Do I need a guest website to collect RSVPs?

No. Essentials includes RSVP — a shareable link and QR on rsvp.dueaplanning.com. Guests reply online; attendance, meals, and dietary stay with your list. You seat from those replies.

A guest website is a paid add-on for story pages you can customize for guests. It links to the same RSVP URL — it does not replace included RSVP. Unpublished sites can look empty until you publish.