A CSV guest list import moves every guest from your spreadsheet into your seating chart in a single upload. A CSV import eliminates retyping every guest name, which matters when the list holds 120 rows of names, plus-ones, and meal choices. If your list started life as a wedding guest list template and spreadsheet, the file you already have is 90 percent ready to import.
This page covers the exact column format the importer accepts, the six-step upload walkthrough, export instructions for Excel and Google Sheets, migration paths from The Knot, Zola and WeddingWire, and fixes for the errors that stop most uploads. The importer runs on the free tier, so the whole workflow works without entering a card.
What Is a CSV Guest List Import?
A CSV guest list import is a file upload that converts a comma-separated spreadsheet of guests into chart-ready records, one guest per row. CSV stands for comma-separated values, a plain-text format that every spreadsheet program reads and writes. Each column in the file maps to a guest field: name, party, RSVP status, and meal choice. The importer reads the header row, matches columns to those fields, and creates one draggable guest card per data row.
The alternative is manual entry, which takes roughly 45 to 60 minutes for a 150-guest list and introduces typos that surface later as duplicate cards or missing plus-ones. An import processes the same 150 guests in under one minute. It also preserves party groupings, so households arrive in the chart as units instead of scattered individuals.
How Do You Format the Guest List CSV?
Format the CSV with one guest per row and a single header row that names each column. The importer accepts these headers:
full_name,party,rsvp_status,meal_choice| Column | Required | Accepted values | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| full_name | Yes | Any name text | Maria Alvarez |
| party | No | A shared label per household or group | Alvarez Family |
| rsvp_status | No | attending, declined, pending | attending |
| meal_choice | No | Any meal label | vegetarian |
Column order does not matter because the mapper matches by header name, not position. Extra columns such as email or mailing address pass through without breaking the upload; the mapper leaves them unassigned. Keep exactly one header row, delete any title or summary rows above it, and save with UTF-8 encoding so accented names such as Zoë and José survive the transfer intact.
How to Import Your CSV Into SeatBloom, Step by Step
The import takes six steps and finishes in under five minutes for a typical 100-to-150-guest list. Every step below works on a free account.
Step 1: Export your spreadsheet as CSV
Save your working file in CSV format from whichever program holds it. In Excel, choose File, then Save As, then the CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) file type. In Google Sheets, choose File, then Download, then Comma-separated values.
Step 2: Open the importer
Open your chart, go to the Guests panel, and select Import CSV. The importer sits inside the free chart builder, so there is no upgrade gate in front of it.
Step 3: Upload the file
Drag the CSV onto the upload area or browse to it. The importer accepts files up to 5,000 rows, far beyond any wedding guest count, and rejects non-CSV formats such as .xlsx with a message telling you to re-export.
Step 4: Map the columns
Confirm which spreadsheet column feeds each guest field. The mapper auto-matches recognized headers, so a file using the accepted header names maps itself. Verify the full_name mapping before continuing; it is the one required field, and a wrong match here creates 150 guests named after their meal choices.
Step 5: Review the preview
Check the preview table, which shows the first rows exactly as they will import. Look for split couples, empty party labels, and meal values that arrived as codes rather than words. Fixing a problem now means canceling, editing the spreadsheet, and re-uploading, which costs two minutes instead of an afternoon of card-by-card edits.
Step 6: Confirm and seat
Confirm the import to create the guest records. Everyone lands in the unseated list, grouped by party and tagged with RSVP status and meal choice, ready to drag onto tables. From here the responses keep working for you; the guide to wedding rsvp tracker workflows shows how status changes flow straight into seat assignments.
Importing From Excel and Google Sheets
Excel and Google Sheets export directly to CSV format, so both programs work as guest list sources without any conversion tool. The export flattens formulas into plain values, which is exactly what the importer needs; a concatenated name formula becomes ordinary text the moment the file downloads.
- Excel: File, Save As, file type CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited). Older Excel versions list a plain CSV type as well; pick the UTF-8 variant when both appear, because it preserves accented characters.
- Google Sheets: File, Download, Comma-separated values (.csv). Sheets exports only the active tab, so open the tab that holds the guest list before downloading.
One regional quirk deserves attention: Excel installations set to some European locales export with semicolons instead of commas. The importer detects the delimiter automatically, but if columns arrive squashed into one field, re-export after switching the list separator to a comma. Beyond spreadsheets, the same upload answers a bigger question, is there an app for wedding seating chart?, because the importer is the front door of a full chart builder rather than a standalone utility.
Importing Exports From The Knot, Zola or WeddingWire
The Knot, Zola and WeddingWire all export guest list CSVs, and the importer reads all three. Each platform offers a download or export option on its guest list page that produces a spreadsheet of names, parties, and RSVP responses. Their column headers differ from the accepted names, with labels such as Guest Name or RSVP, so the mapping step is where the translation happens: point each platform column at its matching guest field and the rest of the import proceeds normally.
This is the standard migration path for couples who collected RSVPs on a wedding website but want a purpose-built tool for the actual seating work. The export carries the responses with it, which means months of collected RSVPs transfer in one upload instead of being retyped.
Fixing Common Import Errors
Duplicate rows and encoding errors cause most failed imports, and both take under five minutes to fix in the source spreadsheet. Listed below are the six problems that account for nearly every import failure:
- Duplicate rows: The same guest appears twice, usually from merged lists. Sort the sheet by name, delete the repeats, and re-export.
- Encoding errors: Names display as garbled characters such as José. The file was saved without UTF-8; re-export using the CSV UTF-8 option.
- Missing header row: The first guest gets treated as column names. Add a header row with the accepted names and re-upload.
- Split name columns: First and last names sit in separate columns. Map both to the name field, or combine them in the spreadsheet before export.
- Semicolon delimiters: All data lands in one column. Re-export with a comma as the list separator.
- Blank rows and stray totals: Empty lines or a count formula at the bottom import as ghost guests. Delete everything below the last real guest.
If the source file needs deeper cleanup before it exports cleanly, the walkthrough on how to format wedding guest list in excel covers structuring the list from scratch. For the rest of the seating toolkit, explore the seating chart learn hub.