RSVP

Wedding invitation by zakwitnij

I will admit right now that I am terrible about RSVP's. Terrible. I usually send mine in late, if at all. The only ones I do in a timely manner are wedding invitations, and that is mainly because weddings require so much planning that I would feel pretty guilty about a late notice.

That being said, it's actually quite rude not to respond to most invitations. I say 'most' because responding is an imposition on you, and often when you did not ask for such a burden. Surely you can't be expected to respond to everything that is presented to you. However, for events where you have been personally invited, it is your duty to respond.

Now, if you've ever been on the other side of the table and been the one sending out the invites, here are a few tips to prepare you for the nightmare to come.

(1) Only about 50% of people will respond to any RSVP, weddings included, whether they are coming or not. This is the truth to life. Try not to browbeat those who did not respond. If you absolutely must know, then perhaps a phone call would be more appropriate.
(2) There will always be someone who tries to 'work' an invitation. For example, on a wedding invitation, you would expect someone to put down either 1 or 2 guests for attendance. There will always be someone who puts down 6. Be prepared to call this person to negotiate something more reasonable.
(3) You should always specify the dress of the event, if you've gone through the trouble of printing invitations. Weddings are usually the only event where level of dress is assumed.
(4) Normally, people will only bring young children if the invitation states that children are welcome. But there will always be those who think that everyone wants to see their kids. If you wish to head this off at the pass, then you can actually say, "No children, please."
(5) Please remember that this is your event, and you should not be made to feel guilty about putting limits or restrictions in place. You are, after all, inviting them!
(6) Unless it is an informal event, please don't use e-vite. I love the service, and it's very handy for little things, but it's horribly tacky for things like weddings and galas.