R.S.V.P. stands for a French phrase, “répondez, s’il vous plaît,” which means “please reply.” The person sending the invitation wo­uld like you to tell him or her whether you accept or decline the invitation. That is, will you be coming to the event or not?

Sounds very simple doesn’t it?   Did you know that last minute guest count changes are a constant source of stress for our wedding couples?

How important is it for you to R.S.V.P.  in a timely manner?     The answer is VERY IMPORTANT!

These are but just a few examples of why your R.S.V.P. is so important and the effects of not responding or not attending after providing your response.

• If the couple was gracious enough to invite you to their very special day, you should have the courtesy of responding to them by their response date defined on their invitation, even if it is to say that you regret you are unable to attend.
• Your attendance impacts the amount of food and beverage that needs to be prepared as well as how many guest tables that may be required for seating which in turn affects their floor plan and their seating assignments.
• Be considerate and ONLY R.S.V.P. for the number of guests that have been allocated on your response card (sample picture from DK Designs shown).   It is rude to bring extra guests and expect the couple to pay for them.
• The couple has to finalize their flower orders not later than 3 weeks prior to the wedding day, which means they need to know how many centerpieces they need.
• For off-premise locations, every item that is at the location is brought in, so when the guest count changes, so does the number of chairs that has to be ordered, the amount of chinaware, glassware, flatware, chairs, napkins and if there is a significant change it can also affect the number of tables, linens and/or tent size.
• Many couples also prepare personalized printed materials such as programs, place cards, menus, enlarged seating diagrams, etc. which is is a very thoughtful, but also very time consuming so they are finishing these the month before the wedding.
• Please be sure to only R.S.V.P. if you are actually planning to attend the event.      Did you know that a no-show for just one couple could easily cost the couple between $200-$250 (cost of meals, chairs, flatware, china, glassware, printed materials, flowers for napkins, etc)?

So the next time you are invited to an event, please consider the above and put yourselves in the hosts’ shoes.   Would you like to deal with all of the last minute changes?  Would you like to waste $250?

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