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Previewing Invitations

Before sending messages to your guests, you’ll want to see exactly how they’ll look. Dear provides comprehensive preview tools for both the email and the visual invitation.

Viewing the Message Preview

To preview a message:

  1. Go to My Events and select your event

  2. Click on the message you want to preview

  3. You’ll see both the email preview and the invitation preview

The preview page shows you:

  • Email Tab - How the email will appear in your guest’s inbox

  • Invitation Tab - The visual invitation your guests will see

Previewing the Email

The email preview shows you:

  • The subject line

  • The body text with variables replaced

  • The “View Invitation” button

Variables like {attendee_name} will show sample values from one of your attendees, so you can see exactly how personalisation works.

Editing While Previewing

From the preview page, click Edit > Edit Email to make changes. As you type:

  1. The subject and body fields update in real-time

  2. The preview panel refreshes automatically

  3. You can see how your changes look immediately

Click Save Changes when you’re happy with the result.

Previewing the Invitation

The invitation preview shows the visual design your guests will see when they click through from the email.

What You’ll See

The invitation preview displays:

  • Your template’s design and styling

  • Event details (date, time, venue, etc.)

  • Custom background image (if uploaded)

  • RSVP buttons (if enabled for this message)

Editing While Previewing

Click Edit > Edit Invitation to modify what appears on your invitation:

  1. Fill in or update event details in the form

  2. Upload a custom background image if desired

  3. The preview updates as you make changes

  4. Click Save Changes to apply your edits

Note: Some fields update the preview in real-time, while others (like image uploads) require clicking Save to see the change.

Sending a Test Email

The best way to check your message is to send yourself a test:

  1. From any message page, scroll to the Scheduled Sends section

  2. Click Send Test

  3. Enter your email address

  4. Click Send Test

A test email will be sent to you using sample attendee data. This lets you:

  • See the email in your actual inbox

  • Click through to the real invitation

  • Check how it displays on your phone

  • Verify links work correctly

Tip: Send tests to multiple email providers (Gmail, Outlook, etc.) to ensure your invitation looks good everywhere.

Understanding the Watermark

If you’re previewing a message for a template you haven’t purchased (and don’t have a subscription), you’ll see a watermark on the invitation preview.

This watermark:

  • Only appears in previews for unpurchased templates

  • Will not appear on sent invitations once you’ve purchased

  • Helps you evaluate templates before buying

To remove the watermark, either:

Checking for Incomplete Fields

If any event details are blank, Dear will warn you before you send:

  • A notification will appear listing missing fields

  • You can choose to continue anyway or edit first

  • Blank fields may show as empty on your invitation

It’s best to fill in all details before sending, but for fields that aren’t relevant to your event, leaving them blank is fine.

Preview Tips

  1. Check on mobile - Many guests will view invitations on their phones

  2. Review personalisation - Make sure variables show appropriate content

  3. Test the links - Click through from the test email to verify everything works

  4. Have someone else review - Fresh eyes catch things you might miss

  5. Preview each message type - Invitation, reminder, and thank-you may have different content

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