Max Guests Setting

The “max guests” setting controls how many additional people an attendee can bring to your event. This guide explains how to use this setting effectively to manage your guest count and event capacity.

What Is Max Guests?

Max guests is a number you assign to each attendee for a specific event. It determines:

• How many plus-ones they can add when RSVPing

• Whether they see the “add guests” option at all

• The maximum additional people they can bring

Setting Options

Zero (0)

What it means: The attendee cannot bring anyone else.

When to use:

• Intimate events with strict capacity

• When the person is already part of a couple invitation

• Corporate events where only the invitee should attend

Guest experience: They won’t see an option to add plus-ones.

One (1)

What it means: The attendee can bring one additional person.

When to use:

• Standard “and guest” invitations

• Single friends who might bring a date

• Professional events allowing a partner

Guest experience: They can add one name when RSVPing.

Two or More (2+)

What it means: The attendee can bring multiple additional guests.

When to use:

• Family invitations (parents can bring children)

• Group invitations

• Events where more company is welcome

Guest experience: They can add multiple names, up to your limit.

No Limit (Blank/Empty)

What it means: The attendee can bring as many guests as they want.

When to use:

• Very casual events

• Open-invitation gatherings

• When you trust the guest’s judgment

Guest experience: They can add unlimited names.

Caution: Use sparingly - this can lead to unexpected guest counts.

Where to Set Max Guests

During Event Creation

In the event wizard’s attendees step:

1. Add or select attendees

2. Look for the Max Guests field next to each attendee

3. Enter your desired limit

4. Complete the event creation

After Event Creation

To update max guests for existing invitations:

1. Go to your event

2. Find the attendee in the guest list

3. Edit their record

4. Update the Max Guests field

5. Save changes

While Adding Attendees to an Event

When adding new attendees to an existing event:

1. Select or create the attendee

2. Set their max guests value

3. Save the addition

Per-Event Setting

Max guests is set per-event, not per-attendee globally. This means:

• John might have max guests = 1 for your wedding

• John might have max guests = 0 for your business dinner

• John might have max guests = 3 for your family reunion

Each event tracks this independently.

Practical Examples

Wedding Guest List

Corporate Event

Birthday Party

Capacity Planning

Use max guests settings to manage your event capacity:

Calculating Potential Maximum

For each attendee, worst case = 1 (them) + max guests

Realistic Planning

Not everyone uses their full allocation:

• Some won’t bring anyone even if allowed

• Some will decline entirely

• Factor in historical patterns for similar events

Adjusting Mid-Planning

If early RSVPs show everyone’s bringing guests:

• Consider reducing max guests for remaining invitations

• Or accept higher numbers

If fewer people are bringing guests than expected:

• You might allow more plus-ones for remaining invites

• Or invite additional primary guests

Changing Max Guests After RSVP

If you change max guests after someone has already RSVP’d:

Increasing the Limit

• Guest can add more plus-ones by updating their RSVP

• Previous plus-ones remain

• No automatic notification (you may want to let them know)

Decreasing the Limit

• Already-added plus-ones are NOT automatically removed

• You’ll need to manually remove extras if needed

• The guest won’t be able to add more, but existing ones stay

Tips for Success

Think About Capacity First

Before setting max guests:

1. Know your venue capacity

2. Estimate your budget per head

3. Decide how many total guests you can accommodate

Use Consistent Logic

Apply a logical framework:

• All single friends get 1 plus-one

• All families get X plus-ones

• Exceptions for special circumstances

Communicate Clearly

Your invitation wording should match your settings:

• “John Smith and Guest” = max guests 1

• “The Smith Family” = max guests appropriate to family size

• “John Smith” only = max guests 0

Leave Buffer

If your capacity is 100:

• Don’t invite 50 people with max guests = 2 (potential 150)

• Account for some bringing fewer and some declining

Troubleshooting

Guest complains they can’t add plus-ones

• Check their max guests setting

• If it’s 0, that’s by design

• Increase it if you want them to bring guests

Guest added more people than I expected

• Check what their max guests was set to

• They can only add up to that limit

• If no limit was set, they had unlimited

Want to remove plus-ones they already added

• Edit their event record

• Manually remove the extra guests

• Consider reducing their max guests too

Total count is higher than venue capacity

• Review max guests across all attendees

• Reduce settings for future invitations

• Remove plus-ones where necessary

Related Articles:

• Guest Plus-Ones

• Inviting Attendees to Events

• Managing RSVP Responses

• Creating an Event