Avoid This Costly Wedding Horror: RSVP-ers Not Showing on Wedding Day
Imagine this:
After spending countless hours, thousands of dollars, and a good portion of your sanity on wedding planning… you find out on (or right before) Wedding Day, your RSVP’d guests aren’t coming.
It’s not just a few of them, either.
You invited 120 guests, received 80 RSVPs, yet only 45 show up.
YIKES.
You have this sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach that your wedding is going to be awful. The ceremony seating will look barren, the decor has gone to waste, and you could’ve saved hundreds, if not, thousands of dollars if those guests would’ve told you they weren’t coming from the get-go.
This situation is a grave reality for couples everywhere when they make plans to share their wedding with a large group of friends and extended family.
“So, how do we avoid this problem?”
Here’s a few tips to avoid this situation BEFORE it becomes a problem:
- Make a plan to have an intimate wedding. Pull in the guest count to those who truly wish to be there for you and your partner. Choose a smaller venue and create an enhanced experience for your guests in attendance. There’s tons of other benefits to having an intimate wedding as seen in the video here: Why Should I Have a Smaller Wedding?
- Stand firm in your RSVP due-by date. Any additional RSVPs that come after the date will not receive entry. Make it clear in your invitation wording that late RSVPs will not be accepted. Be firm.
3. Trim +1’s. Keep the +1’s that you know directly and speak to on a regular basis! The second cousin you never see and occasionally get a happy birthday Facebook message from might be where you start your trimming.
4. Ditch the alcohol. When you aren’t the one supplying alcohol, you see who’s really there for your special day. (But for the reception, they could be surprised to see a special couples’ cocktail made just for your wedding!)
5. Elope! Skip the whole expensive sha-bang and get married at the courthouse, with a reception to follow later. Or, fly to you and your partner’s favorite destination, and have a little destination wedding followed by a much-needed vacation. There are awesome, affordable options for intimate weddings at resorts!
You deserve to have the most memorable, special wedding day anyone could ask for. Stand up for yourself and your partner and lay out these expectations to have the wedding of a lifetime.
If you’re in the middle of wedding planning, look below for more help to ease your stress:
Top Five Wedding Day Frustrations Couples Experience
Top Wedding Budget-Killers (And How to Save Money During Your Own Wedding Planning)
Wedding Planning Exercise: Who Should Be Invited To Our Wedding?
For more wedding planning hacks, follow along here: Melissa Klatt
