How to Create Your First Event in GuestQR (5-Minute Setup)

What You'll Have at the End

In about five minutes you'll have a live event with a single QR code that lets guests check in, find their seat, share photos, and sign the guestbook. No design skills, no setup fee. Let's walk through it.

Step 1: Create the Event

From your dashboard, hit Create Event. The setup is three short steps, and step one is just the basics: what kind of event it is, its name, and the date.

Step one of the create-event wizard — Step 1 — pick the event type, name it, and set the date. Toggle multi-day if it runs across more than one day.

Pick the type that fits — wedding, birthday, anniversary, memorial, or other. It tailors a few defaults; you can change everything later.

Step 2: Choose How Guests Register

Step two asks how guests get in:

Pre-assigned — you have a guest list and (optionally) table assignments. Guests find their name to check in. Best for weddings and seated dinners.
Open registration — anyone can check themselves in by entering their name. Best for walk-in parties, open houses, and casual events.

Step 3: Turn On Features

Step three is the menu of guest-facing features: photo uploads, the guestbook, and related options. Switch on what this event needs and leave the rest off — guests only ever see what you enable.

That's the wizard. Your event is created in draft mode, which is a complete sandbox for setup and testing.

Step 4: Make It Yours in Settings

Open Settings to give the event personality. This is where a generic event becomes your event.

The event settings page with details and feature toggles — Add host names, a welcome message, an accent color, and a cover image. Toggle features any time.

Worth setting before you go live:

Host names and a short welcome message — these greet guests on the welcome screen.
An accent color to match your palette.
A cover image for a photo-led welcome.
Feature toggles — photos, comments, live wall, guestbook.

Step 5: Get Your QR Code

Head to QR & Share. This is the code that carries the whole event. Share it digitally, or turn it into printed table cards in a couple of clicks.

The QR and share page with the event QR code — One QR code for everything. The panel on the right reminds you exactly what guests can do after scanning.

Step 6: Test It as a Guest

This is the step people skip and shouldn't. Because the event is in draft, you can scan your own QR code (or open the guest link) and walk the entire experience yourself before anyone arrives.

The guest welcome screen seen during a test run — Scan your own code and see exactly what guests will see. Check in, upload a test photo, sign the guestbook.

Check in as a test guest, upload a photo, leave a guestbook note. If it all feels right, you're ready.

Step 7: Go Live

When you're happy, take the event live from the dashboard. Your QR code stays the same — going live just opens the doors to real guests. From here, add your guest list (by hand or CSV import) and share the code.

Create your first event now

Three steps to set up, a draft mode to test, and one QR code to run the whole evening. Free to start with unlimited guests.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change settings after creating the event?

Yes — everything is editable. The event type, features, names, colors, and date can all change at any time, before or after going live.

What is draft mode?

Draft mode is a full sandbox for building and testing. You can scan your own code and use every feature exactly as a guest would, before any real guest sees the event.

Does my QR code change when I go live?

No. The QR code is created with the event and stays the same. You can print it during setup and it will still work once you're live.