When it comes to your wedding, you should have as minimal stress as possible. RSVPs can be overwhelming. Here are some tips to keep that stress to a minimal so you can enjoy every moment of the wedding journey.
1. Make It Clear
- Make it easy for your guests to know exactly how you expect them to RSVP. Whether that be through email, via your wedding website, phone call or text message or the traditional snail mail response card.
- If you are having your guests mail their responses make sure the card includes their name(s), a clear indication of will or will not attend, number attending, their entrée preference or song requests, if relevant. Include a self-addresses, pre-stamped return envelope so the guest has everything they need to return it.
- If you are having your guests mail their responses make sure the card includes their name(s), a clear indication of will or will not attend, number attending, their entrée preference or song requests, if relevant. Include a self-addresses, pre-stamped return envelope so the guest has everything they need to return it.
2. Give a Realistic Deadline
- Make sure to give an exact date that you need the RSVPs by from your guests. Typically, the response is 3-4 weeks before your wedding. This will give you time to collect your final head count after checking in with those that haven’t responded and give it to the caterer (usually 1-2 week before your wedding day).
3. Organize the Replies
- As you begin to receive responses, make sure to have a spreadsheet created to organize who has and hasn’t RSVPed.
- We typically tell our brides to set up their spreadsheets in a cloud based system (GoogleDocs, Dropbox, etc.). that allows them to access it from anywhere. Typical columns for an RSVP spreadsheet are: Title, First Name, Last Name, Email, Household, Address Line 1, Address Line 2, City, State, Postal Code, Phone Number, Save the Date Sent, Invitation Number (explained below), Attending Wedding, Attending Welcome Event/Rehearsal Dinner/Other Events, Dietary Restrictions, Meal Choice, Song Request, Gift, Thank You Sent.
- We typically tell our brides to set up their spreadsheets in a cloud based system (GoogleDocs, Dropbox, etc.). that allows them to access it from anywhere. Typical columns for an RSVP spreadsheet are: Title, First Name, Last Name, Email, Household, Address Line 1, Address Line 2, City, State, Postal Code, Phone Number, Save the Date Sent, Invitation Number (explained below), Attending Wedding, Attending Welcome Event/Rehearsal Dinner/Other Events, Dietary Restrictions, Meal Choice, Song Request, Gift, Thank You Sent.
4. How to Deal with Non-Responders
- Although you might be thinking about your wedding morning, noon and night, your guests aren’t. And that’s not a problem. You may have to gently remind several guests that the RSVP deadline is coming up, this can be done via text or email.
- Make sure to reach out to all invited guests you have not heard from within a week of the RSVP deadline. You don’t want to wait too long and create more stress for yourself.
- Make sure to reach out to all invited guests you have not heard from within a week of the RSVP deadline. You don’t want to wait too long and create more stress for yourself.
5. Number the Cards
- We advise that you discreetly write the number corresponding with each guest (from your spreadsheet) on the back of the response cards. You’d be surprised at the number of times a card comes back and the guest didn’t write their name or the handwriting is illegible. This will allow you to find who the response card belongs to without a lot of headache.
6. Staying on Track
- Don’t wait until the last minute to start frantically calling those who haven’t responded. Help yourself by setting a few calendar events to remind yourself to start calling those you haven’t heard from. Another stress reliever is to give yourself some buffer time for the unexpected guests declining and the last minute yes.
Happy planning!
xo
