For a UK wedding with day guests and evening guests, The Private Wedding App is the closer fit: day guests and evening guests each get their own invitation link, evening guests see only the evening reception and are never asked a wedding breakfast meal choice, and every reply feeds one guest list, a seating plan per event, the caterer's numbers and the budget. Pay once, lifetime access, or pick a subscription: £159 once for lifetime access, or £17.99 a month. The monthly plan starts with a 3-day free trial. Bridebook is free and funded by suppliers who pay for listings: it offers "All-day" and "Evening-only" invitation types, collects dietary needs, names no seating chart tool on its pages, and asks guests to type their name exactly as it appears on your list.
Bridebook is the UK wedding app most couples download first: it is free, it has a checklist, a budget, a guest list with RSVPs and a wedding website, and its supplier search covers thousands of UK venues. The Private Wedding App is a full wedding planning platform with the invitation built in, made for the part of a British wedding that a free app leaves to you: two guest lists, day guests and evening guests, two invitations, a wedding breakfast meal choice for some guests and not others, and a seating plan that follows the replies. Published by The Private Wedding App: we make one of the two, so every Bridebook fact below comes from Bridebook's own pages, read on 1 November 2026 and linked at the end.
A note on method: every Bridebook cell below was read on 1 November 2026 on bridebook.com, its support centre, its supplier pricing page or its UK App Store listing. Where Bridebook's pages do not say something either way, the table says "Not stated" rather than guessing. The question we judged both on is the British one: when an evening guest opens the link, what do they see, what are they asked, and does their reply land in the same numbers as everyone else's?
At a glanceSide-by-side comparison
| Feature | Bridebook | Private Wedding App |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free for couples | £159 once (lifetime) or £17.99/mo |
| How it is paid for | Suppliers pay for listings and placement | Couples' plans only, no supplier listings |
| Evening-only guests | "Evening-only" invitation type | Own group with its own invitation link |
| Ceremony details kept from evening guests | Event visibility per guest; other details not stated | Schedule, info sections and cover venue chosen per group |
| Wedding breakfast meal choice | Dietary needs collected; meal choice not stated | Meal per event, one dish per course, evening guests skip it |
| Seating plan | No seating tool named; export the list | Included, per event, confirmed guests only |
| How guests find their invitation | Search by name, typed exactly as on the list | Their own link; name matching tolerates nicknames and word order |
| Privacy | Optional 6-digit password | Private access checks each email or phone against your list |
| Planning tools | Checklist, budget, guest list, supplier search | Checklist, budget with payment schedules, suppliers, AI planner |
Every Bridebook cell was checked on 1 November 2026 on Bridebook's own homepage, website pages, support centre, supplier pricing page and UK App Store listing; the linked sources are listed at the end of this article. Supplier prices are Bridebook's published SupplierPro prices for florists, excluding VAT. "Not stated" means Bridebook's pages do not say either way, not that the feature is missing. Features and prices change, so check before you commit your guest list.
Review 01Bridebook
Review 02The Private Wedding App
The invitation below is live. Click around and see exactly what your guests will experience:
VerdictWhich app should you use?
It depends on what you're optimising for:
Bridebook gives UK couples a free checklist, budget, guest list and website with "Evening-only" invitations, while its pages name no seating chart, describe dietary needs rather than meal choices, and ask guests to type their name exactly as listed.
Bridebook is free because suppliers pay: its own supplier pricing page sells couples targeting, couple activity and priority placement in couples' search, which matters if you would rather your planning data stayed between you and your guests.
The Private Wedding App does the British split inside one planner: each guest group has its own link, evening guests see only their evening and skip the meal question, and the replies fill the seating plan, the caterer's numbers and the budget. Open the live demo invitation, then start your own: £159 once for lifetime access, or £17.99 a month. The monthly plan starts with a 3-day free trial.
01Is Bridebook really free, and what does that mean for you?
Yes: Bridebook charges couples nothing, and its homepage and planning page repeat that it is free. The money comes from the other side. Bridebook's supplier pricing page sells SupplierPro plans to wedding businesses, £20 a month for Basic and £99 a month for Classic excluding VAT, with features such as couples targeting, couple activity, "Reveal couples' phone number" and, on Classic, priority placement at the top of couples' search.
That is a normal model for a wedding directory, and it shapes the app: supplier search is at the centre, and the planning tools bring couples to it. If you are happy to hear from suppliers, it works. If your aim is a private list of your guests, their meals and their replies, it is worth knowing before you add 120 names and phone numbers.
The Private Wedding App is paid for by couples only: £159 once for lifetime access, or £17.99 a month. There is no supplier directory selling access to you, your guests' data is never sold or shared with advertisers, and your invitation pages run no advertising or analytics trackers. See how the guest list works.
02How do I invite evening guests separately?
Bridebook's answer is an invitation type: you mark each guest "All-day" or "Evening-only" and assign them to events, and each event can be shown or hidden per guest. Guests then search for their name in the RSVP section, which only finds them once they are assigned to at least one event.
The Private Wedding App gives each group its own link, so the evening guest never sees the day at all. Turn on "This wedding has multiple events", add your events, then create an evening group on the Guests page and tick only the evening reception. That group's link shows the evening venue on the cover with the evening start time, only the schedule moments you pick, and only the info sections you leave ticked, so church parking and the order of service stay with the day guests. A guest with no group, opening the plain link, sees everything.
- RSVP Settings tab: switch on "This wedding has multiple events" (off by default)
- Add "Ceremony and wedding breakfast" and "Evening reception", each with its time and venue
- Guests page: create a day group and an evening group, tick each group's events
- Evening group card: choose "Schedule shown on their invitation" and "Info shown on their invitation"
- Evening group card: set "Venue on the cover" to the evening venue
- Send each group its own link, by WhatsApp from each guest's row, by email, or on a printed QR card
03Wedding breakfast meal choices, and evening guests who should not be asked
Bridebook's pages talk about dietary requirements, collected through the RSVP and shown with each guest's details, alongside song requests and travel plans. A choice of starter, main and pudding is not described on the pages checked.
On The Private Wedding App, meals are asked per event. Untick "Ask the meal choice for this event" on the evening reception and an evening-only guest skips the question. Switch on "Guests choose one dish per course" in the Meal Options tab and day guests pick a starter, a main and a dessert. Every guest can add dietary notes and flag a severe allergy, and each companion they bring answers for themselves. If you are inviting families, switch on "Count children and infants separately" (off by default) so infants are not asked for a meal and the caterer sees adults, children and infants apart.
04Does Bridebook have a seating plan?
Not on the pages checked: Bridebook's guest list page says you can export your list "with just a few clicks" to finalise seating, and its planning pages list a checklist, budget, guest list and website without a seating chart. That leaves the table plan to a spreadsheet or a separate tool, typed again from the final list.
On The Private Wedding App, the seating plan is part of the same guest list: only guests who said yes appear as cards, one per party, and you drag them onto round, square or rectangular tables, per event when you have several. When a guest changes their reply, the plan and the counts change with it, and the caterer day sheet prints plates per dish and allergies by table.
See the seating chart.
05Posted invitations, online replies
Many British couples still post paper invitations to grandparents and older relatives. Bridebook's RSVP is online, by link or email, and replies can also be tracked by hand.
The Private Wedding App does both from one list. The QR Print Card tab prints a 5x7 invitation and an insert card with a QR code, one card per guest group, so the evening card opens the evening link. Guests who reply by post or phone are marked by hand from the status menu on their row, and their meal and allergy are added with the pencil, so the totals stay right whoever answered how.
See QR code RSVP cards.
SourcesEvery fact on this page, with the date it was checked
The Private Wedding App, checked 1 November 2026: pricing (£159 once for lifetime access or £17.99 a month in pounds, $189 or $19.99 a month in US dollars; on Lifetime nothing expires), RSVP per event and invite groups, meals and allergies, seating chart, printable QR cards and the privacy policy (personal information not sold or rented; no advertising or analytics trackers on guest invitation pages).
Bridebook, checked 1 November 2026: UK homepage (free, "won't cost you a penny"; checklist, budget, guest list and RSVPs, wedding website; supplier search; iOS and Android app); wedding website page (100% free, optional 6-digit password, not on Google, RSVP, dietary preferences); website customisation page (events with schedules, events visible to chosen guests, gift list and cash fund link); complete guide to RSVPs and events ("All-day" and "Evening-only" invitation types, each event needs a venue, guests must be assigned to an event to appear in RSVP search, names typed exactly as on the list, guests added later may not be linked to existing events, extra details include dietary needs and song requests); guest list page (dietary requirements and plus-ones, guest list export to finalise seating, no seating chart tool named); supplier pricing page (SupplierPro Basic £20 a month and Classic £99 a month, excluding VAT; Basic lists couples targeting, couple activity and "Reveal couples' phone number"; Classic adds priority placement at the top of couples' search and contacting couples through couple activity); UK App Store listing (free; venue deals and discounts; Data Used to Track You: Contact Info and Identifiers).
Spotted a fact that has changed? Tell us through the contact page and it will be re-checked and re-dated.
See it for yourself.
Explore the whole platform: cinematic invitation, RSVP with meals and allergies, guest list, seating chart, budget, vendors, checklist, moodboard, photo sharing and the AI planner. No account needed.
Try the full planner →Is Bridebook really free?
Yes, Bridebook is free for couples. It is paid for by wedding suppliers: its supplier pricing page, checked on 1 November 2026, sells SupplierPro plans from £20 to £99 a month excluding VAT, with couples targeting, couple activity, "Reveal couples' phone number" and priority placement in couples' search. The Private Wedding App is paid for by couples only, £159 once for lifetime access, or £17.99 a month, and guest data is never sold or shared with advertisers.
Is The Private Wedding App better than Bridebook for day and evening guests?
For the day and evening split, yes. On The Private Wedding App each guest group gets its own link, evening guests see only the evening reception with the evening venue on the cover, they skip the wedding breakfast meal question, and their replies feed the seating plan and the caterer's numbers. It costs £159 once for lifetime access, or £17.99 a month. Bridebook offers "Evening-only" invitation types, with no seating chart named on its pages and an RSVP search that needs names typed exactly.
Does Bridebook have a seating plan?
No seating chart tool is named on Bridebook's planning or guest list pages checked on 1 November 2026; its guest list page says you can export the list to finalise seating. The Private Wedding App includes a seating plan per event, filled by guests who said yes, with plates per dish and allergies by table on the caterer day sheet.
How do I invite evening guests separately?
Give them their own invitation and their own link. On The Private Wedding App, switch on "This wedding has multiple events", add the evening reception, and create an evening group on the Guests page: its link shows only the evening, with the evening venue and start time on the cover and no meal question. Send it on the same day and in the same design as the day invitations.
Can I move my guest list from Bridebook?
Yes. Export your list, then drop the spreadsheet into The Private Wedding App's assistant chat and it adds everyone in one go, or paste the names, emails and phone numbers into "Import list" on the Guests page. A Group column puts each guest straight into the day or evening group.
Do my guests need to download an app?
No. Guests open the invitation link in their phone's browser and reply with no account and no download, in their own language when you add up to three.