A digital invitation with a reply deadline and a guest list.

A page of its own for the occasion

A wedding or a confirmation gathers people who are not in any group together already. So the event is its own private page, with its own guest list: only the invited see it, and it is never indexed by search engines. Make it with a date, a place and a description. The address becomes a map link, and the guests can put the date straight into their own calendar.

Put in the guest list and send the invitations by e-mail. The guests reply yes, no or maybe, without a password and without making an account first, and guests with only a mobile number get in when they log in with Vipps.

The reply deadline does the job

Set a deadline, and you see all along who has replied what, and who has not replied. The reminder goes only to the ones who have not replied, so nobody is chased without reason.

Do you not have the date yet?

Start with a date poll: suggest a few times and send one link, and people vote for what suits. Whoever gets the link replies with just a name. When the date is chosen, the event is already under way. Find a time that suits.

Sign-up with a link

For a class party or an anniversary you can share a sign-up link instead: whoever taps ‘Join’ puts themselves on the guest list. The link has a cap and an expiry date, and you get a notification every time someone joins, so the list never grows quietly.

Wish list

Write down what you would like, and the guests tick off what they are taking. The others see that a wish is taken, but never by whom, so two of them do not turn up with the same thing. As the organiser you see nothing of the ticking until the day is over. Then you can open the list, and see who gave what for the thank-you cards.

Before and after the day

The programme can sit on the page as a PDF before the day. Afterwards you can share the photos and the videos in the same place, in posts only the guests see, and the guests can write in the thread. Nothing ends up in a public stream, and nothing is deleted by itself.

Are you planning together?

If a committee or a master of ceremonies is behind the day, they can have a group of their own on kauke alongside the event. That is where the minutes and the budget live as attachments, the talk lives in the comments, and the planning meetings are events of their own. The guests never see any of it, and the speeches stay a surprise.

What it costs

Nothing. An event has 500 MB for photos, video and attachments, and there is no advertising. You confirm who you are with Vipps once when you create it; the guests need only their e-mail.

What kauke does not do

• No design templates. The invitation is a tidy page with a photo, not a card with calligraphy. If the invitation is going to be printed on paper, others are better at that.
• The guests log in to reply. Without a login you do not know which of the guests ‘Kari’ is, so a reply needs an e-mail login, without a password. If you want people to be able to reply with no login at all, with just a name, you can open for that afterwards from the event's page.
• No tools for the rest of the planning. The seating plan can sit on the page as a PDF, but the guests can only read it. kauke keeps track of who is coming, and of the wish list.

Getting started

Make the event, put in the guests, and send the invitations. It takes a few minutes, and you confirm who you are with Vipps once. Everyone who creates a group or an event on kauke does that, so an invitation from here is worth opening.