How do I send confirmation and reminder emails for my event?

The short version

• The confirmation message shows on screen. The confirmation email goes to their inbox. You need both.
• In Gravity Forms, add a notification that sends to the form’s email field.
• For paid events, send the email when the payment completes, not on submission.
• Add a link to save the date to their calendar.
• Plan a reminder about two days before. Form plugins don’t send scheduled reminders on their own.

What should a confirmation email say?

Write it so nobody needs to call you before the day. A simple template:

• Subject: “You’re booked: [event name], [day and date]”
• First line: what they booked and for how many people.
• When: day, date, start and finish time.
• Where: the full address, parking and which door.
• What to bring, and what to wear if it matters.
• What they paid, if anything, and your refund policy in one line.
• How to cancel or change, with a reply address or link.
• Who to contact on the day, with a phone number.
• A save-to-calendar link (see below).

How do I set up the confirmation email in Gravity Forms?

From Gravity Forms’ notifications guide:

1. Open the form’s Settings, then Notifications, and select Add New.
2. Give it a Name only you’ll see, such as “Registrant confirmation.”
3. Choose the Event. For free events, use Form is submitted. For paid events, see below.
4. In Send To, point it at your form’s email field, so it goes to the person who registered. Gravity Forms’ guide shows this as a merge tag for the field, such as {Email:2}.
5. Set the From Name, and a From Email on your own domain.
6. Write the Subject and Message. Use merge tags to drop in their answers, such as their name or the session they picked.
7. Save, then send yourself a test registration.

Keep your own notification to staff as a separate notification, so each can be changed without touching the other.

For paid events

Gravity Forms’ notification events list includes Payment Completed for its Stripe, PayPal Checkout, Square and other payment add-ons. Sending the confirmation on that event means nobody gets “You’re booked” for a card that later failed. You can also send a different email on Payment Failed.

The on-screen message

The confirmations guide explains the three types: Text shown in place of the form, a Page on your site, or a Redirect to another web address. Say “Check your inbox for a confirmation from [your address].” That one line prevents a lot of “did it go through?” emails.

Different wording per option

Notifications and confirmations both support conditional logic. Use it to send a different email for the morning and afternoon sessions, or to add a note for people who chose the vegetarian lunch.

How do I add a save-to-calendar link?

If your events are on The Events Calendar, each event page already has add-to-calendar options. Its export guide describes an Add to link for Google Calendar on single event pages, and Google Calendar, iCalendar and Export .ics file options on the calendar page. Put a link to the event page in your confirmation, with “Save it to your calendar” next to it.

What about ticket emails from Event Tickets?

Event Tickets sends its own emails: a ticket email after purchase, an RSVP email, and a purchase receipt, among others. Its guide to configuring Event Tickets emails says they live under Tickets, Settings, Emails, where you can turn each one on or off, edit the subject, heading and extra text, and add calendar links or an .ics invite when The Events Calendar is installed. The guide doesn’t describe a reminder email. Use those settings rather than adding a second confirmation from another tool.

How do I send reminders?

A form plugin sends email at the moment someone signs up. It doesn’t wait and send again before the event. You have three practical options:

1. Your email platform. Export the entries and send one reminder to that list. Our email campaigns guide covers platforms; send event reminders only to people who registered.
2. Your ticketing platform, if you use one. Eventbrite’s pricing page lists automated event reminders among its features.
3. By hand, for a small group. Copy the registrants into the BCC field, never To or CC, so you don’t share everyone’s address.

A good reminder is short: the date, time, place, what to bring, and how to tell you if they can’t come. That last line frees up places for your waitlist.

Why does this matter?

The confirmation is the most-read email you’ll send about the event, because people look for it on the day. A clear one cuts calls, no-shows and arrivals at the wrong door.

What are the common mistakes and edge cases?

• The email lands in junk. Send from your own domain through a proper sending service. See making WordPress send email properly.
• A From address that can’t receive replies, so people who want to cancel can’t.
• Showing every registrant’s address in a group email. Use BCC or your email platform.
• Old details in a reused form. When you copy last year’s form, update the date in the notification too.
• No phone number for the day, so late arrivals can’t reach anyone.

What if people say they didn’t get it?

1. Check the entry exists. If it does, the sign-up worked.
2. Check the email address they typed. Typos are common.
3. Ask them to look in junk or spam.
4. If several people are missing it, see why form emails go to spam or go missing.

How much does it cost, and how long does it take?

Notifications are built into form plugins. Writing and testing a confirmation takes about an hour. A reminder takes ten minutes per event.

How does E-3 handle this?

We write the confirmation with you, in your words, and test it on a staging copy with a real inbox. See setting up event registration and our website care service.

Related questions

• How do I take payment for registrations?
• How do I check people in on the day?
• How do I tell people an event is canceled?
• Which events calendar should I use?
• Back to the complete events and registration guide

Sources

1. Configuring Notifications in Gravity Forms (Gravity Forms docs)
2. Gravity Forms Notification Events (Gravity Forms docs)
3. Configuring Confirmations in Gravity Forms (Gravity Forms docs)
4. Configuring Event Tickets Emails (Nexcess docs)
5. Subscribing to and Exporting Events (Nexcess docs for The Events Calendar)
6. Eventbrite pricing (Eventbrite)