How to Handle your Guests not RSVP-ing

Collecting RSVPs is one of the biggest pain points for couples. Even with all of the resources available, some guests just completely forget to tell you if they’re coming to your wedding or not.

For us personally, we wanted this process to be as painless as possible, so I’m going to write about exactly what we did to collect RSVPs and keep tabs on our guest count!

*Please note, none of this is sponsored, though they really should pay me for this #content.

First off, we used a few online resources to collect addresses and track our RSVPs as they were returned. The first tool we used is called "I Need Your Address." It is exactly what it sounds like – an easy address-gathering tool where you customize exactly what you need from people. For us, we only gathered names and addresses, but you can also gather emails and phone numbers (which, in hindsight, we should have gathered, too, to send reminders). Once you’ve gathered everyone’s address, you can export all of that information as a CSV file and upload it to whatever vendor is printing your envelopes. 

For our save-the-dates, we went through Minted to design and order our only printed items. We uploaded everyone's address to our Minted account, and they printed all of them onto envelopes for us. This way, all we had to do was stuff the envelopes, stamp them, and put our return address on them. Pro tip: order an ink stamp with your return address on it. Your writing hand will thank me later.

When it comes to your RSVP deadline, you get to decide how strict you’ll be. For us, since we chose not to send out printed invitations, we employed our parents to keep track of our extended family members’ RSVPs. But for the rest of our guests, who are tech-savvy millennials, we know we can count on them to meet the digital deadline.

Since our wedding is September 30th, our RSVP deadline is August 30th. We’ve decided that on August 15th, if we have a whole bunch of people who still haven't RSVP’d, I am going to type up a little blurb that says: 

“Hi! I noticed you haven't RSVP'd to our wedding. Our deadline is August 30th, so that the caterer can properly plan for our guests. Are you planning on attending our wedding? Here’s the link for the RSVP: [Insert link] Thanks so much! We hope to see you there!"

Then, I'm going to copy and paste that blurb into Facebook messages to everybody, and that's all they're going to get from me – just the "automated” message. Honestly, in the midst of wedding planning, I don't have time to make it personal, and it's fine! My potential guests won’t think twice about it. I just need to know if they're coming or not. This is where I wish I had asked for email addresses to send these reminders, rather than using my personal Facebook account to do so! If you have a member of your wedding party who wants to help a bit more, you can also delegate this task to them!

If it gets to be August 30th and they still haven't RSVP’d, I’ll have to assume they're not coming. Even though that’s a bummer, it's okay, but my caterer needs to know how much food to make. Otherwise we’re telling people to bring a chair and a sandwich. :)

Thankfully, a lot of our guests are responding pretty quickly for us! By now, you’ve probably heard of the term “wedding boom.” I truly do think we’re receiving so many RSVPs so quickly because after the last year, people are looking forward to having a big event to go to. So they're just excited and getting it on their calendar because they're ready to go now.

If you’re having a more casual affair, you can even make a Facebook event to keep everyone informed and up-to-date. I do have one bride who did this recently, in addition to sending out printed invitations, just in case something gets lost in the mail! It gave her guests a very easy way to stay updated and communicate with her if needed!

All in all, my biggest recommendation is to think of your future self and do everything you can to set yourself up for success, so that you don’t have to do more work!

If you’re picking up what I’m putting down and you’re ready to get in touch, hit that button below!