RSVP or Répondez s’il vous plait in French is a common phrase included in invitations in western culture. The purpose is to get a response from the guest on their presence at the event. Knowing who has accepted the invitation or declined it, helps wedding parties plan the event better.
In recent times, we have seen couples in India adopt this practice to their wedding invites as well. It has been hard to make a complete shift because culturally, Indian weddings have always been about grand celebrations that include a vast number of people. More often than not, it is not considered polite to ask your guests to confirm their participation at your event. But considering the pandemic and the birth of whole new perspectives on weddings, the time might just be right to roll this custom out and put it to practice.
Make sure to send out Save The Date Invites
Though a majority of the workforce has shifted into work from home mode, your guests cannot pack their bags and baggage without prior intimation. Sending out a digital reminder to save the date might provide the first level of screening required to know who might be present at the wedding.
Make it Personal
Be sure to let your guests know that by asking them for a confirmation, you are putting them first and giving them a higher priority. Explain the situation over a call when you send out the physical invite or a digital invite. As subtle as possible, let them know that you understand if they cannot make it to the event considering the situation and they need not feel guilty about it.
Word it Wisely
RSVP is still a new term. Many of your guests may not understand the phrase or the importance of the response. Spell it out clearly and concisely asking them to accept or decline the invitation before a given date.
RSVP tag everywhere
If you have a wedding website, make the RSVP seen there. Create opportunities for engagements on this site with your guests so they see the RSVP and respond. Apart from putting it on the physical or digital invite, keep it simple and ask them to send you a text if that’s easiest. At the end of the day, you’ll have to do a little extra work to collect it all, but you’ll at least have a final list of your guests.
Follow Up
It’s okay to pick up the phone and ask the family that hadn’t responded to your RSVP. You might have to make multiple calls or set automated reminders because as big a deal as this is for you, it barely makes the highlight of the day for others. Reminding your guests to let you know of their attendance will only help you serve them better.
