Happy Tuesday!

Most of the time I like to use my blogs to talk about recent questions I have been asked or questions that are very common in the event business. Today’s blog will talk about a question I have come across many times in the last couple of weeks, how to handle RSVP’s. September is a very busy wedding and event month not only for the South because its cooler, but also for the North because leaves are starting to change and the weather is cool but not cold. Since September is such a big month for events and weddings it also means that August and July are large RSVP months. Many vendors such as caterers and venues can request your final head count up to 2 weeks before the event, which means that you must have your finalized guest list by then.

Many times my clients will call me in a panic because it’s 2 days out from their RSVP date and they are still missing a couple dozen RSVP’s. It’s a completely normal reaction to panic, but I promise there are very nice and professional ways to get your guests attention! Here is an easy step by step guide on how to get 95-100% of your RSVP’s back by your RSVP date.

1. Pick an RSVP date that is at least a week or 2 before you absolutely need to finalize your guest list, this will allow for some leeway before your guest count is due to certain vendors.
2. Before you send out your invitations pick a day about a week out from your RSVP date that you can sit down and contact those guests you have not heard from.
3. Send out your invitations about 2 months before your wedding, 3 if it is a destination wedding.
4. Wait, unfortunately for a few weeks after invitations are sent out it is a waiting game as RSVP’s trickle in.
5. If you are comfortable with social media, it is completely okay to remind your friends and family on your social media accounts about 2 weeks out from the RSVP date that you kindly request their response ASAP. You can even post your RSVP website if you have one.
6. A week from your RSVP date contact (call, text, email, etc.) the guests who have not responded. Kindly tell them that you need their response within the week. It is okay to let them know that if you do not hear from them, you will have to mark them as not attending.
7. Once the RSVP date has approached organize your guest list so that it is ready for vendors. You should have a 1 to 2 week leeway incase any RSVP’s are lost in the mail and such.

These 7 steps, should allow for about a 95-100% response rate. Yes, it is extra work having to call and get in contact with individuals, but unfortunately that is just normal circumstances when planning invite only events.

For those reading this that have been invited to an event try your absolute best to respond within 2 weeks of the RSVP date, this allows your event host to do a little less work and a lot less panicking!

As always if you should have any other questions regarding RSVP’s or general event questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to Golden Fete at goldenfete@gamil.com