English and Dutch Wedding Website: Day and Evening

It's common for a Dutch wedding to have two guest lists: daggasten, who come for the whole day, and avondgasten, who join for the party in the evening. Add a guest list that's half Dutch and half English-speaking, and you have two problems at once: two kinds of invitation, and two languages.

One wedding website can handle both. This guide covers how to set up separate replies for day and evening guests, how to run the site in English and Dutch, and, so there are no surprises, which parts stay in English.

We've checked how this works in WhiteClover against the product itself. If you use a different builder, test these points on yours.

TL;DR:

• Set up the day as separate events: the ceremony, the dinner and the evening party.
• Make the evening party your main event, because every guest is at it. Invite daggasten to everything and avondgasten to the evening only.
• Add Dutch as a second language on the site. You write the Dutch yourself: nothing is translated automatically.
• Guests whose phone is set to Dutch see the Dutch version. Add ?lang=nl to a link to open it in Dutch for anyone.
• Event names, RSVP questions and the reply form itself aren't in Dutch. Write event names in both languages and keep questions short.

Daggasten and avondgasten on one website

The day and evening split works the same way in English and Dutch. The setup we describe in our guide to day and evening guests on one website applies here too:

1. Make the evening party your main event. It's the one everyone attends, and the main event's date and venue are shown first on your wedding website and your save the date.
2. Add the ceremony and the dinner as their own events, each with its own time and place.
3. Invite daggasten to all three, and avondgasten to the evening party only.
4. Send everyone the same link. Each guest's reply form asks only about the events they're invited to.

You then see the yes count for each event separately, so you can give the caterer a dinner number and an evening number. Households can reply in one go, with one person answering for everyone linked to them.

The website shows the whole day's schedule to everyone who opens it, so word it plainly. Who is invited to which part is the invitation's job.

If your guest list is already in a spreadsheet, the import has an Events column. List the events each guest is invited to, separated by commas and spelled exactly as you named them. Leave it blank for avondgasten, and they're put on the main event. Phone numbers need the country code in front, like +31612345678.

Running the site in English and Dutch

Add Dutch as a language on your website, and the editor gives you a tab for each. Write everything in your main language first, then fill in the Dutch section by section.

When a guest opens the site, it picks the language in this order:

1. A language in the link itself, such as ?lang=nl at the end.
2. The language that guest chose last time on the same phone or computer.
3. Their browser's language, if it's one your site has.
4. Your site's default language.

So a guest in Utrecht whose phone is set to Dutch sees Dutch, and a guest in Manchester sees English. There's a language switch in the site's menu for anyone who wants the other one.

If you're wondering whether Dutch is worth the effort, think of your oldest relatives. They're the ones least likely to ask you to explain the English.

What to translate

Write the Dutch as a Dutch speaker would, not as a word-for-word translation. If neither of you is fluent, ask a Dutch-speaking friend to read it over before you publish.

What stays in English

A two-language site isn't fully two-language everywhere, and it's better to know before you send the link.

• Event names. Each event has one name. Write both languages into it: "Ceremonie / Ceremony", "Diner / Dinner", "Avondfeest / Evening party".
• Anything you haven't written in Dutch. If a section has no Dutch text yet, Dutch readers see your default language. Preview the Dutch version with ?lang=nl on the link before you share it.
• Some built-in labels, and the day and month names on the schedule, show in English on the Dutch version.
• The reply form. When a guest taps to reply, the form runs in English or Greek. Your RSVP questions can be written in English and Greek, but not in Dutch, so keep them short, or put both languages in the question: "Hoofdgerecht / Main course".

None of this stops Dutch guests replying. For relatives who'd rather not reply in English, a family member can answer for the whole household in one go.

Wording for the two invitations

Your invitation tells each guest which part of the day they're invited to. Keep it consistent with the website, so nobody sees two different times.

For daggasten:

"Sanne en James trouwen op zaterdag 19 juni 2027. We nodigen je uit voor de hele dag: de ceremonie om 14:00, het diner en het avondfeest. Laat ons via onze website weten of je komt."

For avondgasten:

"Sanne en James trouwen op zaterdag 19 juni 2027. Vier je met ons mee op het avondfeest, vanaf 20:30? Laat ons via onze website weten of je komt."

English, for evening guests:

"Sanne and James would love you to join their evening party on Saturday 19 June 2027, from 8:30pm. Please reply on our website."

Have a Dutch speaker check your own wording. These are starting points, not a substitute for someone who knows how your family talks.

Setting it up, step by step

1. Create your website and write it in your main language.
2. Add Dutch as a second language and fill in each section.
3. Create the three events, named in both languages, with times and places.
4. Invite daggasten to all three and avondgasten to the evening party.
5. Write your RSVP questions in English, with the Dutch alongside where it helps.
6. Open the Dutch version with ?lang=nl and read every section.
7. Send the link. Add ?lang=nl for relatives who should land on Dutch.

Building the site, publishing it and collecting replies is free, with no charge per guest. See how wedding RSVPs work, or start your website free.

Two lists, two languages, one link

Daggasten and avondgasten are two lists, and Dutch and English are two languages, but you only need one website. Split the day into events, invite each guest to theirs, write the Dutch yourself, and name events in both languages. Then everyone opens the same link and gets the right form, in the closest language we can give them.

Frequently asked questions

Can one wedding website handle daggasten and avondgasten?

Yes. Set up the ceremony, the dinner and the evening party as separate events, and invite each guest to the ones they're coming to. Everyone opens the same link, and each reply form asks only about that guest's events.

Can a wedding website be in English and Dutch?

Yes. Add Dutch as a second language and write the Dutch text yourself. Guests see the version that matches their browser language, and anyone can switch from the menu.

How do I make sure Dutch relatives see the Dutch version?

Their browser language usually takes care of it. To be certain, add ?lang=nl to the end of the link you send them.

Can guests reply to the RSVP in Dutch?

The reply form runs in English or Greek. Keep your questions short, or write both languages in the question, such as "Hoofdgerecht / Main course".

Do avondgasten need to reply?

Yes, by the same date as daggasten. Your caterer needs a separate evening number, and evening guests tend to reply later, so plan one reminder.

Recommended

• Day and Evening Guests: Two RSVPs, One Website
• A Wedding Website in English and German
• Evening Wedding Guests: The UK Etiquette Rulebook
• Wedding Website FAQ: 30 Questions UK Guests Ask
• What Percentage of Wedding Guests Decline?