Choose when to collect attendee information
When someone buys a ticket for an event, you can decide when to collect details about each attendee: before they pay, after they pay, or not at all. This setting lets you choose the timing that works best for your event.
Where to find the setting
You can set a default for all new events or configure it individually for each event.
Team default: From your dashboard, go to Customize → Event defaults and look for Attendee info collection.
Per-event: When creating or editing an event, find the Attendee info section in the event wizard.
Ask for every guest's details
Each event also has an Ask for every guest's details switch next to the collection timing, in the event details or in the wizard's Attendee info section. It appears only when collection is Before checkout or After checkout, and it starts off for every event. When you turn it on, buyers can no longer copy Attendee 1's information to the other tickets: the Apply Attendee 1 info to all option is hidden during registration and on the after-checkout attendee-details page, and every seat needs its own guest name and email. A multi-seat submission that reuses one email for more than one seat is rejected with the message Each guest needs their own name and email. Duplicating the event carries the switch into the new draft, and sessions of a recurring event inherit it.
One registration per email
Each event can also refuse a registration when the buyer or any guest is already registered for that event through another order. Turn on One registration per email in the event wizard's Sale rules section, or in the event editor under Tickets & capacity → Purchase & ticket rules.
The switch starts off and is available only when attendee info collection is Before checkout; changing the collection to After checkout or Off turns it off.
When it's on, a buyer whose email already holds a place through another order is refused before payment with the message This email is already registered for this event. A guest whose email is already registered is refused with a message that includes that email address, such as [email protected] is already registered for this event. One order can still use the same email on several tickets, so Apply Attendee 1 info to all keeps working.
Cancelling a registration frees that email to register again.
Orders placed directly in Squarespace can't be refused after payment. A repeat Squarespace purchase that arrives after payment is kept and flagged for review instead of being rejected or refunded.
This rule works across separate orders. Ask for every guest's details works within a single order: when it's on, every seat in the order needs its own name and email, while One registration per email still allows one email on several tickets in the same order.
The three timing options
The Attendee info collection setting has three modes. The event wizard labels the second option After checkout; the event editor and the team default in Customize → Event defaults label it After.
Before checkout
Attendee details are collected during registration, before the buyer completes payment. This is the default behavior and works well for most events.
Every attendee fills in their information as part of the checkout flow.
After checkout
Checkout is faster: the buyer skips attendee details and completes payment first. Each attendee receives an email afterward with a link to fill in their details on a separate page.
This mode is useful when you want to reduce friction at checkout or when attendee information might not be available at the time of purchase.
Off
No additional attendee details are collected for paid tickets. The organizer relies on billing information from checkout instead.
This works well when you only need the buyer's contact information and don't need to capture details for each individual attendee.
How after-purchase collection works
When you choose After checkout, the flow changes for your attendees:
Checkout completes quickly: The buyer pays without filling in attendee details.
Attendees receive an email: Each attendee gets a message with the subject line Complete your details for [Event Title]. The email includes a personalized link to a completion page.
Attendees complete their details: The link opens a page titled Complete Your Details — [Event Title] where they fill in the registration fields you've configured.
Link expires after 7 days: The personalized link in the email works for 7 days. After that, attendees can request a new link from the organizer.
Free events follow the same setting
Free events now use the same Collect details setting as paid events. Before collects extra questions during RSVP. After sends them via email after RSVP. Off skips extra questions.
Name and email are always collected during registration regardless of the mode you choose.
What happens to checkout with each mode
Before checkout: Attendee fields appear during checkout, so buyers complete everything in one flow. Payment follows the attendee details.
After checkout: Checkout shows minimal fields. Attendee details are captured afterward via email, so buyers can pay first and complete details later.
Off: Only billing information is collected at checkout. No follow-up email is sent for attendee details.
Related articles
Setting up automated emails: Customize confirmation and reminder messages
Quick start guide: Overview of checkout and attendee registration