What to Do When Wedding Guests Don’t RSVP

Frustrated with guests ghosting on your wedding RSVPs? 💌 Don’t stress – turn the tables with these clever tips to wrangle those responses! But first, subscribe for the latest tips to your inbox!

Your wedding day is an important and memorable milestone in your life. You’ve taken time to cross off each detail and task from the curated food menu to the decorations. But as you get closer to the big day, you realize there is a significant number of your guests have not RSVP’d. What should you do?

In this article, I’ll share expert strategies for handling the frustrating situation of guests not RSVPing to your wedding. While RSVPs can cause unnecessary stress, by following these tips you’ll be on your way to a successful and more enjoyable wedding.

While you may want to shout your frustration from the rooftops or take it to social media, here are some more tactful ways to encourage guests to RSVP.

The Impact of Missing RSVPs

There are several reasons why guests don’t RSVP on time. It could be travel arrangements, work commitments, childcare, or the date simply got away from them. It can be annoying when guests forget to RSVP to one of the biggest events in your life, but don’t let the frustration get you down. It happens to everyone!

Missing RSVPs can pose a problem for wedding planning, as an accurate headcount ensures there is ample food and drink, as well as seating, for all intended guests. It’s important to wrangle those RSVPs and handle it with grace, even when you feel like stressing out.

Strategies for Encouraging RSVPs

Utilize Different Communication Methods

When the due date for the RSVP cards has passed, it’s OK to contact guests directly to find out if they can make it.

Consider email, a phone call, or a text message, choosing the method you normally communicate with the particular person. If you are using a wedding website like Minted to collect digital RSVPs, you send a reminder to guests within the platform (another good reason to use a wedding website!)

Delegate the Task

It can be awkward asking guests if they can make it to your wedding.

That’s why contacting guests who haven’t RSVP’d is a terrific task delegate to your mom or another family member, the Maid of Honor, or a bridesmaid versus doing it yourself. It is often easier expressing a regret of not being able to come to an outside party – rather than the couple directly.

Handling Late RSVPs

After the due date, and without a message back after attempting to contact the guest, they are most likely not able to attend. Here are further strategies for handling late or non-RSVP guests.

Cut Off Date

Having a cutoff date for late responses is important, but you don’t need to make it publicly known. If you do not hear from the guest(s) within one week of contacting after the due date, they should be marked as not attending. You will need to make necessary adjustments for the final guest count and provide it to your caterer.

Dealing with Non-Responders

You may wonder what to do with wedding guests who don’t respond and whether they’ll just show up to your wedding. While unlikely, it does happen occasionally.

In the event of a guest arriving after not responding, the venue typically handles this by having a few extra places available just in case. If the guest arrives, they’ll charge you the plate; if not, no additional fee. However, this is not the case with all venues, so you’ll want to communicate with vendors about potential charges for these unexpected guests. If there is a non-refundable charge, it may be best to stick to the number of guests who did respond in a timely manner.

If a guest does not RSVP and does not return a message within this timeframe, I think they’re on their own for an assigned seat and a meal. :)

Shift Your Focus

Don’t let the frustration diminish your joy. Stressing over non-responses shifts the focus away from the ones who did RSVP and are looking forward to your wedding. Focus on the joy you’ll share with them instead.

To sum it up, you should place a strong importance of RSVPs for a successful wedding – and accurate headcount. While not receiving RSVPs can be super frustrating and stressful, don’t let it ruin the entire wedding experience. Use good organization skills, communicate effectively, and delegate to assist you in contacting guests who do not RSVP. Remember, focus on the good: guests are attending your wedding and they’ll be there enjoying your special day!

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have more questions in the comments below.

xo
Emma