Day-of guide
How to run guest check-in on your wedding day
On the day, the door is where a guest list meets real people: families arriving in pieces, uncles who did not reply, and an emcee asking how many are seated. This guide covers how to run a calm check-in desk, and how the Wishes2Vows day-of page lets the people at the door tick guests in from a phone.
By the Wishes2Vows team Updated: 4 min read
Watch the walkthrough
Day of Check‑In
Run a smooth reception with single-tap guest arrivals and running counters that refresh about every 30 seconds.
1. Set up the check-in desk
Decide who stands at the door before the day, not on it. One or two trusted people per entrance is enough for most halls: a cousin who knows the faces on one side, and a friend who knows the other. Give them a phone signed in to your card's account with the console open, a printed guest checklist as a backup, and a charger.
- Check the venue's mobile signal or Wi-Fi at the door during your site visit.
- Print the guest checklist and table assignments the night before.
- Agree who handles walk-ins, and where they are seated.
- Brief the helpers on which guests are tagged VIP or Wheelchair in your guest list, so those guests are met, not queued.
Day-of check-in comes with the Grand package and lives under Day-of in your console. It works in a phone's browser. Every phone used at the door must be signed in with the Google account that owns the card; separate logins for helpers are not available.
2. Check in per event, per party, per person
Choose the event that is happening now, so an akad nikah in the morning and a reception at night keep separate counts. Search for the party by name, then check the whole party in with one tap, or tick people in one by one when they arrive separately.
A tap can be undone. If a helper checks in the wrong family, uncheck them and the count goes back down.
Families that arrive in pieces
When four of a party of six walk in, that is a real state, not an error. The arrived stepper records 4 of 6, and you add the other two when they come. If far more people turn up than the party booked, the page asks you to confirm rather than refusing, because turning away a relative at the door is never the right answer.
3. The numbers at the door
The top of the page shows how many have arrived against how many are expected for the event, and how many parties are in. It is the number your emcee or caterer will ask for when deciding to start the food or the march-in.
More than one phone can work the door at once, as long as each is signed in to the card's account. The page refreshes about every 30 seconds while it is open, and again whenever a helper comes back to it, and it shows how long ago it last synced. A check-in made on one phone appears on the others at the next refresh, not instantly.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Does it update on every phone? | Yes, at the next refresh, about every 30 seconds |
| Does it work without internet? | No, it needs a connection |
| Can two helpers share the door? | Yes; give each party to one helper at a time |
| Can I get a report afterwards? | Yes, export the check-in report as Excel |
4. Working the door with two helpers
One habit prevents almost every mix-up: one party, one helper. If two helpers change the arrived count of the same party at the same moment on two phones, the later change can overwrite the earlier one. Splitting the door by side, or by the first letter of the family name, keeps each party with one person.
- Split the guest list between helpers before guests arrive.
- If a party is already partly in, let the helper who checked them in finish them.
- Glance at the synced caption before reading a count out loud.
5. Notes, walk-ins and after the day
In the guest list, open a guest to see their party, tags and private coordinator notes, such as needs a seat near the exit or bringing the cake. Notes are for your team only; guests never see them. A guest who never replied can be added from the guest list as a booking, then checked in like anyone else.
After the wedding, export the check-in report as an Excel file. It tells you who came to each event, which helps with thank-you messages and with settling the final headcount with your caterer.
Common questions
Can more than one person check guests in?
Yes, on two phones signed in to the card's account. The page refreshes about every 30 seconds, so give each party to one helper at a time.
What if only part of a family arrives?
Record the number that arrived, for example 4 of 6, and add the rest when they come. If far more arrive than booked, the page asks you to confirm instead of refusing.
Does check-in work without internet?
No. It needs a mobile or Wi-Fi connection at the door, so check the signal at your venue beforehand and keep a printed checklist as a backup.
Can I check guests in separately for the akad and the reception?
Yes. Choose the event first, and each event keeps its own arrivals and counts.