What Is Meaning of RSVP

 

 

RSVP Definition: "Please Reply"

 
What is the meaning of RSVP?
The RSVP meaning comes from the first letter of each word of the French phrase - Répondez S'il Vous Plaît .

What Is RSVP Meaning today?

What does rsvp stand for? The definition of R.S.V.P. (Repondez S’il Vous Plait) actually means “Please reply”, however, in today’s society the rsvp definition seems to mean different things to different people.

RSVP Definition:

To the busy mom
… call if you can find the time.

To the procrastinator
… call the night before the party.

To the organized parent
… call the night you get the invitation. (Love these!!)

To the oblivious person
… don’t call just show up.

To the oblivious and manner less
… don’t call just show up with 2 younger uninvited siblings.

Which one are you?

  

 

 

 

 

What Does RSVP Mean For Invited Guests?

The meaning of the invitation RSVP means that the Host(ess) would like you to tell them whether or not you are attending the birthday party. 

They are planning food, favors, games and activities for the party and need to know how many guests will be there.  

When should you respond to the RSVP?
Call as soon as possible to let the Hostess know your child will attend the party.   

While a RSVP the night before the party is not the greatest .... no response is worse, so call whether your child will attend or not.  

Whatever you believe to be the meaning RSVP for any party that you or your children are invited to attend.  

Why do you have to respond?
Hosts need a head count at the very least 2 - 3 days before the party to know how much food to prepare, how many goody bags to buy and how many games, activities to plan.  No or Yes ... don't make them guess!

How do you respond?
Use the phone number or email address on the invitation to respond to the RSVP.
Don’t send the message with your son or daughter to tell the child at school whether they will be at the party or not. Some children forget and others may be intimidated if they wont’ be able to attend and everyone else is talking about going to the party.



It may be a little uncomfortable calling to let a parent you don’t know personally that your son/daughter won’t be attending the party. But remember, they thought enough of your child to send them an invitation to a party …. Think enough of them to respond.


What is Meaning of RSVP For Hosts / Hostesses

RSVP means you’re in limbo waiting the reply of others.

It is obvious that the term RSVP has different meanings to different parents. To some it means call if you’re coming, to others call if you’re not coming.

And some don’t know what it means so they ignore it and do what they want - either have their child attend or not without letting you know which one until the party starts.

To help encourage a response by guests let them know on the invitation what YOUR definition is of RSVP.


Here are some ideas to let parents know what you need:

On the invitation where it says - RSVP - write in:

Please let me know if _______ will be joining us for Timmy's party.  We have lots of fun things planned and need a guest count by __date___ .
Thank you,  Liz   (include the hosts first and/or last name ).

OR:

Please let us know if you will attend by ___________.
If we don’t hear from you we will assume you are not coming. (Fill in the blank with a date 3 days before the party).

This tells parents if they don’t let you know by that date then you will not be expecting them. It may sound a little harsh, but actually, it lets everyone know what is expected and there is no second-guessing what you want.

OR:

We will be serving lunch at the party.  Please let us know if your child has any food allergies when you RSVP so we can accommodate them. 

OR:

We are planning a fun craft for the party!   Please let me know your child's favorite color when you RSVP. 

Always Include a way for guests to RSVP
Include your phone number and/or email address on the invitation so parents can contact you one of two ways.

And always write in the hostess' name …. no one likes to call and ask for “Julie's Mom”.

Once again, the best thing you can do when you get an invitation is always RSVP!






Sticky Party Situations and How To Avoid Them!


There are certain ways to word an invitation that will let guests know how to respond to the RSVP.  

And there are also ways to word an invitation that will eliminate any sticky party situations that can occur. 

For instance what if a guest shows up with a younger brother or sister that wants to attend the party? (Yes, this has actually happened to me several times) 

See our page on How to Avoid Sticky Party Situations for how to avoid this and other potential situations like:

How to ask guests to pay at a venue?

How to avoid having parents stay during the party / or how to ask parents to attend the party with their child.

How to make sure siblings don't tag along to the party. 

and many more!