It is always exciting to have check marked the fact that you have mailed out your wedding invitations however there can be RSVP miscommunications that can occur. Yes, although it makes you feel more alive with the fact this is really happening. It can quickly turn to more stress because your guests have some misunderstandings towards your wedding RSVP requirements. This can make any bride want to panic but not you because I got you covered.
Let’s go through potential miscommunications that your guests can blindside you with.
Your Guest RSVP with Their Kids
Even though many couples automatically RSVP their children regardless if the name is on the invitation or not. You will want to make this clear ahead of time if you are having kids at your wedding or not. This choice is completely up to you but it is good to nip that question in the butt way in advance. If you are worried about offending family or friends, you can always choose to add it to your wedding website and not on your wedding invitation. Just as a general rule of thumb.
If however, they still think they can bring their children, maybe they didn’t see the note on your wedding website, you will have a quick chat. Let them know that you are so excited that they can come to your wedding but explain that there was a mix-up and as a couple, you have decided to not have kids at your wedding.
Alternatively, if this is a huge issue, think about providing a kids area separate from adults and providing a babysitter or volunteers to alternate watching the kids. Or allow kids at the reception and not the ceremony. Do what is most comfortable with you.
Related: 16 Brilliant Ways to Occupy Kids At Your Wedding
Guests Add a Plus One
Guests don’t typically want to go anywhere alone so they may think they are allowed to have a plus one. Now, not every bride and groom can afford for all of their guests to have a plus one so you will have to make that clear ahead of time. This means, that you can add this information to your wedding website by saying that you are trying to keep this intimate.
If they want further explanation then you can also mention that your venue has a max number of people that you can have in the venue. This makes your conversation more focused on the fact it can’t be allowed but in an understanding way.
Your Guests Don’t RSVP at All
Not everyone is going to be organized enough to RSVP to your wedding. This means you are going to have to hunt them down and chase them around just to know if they are coming to your wedding or not. This can be frustrating because you need your total number for catering and beyond. However, this cannot be avoided your guests are going to forget, they are going to leave it on their fridge as a reminder but then procrastinate about it.
Here is what to do for all those forgetful guests. You are going to give them a grace period of a few days past your RSVP date, think a week max. Then carve out some time contact them to follow up on if they had a chance to think to see if they are available for your wedding date. If they are not sure, make sure to let them know that you understand, however, you do need to know as soon as possible to let your venue know. It will give them the little push they need.
No Name on the RSVP Card
So you are happy that you got an rsvp card returned to you but because there is no name on it, you have no idea who sent this to you. Yikes! This could happen because they were in a rush to send this to you and simply forgot to put their name on it. Or maybe you can’t read the writing of the person’s name due to bad writing.
To avoid this from happening, the best thing to do is to number the back of each RSVP card. You can choose to do this discrete by using an invisible pen that can only be seen with a black light. And keep a spreadsheet with the coordinating reply card numbers on it. That way, you get everyone without wondering who sent what.
Last-Minute Guest
There are going to be times when you guests decided to last-minute bail on your wedding or last-minute attend your wedding. For this instance, you are going to want to let your venue and catering know immediately so that they can prep accordantly. In some cases, there is nothing a company can do about last-minute guests bailing so you will have to accept that you will have extra food to go.
For last-minute additions, try to have some blank place cards on hand for those moments. Think about having a list of extra people just in case. Don’t sweat about too deeply because there are always ways around it.
Final Thoughts
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