Every guest on your list is there for a reason. But not every event is for every guest. Private events let you decide who sees what, so the rehearsal dinner shows up for the wedding party, the after-party shows up for the inner circle, and nobody sees something they weren't meant to.
Before you start: Private events work by matching guests against your guest list by name. Make sure your guests are added to your guest list and tagged before setting up private events. If you haven't set up guest tags yet, start with All About Guest Tags.
From your Event Dashboard, hover over Website, click the arrow, and select Schedule. If you haven't set up your schedule yet, start with Add and Manage Schedule Items.
Setting Up a Private Event
Click the schedule item you want to make private to open the Edit Schedule Item modal.
Scroll to the Event Privacy section at the bottom.
Select Specific guests.
Show this to guests with the tag
Use tags to show this event to an entire group at once: the wedding party, out of town guests, family, or any group you've already created.
Click Add labels under "Show this to guests with the tag."
Select the tags for the groups who should see this event.
In addition to the following guests
Use this field to add individual guests who should see this event but aren't covered by a tag.
Click Add people under "In addition to the following guests."
Select the names from your guest list.
Click Save.
Tip: You can use tags, individual guests, or both together. Tags are the most efficient option if you're inviting a whole group.
How It Looks in Your Dashboard
Once a schedule item is set to private, it shows the tag name and specific guests beneath it in the left panel instead of "All Guests" so you can tell at a glance which events are private and who they're for.
What Your Guests Will See
When a guest lands on your schedule page and there are private events, they'll see an Unlock Your Schedule button. Clicking it opens a prompt where they enter their first and last name. Joy matches their name against your guest list and shows them only the events they're invited to.
What Happens if a Guest Enters the Wrong Name
If a guest enters a name that doesn't match your guest list, for example they go by "Mike" but you have them listed as "Michael," Joy will let them know they weren't found and suggest they try a different spelling or nickname. If they still can't find their invitation after a few attempts, they'll be shown the public version of your schedule instead. You'll receive an email letting you know, with steps to take action if needed.
Tip: To avoid name mismatches altogether, send your invitations through Joy. Each invitation includes a personalized link that takes guests directly to their schedule without needing to enter their name.
Previewing Private Events as a Guest
To see what a guest would see, open a private or incognito browser window, navigate to your event site, and click Unlock Your Schedule. Enter a guest's name to see their personalized schedule.
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! 🙂