Using Messages
Chat with your couples in real time - search conversations, track unread messages, and peek at a client's bookings without leaving the chat.
Messages is your real-time inbox for talking with couples - "Connect and communicate with your clients through integrated messaging." A conversation is created automatically for every couple you have a booking with - you never have to start one manually.

What you can do here
- Read and reply to messages from any couple you have a booking with.
- Search your conversations to jump to a specific client fast.
- See unread counts at a glance so nothing slips.
- Peek at a client's bookings without leaving the chat.
- Send attachments - see Send a Message or Attachment.
Real-time, no refresh
New incoming messages arrive instantly via live subscriptions. As soon as you open a conversation its messages are marked as read and the unread count clears.
Conversation previews
For each conversation you'll see:
- The client's name and avatar.
- A preview of the last message - prefixed with
You:if you sent it, or "Start the conversation" if no one has typed yet. - The relative time of the last message (e.g. "2h").
- A red unread badge with the count of unread incoming messages.
Searching conversations
Type into the search box to filter the list. Matching is case-insensitive and partial - lyons finds Sara Lyons. It searches the client's name and email only, not the message content. Empty results show "No conversations found"; an empty inbox shows "No conversations yet".
Peek at a client's bookings
Click a client's avatar (not the row itself - that just opens the chat). A booking quick-view slides out showing, for each booking:
- The booking reference.
- The wedding date (formatted
DD MMM YYYY). - The ceremony location, if set.
- One or more colour-coded status badges (Enquiry, Tentative, Confirmed, etc.).
- A View booking details link to the full booking page.
If the client has no bookings yet, the panel is empty.