Matches published delay
Understanding the "Matches Published Delay" in the Fanciful Organiser Tools
When creating a Speed Dating event on Fanciful, you’ll notice a setting in the Event Editor called:
Once event starts publish matches after
(with separate fields for ‘hours’ and ‘minutes’)
This setting allows you to control when Fanciful publishes the matches and locks in guest selections after your event begins.
🕐 What Does This Do?
This setting defines a time window — starting from the official start of your speed dating event — during which:
- Guests can make and edit their selections of who they liked.
- Once the time is up, Fanciful automatically publishes the matches, notifies guests of their mutual matches, and locks all selections.
✅ Why Use It?
The Matches Published Delay is designed to:
- Give guests time to reflect on their choices and make any changes.
- Create an exciting "match reveal moment" for all guests at once.
- Help generate buzz and energy at the climax of the event.
🔄 During the Delay Window
From the moment your event starts:
- Guests can begin selecting the people they’re interested in via the Fanciful website.
- They can change or remove selections freely until the match window ends.
- This flexibility ensures guests can take their time — chat with others, think it over, and adjust as needed.
🚨 When the Delay Time is Up
As soon as your specified hours and minutes have passed:
- All current selections are locked.
- Fanciful checks for mutual matches and sends notifications to guests.
- Guests can then start messaging their matches directly through the platform.
No further edits to selections can be made after this point.
🕘 What if a Guest Doesn't Make Selections in Time?
No worries! If a guest hasn't made their selections by the end of the delay window:
- They will still receive their mutual matches immediately after making their selections.
- However, their matches will come in piecemeal (as individual notifications), not part of the main reveal moment.
- Their choices are locked in immediately after submission and can't be changed.
✍️ Setting the Time
When filling out the "Once event starts publish matches after" field in the Event Editor, simply enter the number of:
- Hours (e.g.
20for a next-day reveal) - Minutes (e.g.
0if you're only setting it by the hour)
This gives you full control over the pacing of your event.
💡 Tips for Organisers
- For most events, a delay of around 20 hours works best — giving guests time to rest, reflect, and feel excited for the match reveal the next day.
- Announce to your guests when matches will be revealed to build anticipation.
- Consider pairing the match reveal with a follow-up email or social message to spark re-engagement.
If you have any questions or want help picking the right match delay for your event, don’t hesitate to contact our support team!
Happy matching! 💖