Przejdź do treści

[0004-q4] What is a good method to collect dietary requirements from guests?

Research dossier · Issue #76 · Spec 0004 (Food and Drink Planning) · Type: question Last updated: 2026-06-10 · Options: 11

Auto-generated; append-only. Re-runs add NEW distinct options and refresh prices — they do not delete human notes below the marker.

Question

What is a good method to collect dietary requirements from guests?

Recommendation

Use a free Google Form (or the RSVP form you already build) with a short, friendly free-text diet/allergy question plus checkboxes for the common cases (wegetariańskie / wegańskie / bezglutenowe / alergia — proszę opisać), and a separate yes/no "is this a serious allergy?" flag. Collect responses 4–6 weeks before the wedding, dump them into a colour-coded spreadsheet (name, restriction, severity, child y/n), and hand the venue kitchen ONE consolidated count sheet (e.g. "2 wegetariańskie, 1 bezglutenowa, 2 dziecięce") rather than 35 individual notes — the venue cooks everything in-house, so they need aggregate numbers per meal (formal dinner, grills, breakfasts), not seat-by-seat service. Because the venue is the cook, walk the count sheet through with them in person/by phone to confirm gluten-free/vegan is doable within the pre-agreed budget, and ask about cross-contamination handling for any serious allergy. Designate one wedding-party member as day-of "food liaison."

At 35 guests a paid wedding-website (~189–500 PLN) is unnecessary for diet collection alone. But if you want a single shareable site for the 3-day programme + accommodation + RSVP, the two PL builders below bundle the diet question in for a one-time fee that fits the budget.

Top tools to reach for first (if going paid/all-in-one): 1. NaWieki.pl — Złoty 249 PLN (most popular), 14-day free trial, no card. 2. Nasz Wielki Dzień — from ~300 PLN one-time, hosting/domain included. 3. Free Google Form + colour-coded spreadsheet — 0 PLN, proportionate default for 35 guests.

Summary

For a ~35-guest, 3-day rural wedding where the venue cooks (no external caterer), collecting dietary requirements is a small-scale, low-tech problem: you only need clean counts and severity flags to hand the kitchen. Three viable paths exist — free DIY digital forms (Google Forms / shared spreadsheet, 0 PLN), Polish paid wedding-website builders that bundle a polished RSVP with diet/allergy fields and auto-summary counts (NaWieki.pl 189–499 PLN, Nasz Wielki Dzień from ~300 PLN), and traditional paper RSVP cards with checkboxes. The best practice is identical regardless of tool: ask a short friendly diet/allergy question on the RSVP, separate medical allergies from preferences, collect 4–6 weeks out, then give the venue one consolidated colour-coded count sheet and name a day-of food liaison.

Options (11)

1. Free Google Form RSVP with diet field — approach

  • Detail: Standalone free survey (Google Forms or SurveyMonkey) with a dedicated diet/allergy question; multiple sources name Google Forms as the go-to free, mobile-friendly tool. Combine a dropdown/checkbox for common cases with a free-text line. Best fit for a tight budget and a small list; you control the data and export to a spreadsheet. Cost: free.
  • Price: 0 PLN
  • Location: online / DIY
  • Contact: —
  • Confidence: high
  • Source: https://withjoy.com/blog/how-to-collect-dietary-restrictions-for-your-wedding/

2. Master spreadsheet (name / restriction / severity, colour-coded) — approach

  • Detail: Organize all responses into one sheet with fields: guest name, dietary restriction type, specific allergy/intolerance, severity (mild/moderate/severe), meal preference, child y/n. Colour-code by restriction type (e.g. green=vegetarian, yellow=gluten-free) so it can be shared as a single summary with the venue kitchen. This is the data-organization layer regardless of how you collect. Cost: free.
  • Price: 0 PLN
  • Location: online / DIY
  • Contact: —
  • Confidence: high
  • Source: https://withjoy.com/blog/how-to-collect-dietary-restrictions-for-your-wedding/

3. Friendly free-text RSVP wording (English templates) — data-point

  • Detail: Exact gentle wording examples to put on the RSVP: "Please let us know if you have any allergies or dietary restrictions!"; "Any special meal requests or food allergies we should be aware of?"; "Kindly share any food allergies or dietary needs:". Advice: keep it human, not clinical; place under meal selection; pair a checkbox "□ I have a dietary restriction or food allergy (please specify below)" with an open line.
  • Price: 0 PLN
  • Location: general best practice
  • Contact: —
  • Confidence: high
  • Source: https://sophiasbridalandtux.com/how-to-ask-about-food-allergies-on-wedding-rsvp/

4. NaWieki.pl wedding-website builder (PL) with built-in diet question — vendor

  • Detail: Polish wedding-site builder; guests RSVP via a link and the form auto-asks "o dietę (vege? bez glutenu?) oraz potrzebę noclegu". Intelligent guest list groups responses and shows all answers to diet/children/lodging questions. Packages: Srebrny 189 PLN, Złoty 249 PLN (most popular), Diamentowy 499 PLN, one-time, VAT incl. 14-day free trial, no card. Good if you want one site for the 3-day programme + lodging + RSVP.
  • Price: 189–499 PLN (one-time)
  • Location: Poland (online)
  • Contact: https://nawieki.pl/
  • Confidence: high
  • Source: https://nawieki.pl/

5. Nasz Wielki Dzień (PL) wedding website with RSVP diet/allergy fields — vendor

  • Detail: Polish wedding-website service from ~300 PLN (one-time, hosting + domain included); standard package bundles ~11 functions incl. RSVP. Guests get a link (SMS/WhatsApp/email/QR), fill RSVP in 30–60s with no login, capturing diet/allergy info (wegetariańskie, bezglutenowe, wegańskie), plus-ones, accommodation and remarks. Sends instant email per response and auto-generates summary counts exportable to the kitchen. (Verification note: the pricing page confirms 300 PLN one-time + instant email per response; the specific diet/allergy field set is described in their RSVP blog/marketing, not itemized on the pricing page — confirm field coverage when signing up.)
  • Price: from ~300 PLN (one-time)
  • Location: Poland (online)
  • Contact: https://naszwielkidzien.pl/cennik
  • Confidence: medium
  • Source: https://naszwielkidzien.pl/cennik

6. QR code on paper invitation linking to online RSVP form — approach

  • Detail: PL best-practice: on minimalist paper invitations include a QR code leading to the online RSVP/diet form; recommended for modern weddings. Lets you keep elegant printed invites while collecting structured diet/allergy/children data digitally. Works with a free Google Form or a paid PL builder behind the QR.
  • Price: 0 PLN (QR) + form cost
  • Location: Poland (online)
  • Contact: —
  • Confidence: medium
  • Source: https://naszwielkidzien.pl/blog/jak-zorganizowac-rsvp-online-na-slub

7. Traditional paper RSVP card with diet checkboxes — approach

  • Detail: Include a printed RSVP card with checkboxes for standard restrictions (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free) plus a blank line for "other". Useful for guests who avoid digital tools — relevant for an older/rural guest mix. Lower data-hygiene (manual transcription into your spreadsheet) but zero tech barrier.
  • Price: print cost only
  • Location: general best practice
  • Contact: —
  • Confidence: high
  • Source: https://www.reekaevents.com/blog/wedding-dietary-requirements

8. Separate allergies (medical) from preferences when asking — data-point

  • Detail: Core handling principle: distinguish serious allergies (cross-contamination risk) from preferences. Capture severity level in the form, and when handing data to whoever cooks, flag allergy-vs-preference explicitly. For a venue-cooked wedding, ask the kitchen about cross-contamination/separate prep for any severe allergy. Keep flexible, naturally allergy-friendly options available for late requests.
  • Price: —
  • Location: general best practice
  • Contact: —
  • Confidence: high
  • Source: https://sophiasbridalandtux.com/how-to-ask-about-food-allergies-on-wedding-rsvp/

9. Designate a day-of "food liaison" + discreet meal labeling — approach

  • Detail: Appoint one wedding-party member as "food liaison officer" to brief serving staff on dietary details. Seat guests with similar needs together; use place cards with subtle symbols so staff route the right plate; ask guests not to swap seats. Scales down well to 35 guests across the 3-day programme where venue staff are the cooks/servers.
  • Price: 0 PLN
  • Location: general best practice
  • Contact: —
  • Confidence: high
  • Source: https://www.reekaevents.com/blog/wedding-dietary-requirements

10. Timing: collect 4–6 weeks out, give kitchen final counts ~2–4 weeks before — data-point

  • Detail: PL "golden standard" RSVP deadline is 4–6 weeks before the wedding; general guidance: caterers/kitchen need final menu selections and dietary counts ~2–4 weeks before. Send RSVP reminders 1–2 weeks before the deadline since guests procrastinate and some leave the diet field blank (plan follow-up). For a venue that cooks in-house, confirm their specific lead-time.
  • Price: —
  • Location: Poland + general
  • Contact: —
  • Confidence: high
  • Source: https://naszwielkidzien.pl/blog/jak-zorganizowac-rsvp-online-na-slub

11. Tiered base-menu approach to reduce complexity/cost — approach

  • Detail: Offer a vegetarian base dish that can be modified to vegan or gluten-free, rather than many separate special meals — reduces complexity and cost, useful when one kitchen handles everything within a pre-agreed budget. Pairs with collecting counts so the venue knows how many modified portions to make per meal (formal dinner / grill / breakfast).
  • Price: —
  • Location: general best practice
  • Contact: —
  • Confidence: high
  • Source: https://www.reekaevents.com/blog/wedding-dietary-requirements

Gaps / offline follow-up

  • Confirm directly with the venue kitchen near Uście Gorlickie: (a) whether they can accommodate vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free within the pre-agreed per-person budget (200 PLN dinner, 60–90 PLN grill, 45 PLN breakfast), and (b) their cross-contamination handling for any serious allergy. This is an offline phone/email follow-up, not researchable online.
  • Confirm the venue's exact final-numbers deadline (general sources say 2–4 weeks before, but it is venue-specific).
  • No PL-specific source provided a full Polish diet-question wording template beyond field labels — the Polish checkbox wording (wegetariańskie / wegańskie / bezglutenowe / alergia) is assembled from the field labels the PL tools expose, not a quoted template. Finalize wording yourselves.
  • For ~35 guests with 2 children, add a per-child diet question and a "bring-your-own-alcohol" reminder on the same form.

Verification notes

Removed 0 option(s): spot-checked 4 of the most load-bearing URLs (nawieki.pl, naszwielkidzien.pl/cennik, withjoy.com, sophiasbridalandtux.com) with WebFetch — all reconciled with their claims. NaWieki.pl package names/prices (189/249/499 PLN, 14-day no-card trial) and the diet+lodging RSVP question verified verbatim; withjoy confirmed Google Form + colour-coded master spreadsheet method; sophiasbridal confirmed the example RSVP wording and the allergy-vs-preference distinction. Nasz Wielki Dzień confirmed at 300 PLN one-time with hosting/domain + instant email-per-response, but its pricing page did not itemize the specific diet/allergy field set (described in their marketing/blog), so its confidence was lowered to medium. No invented or unsupported URLs found.