Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is Anyvite and how is it different?

Anyvite strives to be the most straight-forward, easy to use service for creating online invitations. We believe that the user experience is above all the most important part of the service, and are continually working to improve it. We’re small, nimble, and can make changes, build new features, and fix bugs at the drop of a hat. We think that customer service makes or breaks a company and we’ll drop everything, day or night, to answer support emails and fix what's wrong.

Try us out and let us know what you think.

Oh, and our mascot rocks!

I’m ready to create an invitation, how do I get started?

If you’re ready to get started creating an invitation, and you haven’t registered yet, then click on the “Try It” tab to start the invite creation process. You’ll walk through three easy steps to customize the look and feel of the invitation, add in event details and invite guests. Then, when you’re happy with your invitation, you can register and send it.

I’m not quite ready to create an invitation, how do I get started?

If you’re not quite ready to create an invitation, but want to setup your Anyvite account, then the first thing that you need to do is register.

Once you’ve created your Anyvite account by registering, the next thing you’ll want to do is customize all of your settings including profile info, adding in a picture, linking all of your emails, phone numbers and IM accounts with your Anyvite account, and configuring how you receive notifications, all of which can be done under the settings tab.

Now that you’ve completed that, it’s time to add contacts to your address book using our nifty contact importer, which allows you to login to your gmail, yahoo, or hotmail, select all of your contacts, and import them into Anyvite with the click of a button.

How can I receive invitations?

You can receive invitations, updates, and other Anyvite notifications to any email address, cell phone via text messaging, or over a Jabber IM such as Google Talk.

Will Anyvite ever sell my data?

Absolutely not! The privacy of your data is extremely important to us. See our privacy policy for all of the fun legal details.

Is it free?

Yes, the basic Anyvite invitation service is free. For hosts who want more than the basic features, we also offer Anyvite Plus Invitations.

What if you don’t have a feature I’m looking for?

If Anyvite doesn’t have a feature that you’re looking for, head over to the Contact Us Page and write us a note letting us know what we’re missing. We’re always trying to improve the service, so every little bit of feedback helps!

What if you don’t have an invitation design that I’m looking for?

In addition to our Anyvite Themes, we also give you the tools to create your own! From the Change Design page, if you go to the Main Picture tab, you can use the Flickr option to search tons of pictures! Or, use the Upload option to use your own! You can also upload your own background image or use one of our patters or just a color.

If you're still not able to come up with something you like, use the Contact Us Page to send us a note and we'll add it to our list of new themes to create for the future.

I’ve got a question that’s not on this list

If you’ve read this far, then I think you know that you can use the Contact Us Page to send us a message about any question under the sun, and we’ll get back to you ASAP!

What if I have multiple email addresses, phone numbers or IM accounts?

You can link all of your email addresses, phone numbers and IM accounts to a single Anyvite account in the “Contact Info” section under the “Settings” tab.

Once you have all of your contact methods entered, then go to the “Notifications” page to customize the types of notifications you want to receive and where you want us to send them.

For example, we recommend you enable invitations, updates and reminders to your phone so you’re updated on any last minute changes, and enable comment notifications to your IM account, due to the volume of comment notifications you might receive.

I’ve accidently created two accounts! Can I merge them?

Absolutely! To merge two separate accounts, login to Anyvite with the email address that you want to be your main Anyvite account. Go to the “Contact Info” section under the “Settings” tab, and add in the email address of the secondary account you want to merge into the current one.

This will kick off the merge process and bring you to a new screen, which asks you if you want to conduct the merge. Once you accept this, an email is sent to the secondary account with a link that says “Yes, merge these accounts!” Click that link to confirm the merge.

As a final measure to ensure your security and that you really want to merge the accounts, you are prompted to enter the password for each account that you want to merge.

How can I add contacts to my address book?

Under the “Address Book” tab, there is a button for “Import Contacts”, which will give you options for importing email addresses from your Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo! accounts.

Can I import from my Mac address book?

Yes, Anyvite offers the functionality to import contacts from your Mac Address Book. Here is the process:

How do I setup Anyvite to send invitations to my phone?

You can link your phone number to your Anyvite account in the “Contact Info” section under the “Settings” tab. Simply add in your phone number along with your service provider (AT&T, Verizon, etc.). Then, go to the Notifications page and customize the types of notifications that you would like to receive on your phone.

Now every time one of your friends invites you to an event, you'll get a text message. If you want to respond to the event, all you have to do is reply back with the following:

The invitation will be automatically updated with your RSVPs and comments.

If you're the event creator, you have one additional command that really comes in handy. You'll receive a text message as well when the invitation is sent out, and you can reply to it with the following command:

If you forget any of these options, simply reply back to an Anyvite text message with the word “help” and we’ll send you a text message with a list of options.

How do I setup Anyvite to IM me with invitations?

If you have a Google chat IM (your gmail email address) or Jabber IM account, then you can link it to your Anyvite account in the “Contact Info” section under the “Settings” tab. Simply add in your IM account along with the type (Google Talk, Jabber). Then, go to the Notifications page and customize the types of notifications that you would like to receive at this IM.

Next time one of your friends sends you an invitation, you’ll receive an IM from Anyvite with the invitation details and a link to the invite.

Can I subscribe to an RSS or Calendar feed for my invitations?

Yes. Simply login to your Anyvite account and go to the “Event Feeds” section under the “Settings” tab. Click the link to “Enable my event feed”, and you will be presented with different types of feeds. Simply choose the type of feed that you would like, and it will automatically be imported into your default feed reader or calendaring system.

How do I add an invitation to my calendar?

You can add an invitation to your Google, Outlook, or iCal calendars by clicking the blue “Add to Calendar” link below the date and time on the invitation page. Once you click the link, the options to add to either Google, Outlook or iCal will be displayed to you. Click on the Calendar type that you use to add that invitation.

If you are registered with Anyvite, you can make it even easier by having all of your Anyvite invitations automatically show up in your calendar. First, go to the “Settings” tab and then click on “Event Feeds”. If your Event Feeds aren’t already enabled, click on the enable link. Then, click on the ICS Feed link to add your invitations to an ICS compatible calendar such as iCal or Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 (previous versions are not compatible) or click on the Google Calendar to add all of your invitations to your Google Calendar.

I haven't received my Invitation Email? Was it sent?

Invitation emails are generally sent within a few minutes of clicking the Send button. However, depending on how many other emails we're sending, it may take an hour or more before they are delivered. Before contacting us, please check your email's Spam or Junk Mail folder to make sure it wasn't mislabeled as spam.

Do guests have to register or login to RSVP?

No, guests do not have to login or register to RSVP. The emails we send have special links that identify which guest is RSVPing, but this also means you should not forward your Anyvite emails to anyone else.

How many people can I invite using Anyvite?

Anyvite Basic invitations are limited to 250 invited guests. You can upgrade to Anyvite Plus Invitations to increase the limit to 1,500 guests and get access to some other great features!

How do I invite guests?

If you are the Host of the event, you can invite guests at any time by going to the "Invite Guests" page.

If you are a guest, you may or may not be able to invite guests. Guests are only able to invite additional guests to the event if the Host has enabled the "Allow guests to invite friends" option. If you don't see the "Invite Guests" option in the sub-navigation menu of the invitation, then inviting guests has been disabled.

Inviting new guests after an invitation has been sent will not email any of the already invited guests. Only new guests will ever be contacted.

What if I just want to post a link and have people sign themselves up for my invitation?

If want to be able to post a link to the invitation on your website, blog, or email it out to a mailing list, and have guests sign themselves up, then all you have to do is go to “Edit Details” for that invitation, scroll down to the section labeled “Who can view my invitation?” and choose the “Anyone (Open Invitation)” option, then click the green “Update Your Invitation” button at the bottom of the page.

Now there should be a grey box above the Guest List on the right side of the invitation with a link to the invitation that you can send to your guests. Once you “send” the invitation, your guests can click on that link and they will be taken to the invitation page with a form where they can RSVP themselves for the invitation. Only people who know the link will be able to view and register for your invitation.

What if I want to cap the number of people attending?

You can set a limit on the number of people who can attend by going to “Edit Details” for that invitation, scroll down to the “Guest list Options” and check the box next to “Cap attendees at ...”. Then, enter into the box to the right how many people at which you want to limit the attendance (people responding “Yes” or “Maybe”).

Once you’ve enabled the cap, the invitation page will reflect a countdown of how many spots are remaining before the guest list is full. After the cap is reached, a different message will be displayed which states that the guest list is full. If a guest changes their RSVP to “No”, or reduces the number of additional people they are bringing with them, then the guest list will open back up automatically until the cap is reached again.

Can I disable profile pictures on the invitation?

Absolutely! You can disable profile pictures by going to the “Edit Details” page of the invitation, and expanding the additional options section at the bottom with the link that says “+Additional Options”. There will be a checkbox on the far right of that section labeled “Show Profile Pictures”. Simply uncheck that box and click the green button at the bottom to save your change.

How do I disable the comment board?

You can disable the comment board by going to the “Edit Details” page of the invitation, and expanding the additional options section at the bottom with the link that says “+Additional Options”. There will be a checkbox in the middle of that section labeled “Show Comment Board”. Simply uncheck that box and click the green button at the bottom to save your change.

Can I export the guest list?

Yes, if you are the event creator, then you can export the guest list in CSV format (which any spreadsheet program can open) by scrolling to the bottom of the guest list on the right side of the Invitation page and clicking the link of the format you would like.

Will Anyvite automatically remind my guests about the invitation?

When you create an invitation, the default setting is to send a reminder to guests who have responded “Yes”, “Maybe” (if applicable), and those who have not yet replied, the day before the event.

If you would like to change this to a different timeframe before the event, or disable reminders altogether, then go to “Edit Details” for that invitation, and scroll down to “Event reminder options”. If you have a date set already, then you will be presented with options to disable event reminders by unchecking the main checkbox, as well as change when the reminders are sent and to whom.

How do I remove guests from my invitation?

The event host can remove any guests from the guest list. Simply click the Manage Guests menu item followed by the Manage Guests tab. Next, check the checkbox next to each guest you would like to remove and finally click the Remove Guests button at the top of the page.

How do I resend the invitation to a guest who is already invited?

Trying to re-invite a guest that is already on the guest list will not cause a new email to be sent. Instead, go to the "Manage Guests" page, check the box next to the guest or guests you want to resend the invitation to, and the click the Resend Invitations button at the top of the page.

How do I cancel and un-cancel an invitation?

You can cancel an invitation by going to the “Edit Details” section of the invitation, and clicking on the red “Cancel this event” link in the top right corner. This will bring you to a screen where you can type a message to guests to explain the reason for the cancelation, or just skip it if you would prefer not to.

You can un-cancel an event by viewing all of your invitations under the “Invitations” tab, and scrolling to the bottom where the canceled events are listed. Click on the title of the invitation that you would like to un-cancel, then go to “Edit Details”, and click the red “Un-cancel this Event” link in the top right corner. A notification will automatically be sent to guests telling them that the invitation has been un-canceled.

Can I list items for guests to bring to my event or potluck?

Definitely! On the "Edit Details" page of your invitation is a checkbox next to "Have Guests Bring Items to your Event (Potluck)". Simply click that to enable the potluck functionality, and then fill in the items that you would like guests to bring and how many of each you need. Finally, decide if you’d like your guests to be able to see who is bringing each item, or if you’d just like to restrict that view only to the host of the event.

Once you save and send that invitation, anyone who RSVPs will have the option to select an item to bring to the event. The summary table will display all of the items available to bring, how many are needed, how many are still remaining, and who is bringing each item. If you would like to print this information out, simply export the guest list and the potluck information will be included with the guest’s name and RSVP type. Hosts are able to change or remove the item that guests are bringing by using the “Change RSVP” link under the name of the guest (or if profile pictures are disabled, clicking the guest’s name).

For now, we’re restricting who can select an item to only guests who RSVP “Yes” to an event, for the obvious reason that you don’t want a guest who RSVPs “Maybe” to be responsible for a crucial item and then not show up.

Can I add questions that guests need to answer when they RSVP, like a Poll?

Unfortunately, we don't support Questions or Polls at this time. For small events, some hosts add questions to the description and ask guests to answer by posting a comment. This doesn't work as well for large events though.

Can I charge for an event by adding a PayPal link?

Anyvite Ticketing allows you to charge guests when they RSVP for an event. Check out the Anyvite Ticketing FAQ for more information!

How can I see who has viewed my invitation?

If a guest has either viewed the invitation webpage or opened one of the invitation emails, a date will show up under or next to a guest's name in the Guest List on the main invitation webpage. Unfortunately, tracking emails only tracks people who have opened the email AND enabled the images so there may be some guests who have seen the email but were not tracked.

Can I create a new invitation based on a previous one?

Sure, just go to the Edit Details page for the existing invitation. At the top-right, click the Copy Invitation button. This will create a duplicate invitation which everyone's RSVP reset. You just need to set the date, make any other changes, and then click the Finish and Send button.

Can I create recurring invitations?

We don't support recurring events at this time. You can copy existing invitations however which makes it very easy to manage recurring events with Anyvite. See the previous answer for more details.

How can I promote events on my blog?

We offer an Anyvite widget that you can embed on your blog. Just go to the “Widget” section under the “Settings” tab, and customize the widget to your liking. Then use the provided embed code to add it to your blog.

The widget will show all of the “Open” invitations that you are either hosting, attending, or both, depending on how you configure it, and will allow people who click on the links to sign up for the event as well.

Can I share an invitation on Facebook, Twitter or other social network?

If an invitation is set to “open”, then the event creator and all invited guests are able to post to Facebook, share on Twitter, or select any other popular social network to submit the invitation to. Simply go to the invitation, and look for the “Share Invitation” box on the right hand side. There are buttons to share on Twitter, Facebook, or click the “Other” button to select from a larger list.

To make an invitation "Open", meaning anyone can access it without being invited, just go to the invitation's Edit Details page and find the "Who can view my invitation?" section.

Do you offer a premium branded version of Anyvite for businesses & organizations?

We certainly do. The Anyvite Premium Invitation Sites service allows you to create a completely white-labeled version of Anyvite. Check out the Premium Sites page for more information.

What are Anyvite Plus Invitations?

Anyvite Plus Invitations are an upgraded version of our basic invitations. With Anyvite Plus, you can take advantage of additional features such as larger guest list, extra customization option, and an invitation free of third-party advertisements. Upgrading to an Anyvite Plus Invitation is done on a per-event basis for just $10.

What extra features do I have access to?

Invitations that have been upgraded to Anyvite Plus enjoy the following extra features:

• Large Guest Lists - You can invite up to 1,500 guests instead of only 250 with the basic service!
• No Ads - Your invitation will be free of all third-party advertising!
• More Customization Options - You get access to our Advanced and Expert design customization tools which allow you to change things like fonts, text styling, colors, and more! If you're a web developer, you can even add your own CSS!

We're always thinking of more features we can add so if you have any ideas, send them to us using the Contact Us Page.

How do I create an Anyvite Plus Invitation?

To create an Anyvite Plus Invitation, start by creating a normal invitation. Then on either the Invite Guests, Manage Guest List, or Change Design pages, click on the upgrade link in the yellow upgrade prompts at the top of the page.