Contact Entry Page
This page is laid out very similarly to the Contact's Data Page which displays data for contacts you have already entered. The Contact Entry Page however, has no data in its fields. This allows you to enter a contact's data, click the "Add Contact" button and add them to your database.
If at a later time you need to edit the information for a contact, then the Contact's Data Page would be where you could accomplish that. For instructions on how that page works, click one of the previous links to be taken to the page of this guide that details it.
Example of Contact Entry Page
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The Contact Entry Page allows you to accomplish the same thing as the Add Contacts Page, but only one contact at a time. While it is less effecient, it does allow you more flexibility about the data you enter for your contacts. This page allows you to access and enter more of the data that BridalTrack is capable of holding for a contact. These additional fields will be explained later on this page.
This page of BridalTrack is divided into four sections, each one holding different data about the contact you are entering. Those sections are:
| 1. Name(s) Section | 3. Designations Section |
Name(s) Section
This area is where you will enter the names and title for the people who are on this contact record. There are two identical areas within the Name(s) Section to hold 2 different contact names. This allows you to enter a couple's data on the same record and treat them as one unique contact.
Contact Entry Page, Name(s) Section
This does not mean that data is required in both of those areas. Only the top name fields are required. So, when you are inputting a single contact, simply enter that name in the top input fields and leave the bottom fields blank. BridalTrack will recognize this and save your contact appropriately.
If you do not put a first and last name in the top name area, then the contact will not be entered. Instead the Contact Entry Page will reload, display a message notifying you of the failure, and highlight in orange the required field that you left blank. This is true for any required fields or invalid data submitted anywhere on the Contact Entry Page: The page will reload and a orange label will denote the field that caused it to fail.
Address Section
Here is where every element of a contact's address is entered. Because your BridalTrack Database is focused on managing correspondence, every field in this section is required. This ensures that you have a valid way of corresponding with the contact.
Contact Entry Page, Address Section
Every field in this section is very straight-forward. Be sure to enter the street address of your contact, their city, select their state's postal abbreviation from the list and then enter their zip code. If any fields are left blank, then the page will reload, notify you that the insertion into your database failed, and highlight the offending fields in orange.
Designations Section
This section is where you will set all the information that describes what type of contact they are. You select what pieces of wedding correspondence they will receive, how they are known to the bridal party and any other relevant information that might be helpful to know about them.
Contact Entry Page, Designations Section
First select what they should receive from you to notify them about your wedding in the "Will Receive:" field. If they are to be invited to the wedding you would select "Invitation", if they are just to receive an announcement then you would select that option. If you are unsure about what you want them to receive then you can choose "Undecided" and return to this item at a later time.
Beneath that field is the "Save The Date:" check box. Marking this box will designate the contact to receive a Save The Date Notice. For additional information on all those pieces (Invitation, Announcement and Save The Date Notices) see the BridalTrack Overview Of Pieces. To learn more about how making these designations now will allow your BridalTrack Database to help you perform the actions necessary to manage your wedding's correspondence, see the BridalTrack User's Manual.
The "Affiliation" field assists you by keeping track of how the contacts are known to the bridal party. The two options for this field are "Bride" and "Groom". Be sure to select the one with which the contact is affiliated. Then, if any questions arise about this guest later on, you will know who to ask.
The last field of this section is a catch-all area called "Notes:". It simply is a space for you to enter any additional information that you think is important to associate with the contact. This allows you to further customize your BridalTrack Database by storing any data with your contacts that BridalTrack has not specifically set up.
Elements To Track Section
If you have yet to send any correspondence to your contacts notifying them about your wedding, then most likely, you will not need to enter any data into this section. All of the fields here are used in an on-going manner, capturing information about your contacts when they communicate back to you. Therefore, most likely, this data will not be entered with the contact, but edited on the Contact's Data Page later on.
Contact Entry Page, Elements To Track Section
The first field is "RSVP Status:" which holds how the contact responded to their invitation. Now, if you did not send them an invitation then this field will not apply and you should leave the default value of "No Response" in it. Also, since BridalTrack is the source you will be using to send out your invitations, then logically, any contact you enter via this page probably hasn't even had an invitation sent to them yet. Therefore, "No Response" should be the value in that field even when you do designate the contact to receive one.
If a situation does arise where you have to change the data in this field here are the other values that are applicable to it. "Accepted" denotes that the contact returned their RSVP card from their invitation and said they would be attending. "Declined" means that the guest responded and said that they were unable to attend your wedding.
When invitations are returned you will have a better idea of exactly how many people will be attending with them, this information goes in the "Party Size:" field. Most likely it will reflect the number of names in the Name(s) Section of the page. If the RSVP card is returned and the guests' will be bring their 3 children, then this increase should be noted in the "Party Size:" field by putting "5" in it.
"Gift Given:" holds the information about what the contact gave you as a wedding gift and "Sent Thank You:" lets you know if you sent the contact a Thank You Note for it. Together, these fields allow you to effeciently stay on top of the gifts you receive and the Thank You Notes you need to send for them. For specific instructions on using BridalTrack to keep on top of your gifts and Thank You Notes, see the BridalTrack User's Manual.
Submitting The Data
After entering all your contact's information into the sections of the Contact Entry Page, click the "Add Contacts" button and your BridalTrack Database will process the data. It first validates all your data checking to make sure nothing is in error and all the required fields have data.
Contact Entry Page, Add Contact Button
If all the data is valid it saves the contact to your database and reloads the page. A message will appear atop it telling you that the contact was added and that the form is ready to accept another set of data. To enter another contact in this manner simply repeat the process described above.
Again, if you submit a contact with invalid data or missing certain required fields, they will not be added. Instead their information will reappear in the page with orange labels highlighting the fields that caused the failure. In these instances all you have to do is correct the data and resubmit it.
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