Tracking Guest RSVPs

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Tracking all of the responses from your invited wedding guests can be quite a nightmare! In our latest weekly Wedding Planning Series feature, we’re not only giving super useful advice on how to manage your RSVPs, but we’re also throwing in a FREEBIE Wedding Guest Tracker printable to help you keep track of your invited guest’s yay’s and nay’s!

Tips for Tracking Wedding Guest RSVPs

1. Invite only as many guests as your wedding venue can accommodate – Although, a quarter of guests are likely to decline, rather be safe than sorry and resist the urge for over inviting.
2. First number your RSVP cards, before sending – When printing out your RSVP cards, include a number on your guest list that corresponds to each guest’s name and the respective number of plus one’s invited. This will save the day when you’re tracking who has RSVP-ed from a range of RSVP cards without guest names. If this top tip has completely slipped your mind or it’s too late to have it stylishly printed onto your RSVP cards, get your hands on a magical invisible ink pen and start smiling as you’re able to number your RSVP cards without your guests noticing your handiwork under normal lighting. 
3. Set an RSVP deadline and make it stand out – Set a RSVP deadline for your guests to respond by and ensure that it stands out on your wedding invite and/or response card. If possible, set your “RSVP by” date for at least one month before you have to confirm final attendance numbers with your venue and caterer. Destination weddings differ in the vast amount of time needed to plan in advance starting with your Save-the-Dates, which should be sent out about 9 months before your intended wedding date. Invites should be sent at least four and a half months before your Big Day, with an RSVP deadline set for two months before your wedding date so that travel arrangements can be made. 
4. Send your wedding invitations on time – It is generally accepted for your wedding invites to be sent between 3 months to 6 weeks before your wedding date as shown in this uber useful Wedding Stationery Timeline {Wedding Planning Series}. Ideally, you should try to send out your wedding invites 2 months before your wedding date, which will firstly, allow your wedding guests with about one month to respond, and secondly, give you a month to follow up with guests that haven’t rsvp-ed and to confirm final numbers with your vendors.
5. Introduce your guests to your fabulous friend, RSVP – Keep it short and sweet! In your wedding invite, bring up the inclusion of your RSVP details or response card amongst the details by asking your invited guests to please respond using the attached RSVP or response card to let you know if they’ll be attending. Ensure that your response card stands out from your wedding invitation. 
6. Make RSVP-ing easy peasy – Take the ugh out of your guests responding, by providing them with a few different ways to RSVP depending on what they’d prefer. If you’re dead-set on having actual response cards, then ensure they’re pre-addressed with enough postage stamps included to find their way to you at no cost to your guests. Make sure that your response cards include an email address, name and contact number of a person who will track your RSVPs and/or wedding website that your guests may also respond to. 
7. Track your RSVPs using a spreadsheet – Track your guest’s names and plus one (if applicable), contact details, their yes/ no response and meal preference in a spreadsheet. We’ve created a gorgeous spreadsheet to save you the sweat ‘n time!
8. Time to follow up – As your guest’s RSVPs begin to trickle in and the RSVP deadline has come and gone, now it is time for you to follow up with those invited guests who didn’t get back to you. Extend a call according to priority from those closest loved ones first, before you tackle the rest.

UPDATE:  We’re updating our workbook to make it even better. It’s not available at the moment.

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