QR code for a wedding or event invitation: time, place and directions

A printed invitation is beautiful, but it has two weak spots. Guests forget the date, and on the night half of them call to ask where the hall is.

A QR code on the invitation fixes both. One scan saves the event in the guest's calendar with the right day, time and place. A second small code opens the venue in Google Maps. You can make both for free on QR Hub, with no sign-up.

This guide works for weddings, engagements, birthdays, graduations, shop openings and company events.

Which QR code does your invitation need?

There are three useful kinds. Most invitations need the first two.

The event and location codes are static: the details are written into the printed code itself, so they work without our servers and never expire. The trade-off is that you can't change them after printing. If your venue or time might still move, see "If plans may change" below.

Step 1: Make the event code

1. Open the free invitation and event QR code tool on QR Hub.
2. Event name: write it the way guests will want to see it in their calendar, for example "Sara & Omar's wedding". Keep it short.
3. Starts and Ends: pick the date and time. Add an end time so the calendar blocks the whole evening.
4. Place: the hall or venue name and the city, for example "Al Noor Hall, Jeddah".
5. Details: an optional short line, like a dress code or "Doors open at 8 pm".

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The time is saved exactly as you write it, so guests see the same local time on their phones. If many guests are travelling from another time zone, write the city in the place field so nobody is confused.

Step 2: Make the location code

The calendar entry shows the venue's name, but a Maps link gives guests turn-by-turn directions. To get one:

1. Open Google Maps on your phone and search for the venue, or press and hold to drop a pin on the exact entrance.
2. Tap the place's name or address at the bottom, then tap Share (Google Maps Help).
3. Copy the link and paste it into the location QR code tool on QR Hub. You can also type the coordinates, like 21.5433, 39.1728.

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Tip: for a large venue, drop the pin on the guest entrance or car park, not the middle of the building.

Step 3: Design both codes to match your card

• Add a short frame text under each code so guests know which is which: "Save the date" and "Directions".
• Pick a colour from your card, gold or dark green for example, but keep the code dark on a light background. Light dots on a dark card are hard for many phones to read.
• Download SVG for the printer: it stays sharp at any size. Use PNG for a digital invitation you send in a message.

Step 4: Print at the right size

For a card that guests hold in their hand, make each code at least 2.5–3 cm wide. On a welcome sign at the entrance, go much bigger, since people scan it from a few steps away.

Leave a clear margin around each code, with no text, flowers or borders touching it. Place the two codes side by side, with their labels, near the bottom of the card or on the back.

If the card is glossy or metallic, ask the printer for a matte area behind the codes. Shiny foil can reflect light into the camera.

Step 5: Test before you print the whole batch

This is the step people skip, and it's the one that matters most.

1. Print one proof at the real size on the real paper.
2. Scan it with an iPhone and an Android phone, using the normal camera app.
3. Check that the event shows the right date, time and place, and that the location code opens the right entrance in Maps.
4. Ask one older relative to try it. If they can scan it without help, everyone can.

Some phone cameras show the event as text first; tapping it usually offers "Add to calendar". If one phone shows nothing at all, try better light or a larger print.

If plans may change

Static codes can't be edited after printing. If the venue or time isn't final yet, you have two choices:

• Wait to print until the details are fixed. This is the simplest option.
• Use a dynamic (editable) code that points to a page you control. You can change where it leads later without reprinting. A free QR Hub account includes two dynamic codes.

For RSVPs, make a simple online form, then put its link in a link code. Keep it to three questions: name, number of guests and attending yes/no.

Where else to use your codes

• Digital invitations: add the PNG to the image you send in a message, plus the Maps link as text for guests who open it on the same phone.
• Welcome sign at the venue: a code for the photo album or the Wi-Fi.
• Thank-you cards: a code that opens your wedding photos.
• Shop openings and company events: on flyers, posters and social posts, with the event code so customers don't forget the day.

Common mistakes

• Wrong date or AM/PM. Check the proof in a real calendar app.
• Only the hall's name, no map. Two halls in the same city can have similar names.
• A pin in the wrong place, such as the back of the building.
• Codes too small or printed in light gold on cream paper.
• No label. Guests should know what each code does before they scan.

Ready? Make the event code, add the location code next to it, test one proof, and print. Your guests will arrive on time — and at the right door.