If you are reading this you are most likely about to send out your wedding invitations which is SO exciting! This means you are getting close to your wedding day….yay! RSVP tracking can be a pain which is why we want to give you all of our best tips and tricks to take some of the weight off. Keep reading to see all of our top tips!

1. Set a Deadline: On your invitations and/or your details card you will set an “RSVP by” date. It is critical that you include this so that your guests do not drag their feet on getting back to you. It is inevitable that you will have stragglers and because of that, I usually suggest to my clients that they set their “RSVP by” date 6 weeks before the wedding day. Most vendors need your final count by the 4 week out mark so I like my brides to have 2 weeks of buffer time to hunt down the RSVPs they haven’t received yet. This way we aren’t changing things drastically as we get closer to the wedding. Don’t forget – you will most likely have people who RSVP “yes” and then don’t show up. Don’t let this get to you. Things happen!
2. Create an RSVP card (paper or virtual): Be sure to include all important questions on your RSVP card: RSVP “yes” or “no” and for how many (some guests to are offered a plus one may not take you up on it and some guests may take it upon themselves to add their children – yikes). Will you be utilizing our complimentary transportation services? If yes, where will you need to be picked up from (side note: it is recommended that you only send your transportation service to a few designated hotels but you do have the option of going to individual airbnbs and such – you will just need a very detailed schedule and a clear way to communicate that to your guests)? Do you have any dietary restrictions? Meal selection (if plated)? Any song requests (optional)?
3. Create an Organized System + Track Responses: If you aren’t already working with a wedding planner this step will be especially important. If you are working with a wedding website such as theknot.com they make it super easy to do virtual RSVPs. You simply upload a spreadsheet with all of your guest info and then share a link/QR code with your guests and they find their name online. It will then prompt them to answer the questions you have. If you want to go a more traditional route, you can send out RSVP cards. You will need to provide an RSVP card envelope that is stamped and addressed as a courtesy for your guests. If you decide to go this route, you will need to create your own spreadsheet that includes all of your guest info and check off “yes” or “no” for each. You will also want to specify how many guests are in each party (include plus ones and kids if they are invited).
4. Follow up: Some people just need a gentle nudge to remind them to RSVP. Consider sending out an email blast about 1 week prior to your RSVP date. If there are people you still don’t hear from by your RSVP date then you will need to reach out to them individually.
5. Relay final results to vendors and guests: Like I mentioned earlier, the majority of your vendors will need final counts by 4 weeks out. Be sure to communicate with them and get them the details they need in a timely manner. Your guests “yes” will need to be represented on your seating chart and/or escort/place cards. Make sure anyone who said they are coming to your wedding is included here. If they said they were bringing a plus one or kids who weren’t invited you need to communicate with them before the day-of that those people will not be included on the seating chart.