QR codes on wedding invitations: how to add them and what to watch for

Instead of calling, texting or posting a card back, guests point their camera at the code and land on the reply page. Nothing to install, no address to type. For you, that means fewer calls and replies that arrive already organised.

A single shared code is easier to print, but every guest then has to type their name and choose who the reply is for. That invites typos, double replies and guessing whether two families with the same surname are the same household.

A code per invitation already knows who it's for. Guests see the names of everyone invited and answer for each of them. The link is private too: nobody else can see your guest list.

• Make the code at least 2 by 2 cm (about 0.8 inches); on cards with small type, 2.5 cm is safer.
• Leave an empty margin around the code and print it in a dark colour on a light background. Gold or pastel codes are often hard to read.
• Give your printer a vector file (SVG): it stays sharp at any size.
• Before printing the whole run, scan a test print with several phones.

One short sentence is enough, for example: "Scan with your phone's camera to RSVP by 15 May". Add your reply-by date and a phone number for guests who prefer to call. Older guests will appreciate having the choice.

In many families invitations are still handed over in person. A QR code fits that well: guests don't have to answer on the spot, but calmly, once they've checked their calendar. It also helps to note who already has their invitation, so nobody is missed.

Every invitation gets its own QR code and private link as soon as you add it. The page the code opens has your colours, photo and schedule, and replies go straight onto your list.

1. 1In Invitations, click an invitation, for example "The Nowak family".
2. 2Under "Share invitation", download the code as SVG (for your printer) or PNG.
3. 3Scan the code with your phone and check it opens the right invitation's page.
4. 4You can also copy the link and send it to guests who live far away.

With dozens of invitations, downloading codes one by one takes time. There are two easier ways. The first is ready RSVP cards: sheets with one card per invitation, each with its own code and cut marks, in your page's style.

The second is a pack of codes for your own design: every code in one ZIP file with a data sheet for a data merge in Canva, Adobe InDesign or Affinity Publisher. The codes then go straight onto invitations designed by you or your printer.

A code opens one invitation and never shows anyone your guest list. The link contains 48 random characters, so it can't be guessed, and invitation pages are kept out of search engines.

Anyone with the code or link can open the invitation, so give it only to its guests. If a link gets into the wrong hands, create a new one in the invitation's details and the old one stops working at once. Remember to print the new code.

Allergy notes are seen only by you and the guests on that invitation. We keep your wedding's data for a year after the wedding (longer while a paid plan lasts), remind you by email beforehand, then delete it for good.