Excel for event planning, parties and weddings

Q: How do I count RSVPs that are still missing?

Count the empty RSVP cells with =COUNTBLANK(C2:C11), and add up the guests in those parties with =SUMIF(C2:C11,"",B2:B11). FILTER(A2:A11,C2:C11="") lists their names.

For anyone planning a wedding, a milestone party, a reunion or a company event with a spreadsheet. The formulas below do the jobs that matter in the last weeks: turn RSVPs into a real headcount, chase the people who have not replied, give the caterer meal counts, catch overbooked tables, and price the event per guest and in the worst case. Every example runs on the guest list shown here.

Couples planning a wedding
Party and reunion organizers
Office and community event coordinators
Freelance event planners

Sample data

Every result on this page comes from this sheet, calculated by the same engine the Cellwise app uses. Change a number and watch the formulas react.

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
1	Party	Invited	RSVP	Adults	Kids	Table	Veg (adults)	Adult plate
2	Maya + Josh	2	Yes	2	0	1	0	78
3	Rosa's family	6	Yes	4	2	2	1	Kid plate
4	College friends	8	Yes	7	0	3	2	32
5	Work team	6	No	0	0		0	Fixed costs
6	Grandparents	2	Yes	2	0	1	0	6400
7	Neighbors	4						Budget
8	Book club	5	Yes	3	0	3	2	11000
9	Leo's family	7	Yes	4	3	2	0	Seats per table
10	Cousins	9						10
11	Soccer team	6	Yes	5	0	4	1

What Excel does for event planning

Turn RSVPs into a real headcount

Record what each party actually said, adults and kids separately, rather than assuming everyone invited comes. Then the confirmed headcount is just the sum of both columns. SUM accepts a block of two columns at once.

Keep kids separate from the start: caterers and venues usually price them differently, and they still need chairs.

=SUM(D2:E11)

Result: 32

32 people are confirmed: 27 adults and 5 kids, out of 55 invited.

Make the list of people to chase

An empty RSVP cell means no reply yet. FILTER keeps the party names where RSVP is empty and TEXTJOIN puts them on one line you can work through by text or phone.

To see how many guests are still unknown, add up their invitations: =SUMIF(C2:C11,"",B2:B11) gives 13 here. That number is the gap between your best and worst case.

=TEXTJOIN(", ",TRUE,FILTER(A2:A11,C2:C11=""))

Result: Neighbors, Cousins

Neighbors and Cousins have not replied yet.

Give the caterer meal counts

Caterers want numbers by meal, not a guest list. Track special meals in their own column (vegetarian here) and the standard plates are everything else. Keep a separate count for kids' meals, and add a column for allergies if any guest has one.

Send the final counts by the caterer's deadline, which is often a week or two before the event; check your contract.

=SUM(D2:D11)-SUM(G2:G11)

Result: 21

21 standard adult plates, plus the 6 vegetarian ones and 5 kids' meals.

Catch overbooked tables

Assign each party a table number, then count the seats taken at a table with SUMIF on the adults and the kids. Subtract from the seats per table (H10). A negative number means the table is over capacity.

Seat whole parties together first, then move a couple or two to balance. Copy the formula down a list of table numbers 1, 2, 3... to check every table at once.

=H10-SUMIF(F2:F11,2,D2:D11)-SUMIF(F2:F11,2,E2:E11)

Result: -3

-3: table 2 has Rosa's family (6) and Leo's family (7), 13 people for 10 seats. The kids are easy to forget.

Work out the cost per guest

Event costs come in two kinds: per head (the plates) and fixed (venue, music, photographer). Cost per guest is the total of both divided by the headcount, and it is the number that tells you what one more invitation really costs.

Put prices in cells (H2, H4, H6) rather than typing them into formulas, so a new quote updates everything.

=ROUND((H6+SUM(D2:D11)*H2+SUM(E2:E11)*H4)/SUM(D2:E11),2)

Result: 270.81

6,400 fixed plus 2,266 of food, shared by 32 guests, is 270.81 each.

Price the worst case before you sign

Until every reply is in, plan for the worst case: every party that has not answered comes in full. SUMIF with "" adds the invitations of the parties with no reply. Assume they are adults, since that is the higher plate price.

If the worst case fits the budget (H8), you can relax. If not, decide now what gives: the menu, the bar or the guest list.

=H6+(SUM(D2:D11)+SUMIF(C2:C11,"",B2:B11))*H2+SUM(E2:E11)*H4

Result: 9680

Even if all 13 unanswered guests come, the event costs 9,680, which is 1,320 under the 11,000 budget.

Practice: 8 exercises

Use the sample data above. Type a formula and press Check: it is graded by a real spreadsheet engine, the way Cellwise grades lessons.

1How many parties have said Yes?

Your formula for exercise 1

Show answer
=COUNTIF(C2:C11,"Yes") = 7. Seven parties replied Yes.
2How many guests were invited in total?

Your formula for exercise 2

Show answer
=SUM(B2:B11) = 55. The ten parties add up to 55 invitations.
3How many kids are coming?

Your formula for exercise 3

Show answer
=SUM(E2:E11) = 5. Rosa's family brings 2 and Leo's family 3, so 5.
4How many parties have not replied?

Your formula for exercise 4

Show answer
=COUNTBLANK(C2:C11) = 2. Neighbors and Cousins have empty RSVP cells: 2.
5How many guests are in the parties that have not replied?

Your formula for exercise 5

Show answer
=SUMIF(C2:C11,"",B2:B11) = 13. Neighbors (4) plus Cousins (9) is 13 guests still unknown.
6How many people are seated at table 3?

Your formula for exercise 6

Show answer
=SUMIF(F2:F11,3,D2:D11)+SUMIF(F2:F11,3,E2:E11) = 10. College friends (7) and the book club (3) fill table 3 exactly: 10.
7What share of parties have replied so far?

Your formula for exercise 7

Show answer
=COUNTA(C2:C11)/COUNTA(A2:A11) = 0.8. 8 of 10 parties have answered, a response rate of 0.8, or 80%.
8Of the guests in parties that replied, what share are coming?

Your formula for exercise 8

Show answer
=SUM(D2:E11)/SUMIF(C2:C11,"<>",B2:B11) = 0.7619047619. 32 coming out of 42 invited in replied parties is about 0.76. Applying that to the 13 unknown guests suggests roughly 10 more.

Free templates for event planning

Guided project: Compare catering quotes

Price four catering quotes for your real headcount, including minimums, and pick the one that fits.

5 steps in the Cellwise app. Each step checks your formula in a real grid, with hints when you get stuck. Part of Cellwise Plus.

Open guided projects

Guides for these formulas

FAQ

How do I make a guest list in Excel?

Use one row per party with columns for the name, number invited, RSVP, adults and kids coming, meals and table. Then SUM the attending columns for the headcount and COUNTBLANK the RSVP column to see who has not replied.

How do I count RSVPs that are still missing?

Count the empty RSVP cells with =COUNTBLANK(C2:C11), and add up the guests in those parties with =SUMIF(C2:C11,"",B2:B11). FILTER(A2:A11,C2:C11="") lists their names.

How do I calculate the cost per guest for an event?

Add the fixed costs (venue, music, photographer) to the per-person costs times the headcount, then divide by the headcount. Keep each price in its own cell so a new quote updates the result.

Is there a free wedding budget spreadsheet?

Yes, the wedding budget template on this page is free. It compares quotes with your budget, tracks deposits and balances, and works out due dates from your wedding date. It opens in Excel and in Google Sheets.

Excel for other fields

Updated November 2, 2026