How-to8 min read
Wedding Invitation QR Codes: How to Use Them Well
What a wedding invitation QR code should open, where to print it, the sizes that scan from a card or a welcome sign, and the two things a QR code can't do.
By The Veiloria AtelierPublished Updated
Contents
- Wedding invitation QR code: the short answer
- What a wedding QR code should open
- How to add a QR code to a wedding invitation
- Where to put it
- Wedding QR code size, contrast and testing
- A printed card for guests who prefer paper
- What a QR code can't do
- Payment QR codes on invitations
- Sources
- Frequently asked questions
A wedding invitation QR code should open one thing: your invitation, with its RSVP inside, so a guest points a phone camera at paper and replies in a few taps. Print it at least 2 cm (0.8 in) wide, dark on light with a blank margin around it, and test the printed proof on two phones before the full run.
Below: what the code should open, seven steps to add one, where to print it, a size table, a card to copy, and payment codes.
Wedding invitation QR code: the short answer
A wedding QR code is a printed square holding a web address; a phone camera reads it and opens that address. The iPhone's own Camera app reads QR codes (Apple, iPhone User Guide), as do most Android cameras, so guests install nothing. A Veiloria invitation asks for no account to reply either, as our FAQ on what guests need explains.
The code is only the door. If you are still choosing how guests will reply, start with digital wedding invitations with RSVP.
What a wedding QR code should open
Point the code at the page where guests read the details and reply. One code, one destination.
| The code opens | Guests reply there? | Can change after printing? | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| The invitation, RSVP inside | Yes | Yes, on the same address | Best |
| A wedding website with an RSVP page | One tap further | Yes | Good if the site is your hub |
| A form alone (Google Forms and similar) | Yes | Yes | Details and replies live apart |
| A PDF or image | No | No: a new time means reprinting | Avoid |
| A payment link | No | Depends | Not on the invitation card |
A wedding website QR code follows the same rules; our comparison of a wedding website vs an invitation covers when you need both.
How to add a QR code to a wedding invitation
- Fix the address. Use the invitation's own link, not a preview link.
- Make a static code from your invitation provider or a generator. A "dynamic" code redirects through the generator's server, so it can stop working when a free trial or the account ends.
- Export for print: a vector file (SVG or PDF), or a large PNG. Scanova recommends printing at 300 dpi (2026).
- Keep the margin. The code needs a blank border four modules wide (a module is one small square) on every side, says DENSO WAVE, which developed the QR code. Downloaded images often carry a thinner border, so leave clear space around them on the card.
- Add a line and the address: "Scan to open your invitation and reply", with the short address printed beneath it.
- Test the printer's proof on paper, not on screen.
- Test one finished card, since foil, letterpress and varnish change contrast.
Every Veiloria invitation comes with a QR code ready to print from your portal. It opens the same private link you send by WhatsApp or email, and changes go live on that link, so a card printed in spring still opens the right invitation in September.
Where to put it
On a printed invitation or insert
Keep the main card for who, what, when and where. Put the code on a details card, the reply card or the back, low down where a thumb won't cover it, and use only one code per card.
Lines to copy:
- Kindly reply by the eighteenth of August. Scan to open your invitation.
- Directions, the weekend's program and your reply: scan here, or visit margaux-and-henri.veiloria.app
On the save the date
A printed save the date can carry a code to a digital one, with add-to-calendar a tap away. Make sure the address will still work once the invitation exists. A Veiloria digital save the date ordered on its own can later become the full invitation at the same address, so one printed code serves both.
At the venue: welcome sign and tables
On the day, venue codes should open the program, the menu or a shared photo album, not the RSVP. Hang the sign at chest height, away from glare.
Placement checklist
- [ ] One code per card, one destination per code
- [ ] A blank margin, clear of borders, foil and illustration
- [ ] A line saying what scanning opens, and the address in full
- [ ] Not across a fold, a deckled edge or an envelope flap
- [ ] Not on glossy or metallic stock that throws back light
Wedding QR code size, contrast and testing
Print a wedding QR code at least 2 cm (0.8 in) wide, and larger the farther guests stand. Bitly gives 2 cm as the size most scanners need and a distance-to-size ratio of about 10:1 (Bitly, updated September 2026); Scanova suggests 2.5 cm (1 in) for most uses.
| Where it's printed | Phone's distance | Size by 10:1 | Print it at least |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invitation, insert or reply card | 15–20 cm (6–8 in) | 1.5–2 cm | 2–2.5 cm (0.8–1 in) |
| Save the date postcard | 15–20 cm (6–8 in) | 1.5–2 cm | 2.5 cm (1 in) |
| Table card or menu | 30 cm (12 in) | 3 cm | 3 cm (1.2 in) |
| Welcome sign, read close | 1 m (3 ft) | 10 cm | 10 cm (4 in) |
| Welcome sign across a room | 2 m (6.5 ft) | 20 cm | 20 cm (8 in) |
Contrast: dark on light. Ink on ivory scans well; gold foil on cream, white on navy and codes over a photograph often don't.
Testing: scan the proof with an iPhone and an Android phone, from arm's length and in dim light (receptions are often candlelit), check the live invitation opens, and send yourself a test reply.
A printed card for guests who prefer paper
A small card with a QR code lets a grandparent hold paper and still reply online, so every answer lands in one list. Our guide to digital invitations for older guests covers the rest of the help they may want.
A card to copy (A6 or 4 × 6 in):
Margaux & Henri Saturday, the eighteenth of September, 2027 · Château de Montclair, Loire Valley
Your invitation is waiting online. Open your phone's camera, point it at the square below and tap the link that appears.
[QR code, 2.5 cm]
margaux-and-henri.veiloria.app Kindly reply by the eighteenth of August, or call [a family helper's name and number] and they will reply for you.
If guests have personal links with set places, the shared code opens your general invitation. For a named card, turn that guest's personal link into its own code with any generator.
What a QR code can't do
Door check-in and entry control
A QR code that opens an invitation is not an entry ticket. Anyone holding the card, or a photo of it, opens the same page. The Gulf's "barcode invitations" (دعوات باركود) and Mexico's digital wedding pases with a QR often work as entry passes instead: a unique code per guest, scanned at the door against a list, usually by a separate check-in service.
Veiloria doesn't scan guests at the door. What controls numbers is the guest list: with the guest list manager, each guest's personal link carries a set number of places (+0 to +3), so a reply can't count more people than you invited.
Telling you who scanned it
A static code reports nothing, and dynamic codes count scans, not people. The reliable signal is the reply: with named guests, the portal shows who hasn't answered. How it works shows where replies arrive.
Payment QR codes on invitations
Keep payment codes off the invitation card and in the gift section. In Brazil, a Pix QR code is the familiar way to send a cash gift; in parts of Europe, the European Payments Council's bank-transfer code (GiroCode in Germany) does the same job.
Print the account holder's name beside it, and never next to the RSVP code. The US Federal Trade Commission tells people to inspect the address before opening a QR code found in an unexpected place (FTC, December 2023), so guests are right to check before paying. Wording is in our guide to cash gift wording; sending the link itself is in how to send digital wedding invitations.
Sources
- Bitly, What's the Minimum Size for a QR Code?, updated 29 September 2026. Checked 19 October 2026.
- Scanova, Minimum QR Code Size: Find the Perfect Size for Your Use Case, updated 29 September 2026. Checked 19 October 2026.
- DENSO WAVE, Point for determining the code area: securing margin, qrcode.com. Checked 19 October 2026.
- Apple, Scan a QR code with your iPhone camera, iPhone User Guide. Checked 19 October 2026.
- US Federal Trade Commission, Scammers hide harmful links in QR codes to steal your information, 6 December 2023. Checked 19 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How do I put a QR code on my wedding invitation?
Make a static code from your invitation's final address and place it on a details card or the back, with a blank margin around it. Add a line saying what it opens, print the address beside it, and test the proof with two phones.
What should a wedding QR code link to?
Your invitation with its RSVP inside, so guests read the details and reply on one page. A wedding website with an RSVP page also works. Avoid PDFs and images: they can't collect replies or change after printing.
How big should a QR code be on a wedding invitation?
At least 2 cm (0.8 in) wide, and 2.5 cm (1 in) if you have room. On signs, allow 10 cm (4 in) of code for every meter of distance, and always leave a blank margin around it.
Can guests RSVP with a QR code?
Yes, if the code opens an invitation or website with an RSVP form. The guest scans, the page opens in their phone's browser, and they reply there, usually with no app or account.
Can a QR code be used for check-in at a wedding?
Only with a separate check-in system that gives each guest a unique code and scans it at the door. A code that opens your invitation can't, because every card opens the same page. To control numbers without scanning, give guests personal links with a set number of places.
