How to RSVP: A Guide to Letting Your Host Know What You Are Doing

If you are lucky enough to be invited to a party, it is absolutely imperative that you reply with your intentions. It will save the host a whole lot of angst and you will gain the reputation of being considerate. In this article, I will break down how to RSVP.

Sometimes, you will be invited somewhere and you will want to hold open your schedule because something better might just come along. This is a very tricky situation when you will want to be cordial to your hosts and also be true to your wants. Instead of letting on that you are waiting for a better offer, it is usually better to just go ahead and tell the person, "No thank you." While it is true that you could end up getting left out to dry with nothing to do, this is the right way to handle that situation. You never want to let on that you are holding your potential host as a second-rate backup.

If you want to be extremely formal, then you should reply to any invitation in writing. Generally, a hand-written note will suffice. It is also appropriate in most cases to respond in the way that you were invited. If you were invited through a letter, then respond in like kind. The same can be said for an e-mail or a phone call. If you are replying to an invitation from a wedding, then you will want to be sure to respond with respect in a note.

Write in third person to be more formal. If you are going to attend then use a phrase such as, "John Smith greatly appreciates the invitation and will attend." If you are not going, then be cordial enough to regretfully let your host know this. In this case, you will always want to avoid giving out the reason why you will not attend. This is none of their business and they probably do not care anyway.

The reply card is an addition to the RSVP process that has made it much easier on both hosts and their prospective guests. Instead of having to call and make sure their guests are coming, hosts have put a card in their invitations that allow an easy way for people to respond to the invite. If you invitation has one of these, then do not be afraid to use it. If it does not have one of these, then you will have to respond in writing anyway.

One situation which you may encounter is the question of whether or not you can bring guests. Sometimes this is alright and sometimes it is not. If the invitation indicates that guests are acceptable, then you should let your host know that a guess will be coming with you.

It will obviously be alright with them, but planning the party or reception will be much easier if they know exactly how many people are coming to the party. You should never hope to bring folks to an occasion without first clearing it with your host. This will save an awkward situation for both you and your host as they might not have made preparations for your guest.