What RSVP means, and how to collect replies
RSVP is French: répondez s'il vous plaît, "please reply". It has been on English invitations for so long that most people read it as a word rather than an instruction — which is part of why so many go unanswered.
What to write instead of just "RSVP"
The four letters tell a guest that a reply is wanted, but not by when or how. Both of those are what actually produce an answer. "Please let us know by 14 August" outperforms "RSVP" because it contains a date.
Give exactly one way to reply. Offering a form, an email address and a phone number splits your answers across three places and guarantees you will lose count of someone.
Ask for the headcount, not just yes or no
A "yes" from a household is not a number. Ask how many are coming in the same step, and you avoid the second round of messages that otherwise starts about a fortnight before the day.
While you are asking, this is the natural place for dietary requirements and anything about children. One question each, optional, and no more — every extra field costs you replies.
- Attending / maybe / cannot come
- How many people, including children
- Anything you need to know about food
- An optional message — most guests write something, and you will keep them
Why replies arrive faster on a digital invitation
The reply happens where the invitation is. There is no address to copy, no email to compose, no promise to reply later that gets forgotten by the evening. That is the whole difference, and it shows in how many answers land in the first day.
It also gives you one list rather than a mixture of texts, emails and things somebody mentioned at a birthday. When the caterer asks for numbers, you read one screen.
Frequently asked
Does "RSVP" need a full stop between the letters?
No. R.S.V.P. and RSVP are both correct; modern invitations almost always drop the stops. What matters is the date beside it.
What if a guest never replies?
Chase once in writing, then telephone. Anyone still unreachable a fortnight before the day should be counted as not coming — holding a seat for silence is how catering budgets are lost.