How do I create a ticketed signup for a private dinner event?

Set a guest cap on your event in QRvite, then send each guest an individual signup instead of one shared link, so their unique QR code confirmation is tied to their name. That combination — a hard cap plus a per-guest code — is what makes a signup function like a real ticket instead of an open RSVP.

Can I limit how many people RSVP to my private dinner?

Yes — set a hard guest cap on the event and QRvite automatically closes new signups once it's reached, routing any additional interest to a waitlist instead of overbooking your table.

How do I stop guests from forwarding my dinner invite to people I didn't invite?

Send each invited guest their own individual signup instead of one shared link in a group chat, and use a QR code confirmation that's scanned and marked used at the door. A forwarded screenshot of someone else's code gets flagged the moment it's scanned a second time.

Do I need to charge money for an event to be 'ticketed'?

No — ticketing is really about controlling who gets in and how many people show up, not payment. A free RSVP with a hard guest cap, a unique confirmation code per guest, and QR check-in gives you the same control as a paid ticket without processing any payments.

How to Take Ticketed Signups for a Private Dinner Event

Why a shareable RSVP link isn't really a ticket

Most private dinners start with an RSVP link dropped into a group chat or forwarded from one friend to another, and that's exactly how a twelve-seat table quietly turns into twenty confirmed guests. A generic link has no memory of who it was sent to, so anyone who receives it — forwarded or not — can fill out the form and claim a seat. A real ticket works differently: it's tied to one person, it can be checked against a guest cap in real time, and it can be scanned once at the door and never again. For a private dinner where the guest list is the whole point, that distinction is what keeps the evening the size you planned.

Set a hard guest cap before the signup link goes out

Ticketed signups only work if there's a real ceiling behind them. Decide the number your table, kitchen, or living room can actually hold, then set that as a hard cap on the event before you send the invite anywhere. QRvite closes new signups automatically the moment the cap is hit, so you're never chasing down whether the fourteenth 'yes' actually has a seat. This is the mechanism that turns a casual RSVP into something closer to a real ticket — a guaranteed spot, not a maybe.

Give each guest their own confirmation code, not a shared link

Once your invite list is set, send each guest an individual signup rather than one link posted to a group thread. QRvite generates a unique QR code and confirmation for every person who signs up, so their spot is tied to their name specifically, not to whoever happens to have the link. This single change closes the most common leak in private event planning: a guest forwarding 'here's the dinner link!' to someone who was never invited. If a seat does need to go to someone else, you can reassign it deliberately instead of finding out at the door.

Enforce one-scan-per-ticket at check-in

A ticket that can be screenshotted and reused isn't actually capping anything, so check-in is where the ticket system either holds or falls apart. Scan each guest's code once at the door and mark it used immediately, so a duplicated screenshot or a forwarded photo of the QR code gets flagged the second someone tries to use it twice. This takes the guesswork out of a private dinner's door: whoever is greeting guests just needs a phone and the check-in screen, not a printed list they're cross-referencing by hand. It also gives you a clean, real-time count of exactly how many of your capped seats have actually walked in.

Handling plus-ones and named guests without losing control

Private dinners rarely have a strict one-ticket-per-invite policy — most hosts want to let a regular bring a plus-one occasionally, without opening the door to everyone doing it. Build that flexibility into the cap itself: invite fewer named guests than your total seats and hold the difference in reserve for plus-ones, rather than letting every signup silently add a second person. When someone does bring a guest, capture that name at signup or check-in so your guest list reflects who's actually coming, not just who was invited. This keeps a private dinner feeling personal — hosts who know every name at the table — while still protecting the headcount that makes the evening work.

Turn a well-run ticketed list into your next dinner's invite list

The guests who show up to a properly capped, ticketed dinner are exactly the people worth inviting back first. Export or reference last month's guest list before you open signups for the next date, and send that group their invite a few days ahead of anyone else, so your most reliable attendees get first claim on the next set of capped seats. This is the same discipline behind knowing how to run a dinner series long-term: the ticketing system isn't just about controlling one night's headcount, it's the record that makes every future dinner easier to plan. Over a few dinners, that list becomes more valuable than any single guest cap — it's a ranked record of who actually shows up when they say they will.