Hootenanny
A playful event invitation web app inspired by Apple Invites. Spin up a beautiful invite in under a minute, share a link, and watch RSVPs roll in, with no accounts, no app store, and no fuss.
Why I Built This
Apple Invites is beautiful, but it only works if every guest has an iPhone, and I wanted to send an invite to my daughter's dance recital without worrying about who was on which platform. Most alternatives are bloated with ads, upsells, or require guests to create an account just to say “yes, I'll be there.”
I wanted something tiny, warm, and personal. One link, one tap, done.
How It Works
I sign in with a PIN, pick a cover photo, fill out the basics (date, venue, a short description), and get two shareable links: one for guests to RSVP and one that's details-only. Guests open the link on any device, see the invite, and respond with their name and party size. Everything lands on a dashboard where I can see who is going, who is on the fence, and who can't make it.
Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| No-account RSVPs | Guests just tap the link and respond. No signups, no downloads, no friction. |
| Two link types | Share an RSVP link for guests you want to hear back from, or a details-only link for casual announcements. |
| Cover photo editor | Upload any image and reposition or zoom it directly in the browser. Text always stays legible over the photo. |
| Live guest list | See who's going, with party sizes, notes, and contact info. Edit or remove RSVPs as needed. |
| Map embed | Venue addresses automatically embed a Google Map with a tap-to-open link. |
| Installable PWA | Add it to your home screen for a native-app feel, complete with offline support. |
| Rich link previews | Pasting the link in iMessage, Slack, or social media shows the cover photo and event title via Netlify edge functions. |
Tech Stack
Design
The name came first. “Hootenanny” is an old-fashioned word for an informal gathering, and it begged for an owl mascot. I built the whole UI around a warm brown, cream, and tan palette that feels more like a handwritten note than a SaaS dashboard. The wordmark is set in Lily Script One, the body is Nunito, and little owl puns show up in empty states and confirmation screens.