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How To Get Guests Who Did Not RSVP To Your Party: Success Tips


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So you’re busy planning a party, and you’ve had some response so far, to the invitations that went out. Unfortunately not everyone is  replying as far as you’d like. You’re not sure how to get guests who did not RSVP to give you an answer.

Yes, it can be a frustrating position to be in, in that you’ve given your guests time to reply. What seems like a simple request in your eyes – just a tick a box or reply with a yes or no answer – can end up causing a major holdup. What can you do about it, to break this bottleneck?

Before we get into the steps of how to get those guests who did not RSVP, word of warning you should know about first.

How To Get Guests Who Did Not RSVP By Not Doing This

And what’s the word of warning? Not to overreact and get upset with the lack of responses.

Yes, it can be hard, even hurtful from the initial lack of response. It can easily be perceived as a kind of rejection. People are busy and can forget to reply, it’s only natural. Avoiding getting into a pity party and viewing their lack of responses as a personal attack.

You’ve probably also got a lot on your mind, regarding catering, seating plan, numbers needed for the venue. And this is the headspace you need to be in, when reaching out to your guests. You want people to let you know yes or no, so you can sort out the event planning side of things

How To Get Guests Who Did Not RSVP: Steps To Success

Give your guests a couple more days. – Just wait a few more days before you start reaching out. It could be the email or posted RSVP is on its way and hasn’t yet arrived. Perhaps the initial RSVP hasn’t been received, due to post or technical glitches.

Start reaching out. – After you’ve given people adequate time to response, it is time for you to start making some calls. If you’ve got a big guest list, rope someone in to help you out.

Make sure to avoid chastising your guest for their late response. Instead, calmly ask them if they’ve received the invitation. If their response is yes, mention how you’ve not received an RSVP and would love to know if they can come to your party.

Sure, the conversation can feel a little awkward at first. One way to take the bite out of the moment is by underscoring your need to finalise catering and venue decisions. People will understand your quest for this information and will likely respond.

How To Get Guests Who Did Not RSVP Or Return Your Call

If you cannot reach people by phone, then leave a voicemail. Once you’ve done that, follow up the voicemail with a text message or an email. That way, at least you’ve got all your bases covered and done the best you can. Again make sure how you address the late RSVP is done in a polite and graceful way, rather than coming across as stressed out and annoyed.

Make sure you send your emails out individually, and not as a group email.

If you do have to finalise numbers, you can go the business-like route, by letting them know if they don’t reply within a certain time, they will be marked as not attending. Try and be delicate about this too, using wording such as: “I’ve not received your RSVP and I need to get final numbers to the caterer. If I don’t hear back from you by [X date], then I’ll take it you can’t attend. If you do want to come, please ring me back at [this phone number] as soon as possible.”

How To Get Guests Who Did Not RSVP Or Follow-Up

If you’ve done everything you can to try and get an answer from your intended guest, to no avail, then you’ve done the best you can. All you do now is cross them off your list and move on. There isn’t any point trying to do more, just get your event organised and enjoy the time with the guests who have said yes.

Now you know how to get guests who did not RSVP, you won’t let this dilemma anymore when it comes to organising your event. You can’t control everything, except the one thing you can control: your composure.

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