guest.
Use the Country dropdown or the Country Names List tab. Abbreviated country names may not import correctly.
No symbols are allowed in first or last name fields.
The Party column groups guests from different rows into the same party, which is helpful for families or couples RSVPing together.
The Tags column accepts one or more tags as text or emoji. To assign multiple tags to a guest, separate each one with a pipe symbol
|. For example:family|after party|🐰orcollege friends|bridal party. Learn more about tags.
Parties and Plus-Ones
To group guests into a party, enter the same value in the Party column for each guest in that group, for example, "The Smiths". Joy will automatically group them as one party in your guest list. The party name can be anything you'd like ("Joe P and Guest" or "Mary W and Family" both work). Guests won't see this value, it's only used to link them together behind the scenes.
Here's an example. All four guests below share the Party value "Wellington", so Joy groups them as one party. The spreadsheet on the left shows the import, and the right shows how they appear in Joy:
When guests are grouped as a party:
Digital cards will address the entire group together.
One person can RSVP on behalf of everyone in the party.
Joy handles envelope addressing slightly differently depending on how you're sending:
For digital cards
It depends on the card type.
Basic digital cards don't have an envelope, so they're addressed to all party members by first name regardless of what's in the Name on Envelope column.
Premium digital cards have an envelope. Joy uses the Name on Envelope column to address it. If that field is blank, Joy uses the first names of everyone in the party.
For paper invitations
Printed cards also use the Name on Envelope column.
If Name on Envelope is filled in, Joy uses exactly what you've entered when printing envlelopes.
If it's blank, Joy formats the envelope based on the household:
Two guests
Same last name: Oliver and Phoebe Wellington
Different last names: Oliver Wellington and Phoebe Coles
More than two guests
Same last name: The Wellington Family
Different last names: Oliver Wellington and Family
Includes unnamed plus-ones: Oliver Wellington and Guests
You can always override the automatic format by filling in the Name on Envelope column yourself.
Guests can also be grouped into parties or assigned plus-ones after uploading. See Adding Plus-Ones and Parties for instructions.
Save Your File as a CSV
Once your spreadsheet is formatted, save it as a CSV file. CSV (comma-separated values) is a widely supported format that Joy can read, and it's easy to export from any spreadsheet app:
From Excel: File > Save As > Save as type > CSV
From Google Sheets: File > Download > Comma-separated values (.csv, current sheet)
From Numbers: File > Export To > CSV
Once you have your CSV file ready, follow the steps below to bring it into Joy.
Import Your List
Click Guest List from your Event Dashboard.
Click Add Guests in the upper-right corner.
Click Upload Spreadsheet.
Click Upload File and select your CSV from your device.
Joy will show you a contact count broken down by valid, invalid, and warning. Invalid contacts have a specific error listed below the count, such as "Missing First Name", so you can find and fix the problem in your spreadsheet before re-uploading. Warnings flag things that look unusual but won't block the import. Review them to make sure Joy has read your data correctly. When you're ready, click Import Valid Contacts. Any invalid rows will be skipped, so you can fix and re-import them separately.
Joy will confirm when the import is complete. Click View Contacts to see your guest list.
Exporting Your Guest List
Need to share your guest list with a vendor, venue, or coordinator? From your Guest List, you can export to a CSV file at any time and open it in Excel, Google Sheets, or Numbers.
To export your full guest list, click Export All Guests in the Guest List toolbar.
To export a specific group, check the box next to each guest you want to include, then click Export Selection in the toolbar.
The file will download as a CSV to your device.
Still have some questions?
Ask us directly! Click on the black and white chat bubble in the bottom-right corner of this page to ask us your questions, or you can email us at support@withjoy.com. You’ll get a friendly response from someone on our team! 🙂