You took the smart route by collecting online wedding RSVPs, choosing exactly the right RSVP wording, and working so hard to reel in all those RSVP responses. Now we want to make viewing and sorting your RSVPs even easier. For instance, have you ever wanted to know how many children are attending your reception? Or how many “out of towners” are coming to the rehearsal dinner? It’s now a million times easier with our new RSVP filter feature.
In the “Manage Events and RSVPs” section, you’ve previously been able to view a snapshot summary of all RSVP responses for an event. This summary sums up all responses so that you know how many guests provided which answer.
Now, you can also view responses for adults and children, or guests who have a particular tag, like “out of town,” “bride side,” or “wedding party.” This removes the need to tally these responses by hand or in a spreadsheet.
As always, if you want to see the detailed responses for a particular Event, just click on the detailed responses link to view everything on one page. This page can be sorted by column and all RSVP responses can be downloaded to a CSV if you’d like to have them in hand or work with them in Excel, GoogleDocs or Numbers.
Texting, calling, emailing, or sending carrier pigeons to try and collect those final wedding RSVPs? Who has time for that on top of all the other planning you’re managing (like a boss) and any lingering wedding stress? Not you! We’ve talked about the RSVP process before, so here are 3 more easy ways to avoid the anxiety and get people to RSVP to your wedding on time!
Step 1: Make it Simple!
Less is always more. In the case of invitations, this is also true. Your wedding website may be filled with robust information, such as directions, registry, events, and photos of the two of you. It looks great and it’s informative, but make sure the wedding RSVPs section is easily accessible and easy to use. Also provide explicit directions on how to RSVP with an exact date of when to reply by make it easy for guests to understand what to do when.
What’s in a deadline? Don’t forget to set the RSVP deadline two weeks before you actually need the responses to arrive. Let’s put it this way: it’s like telling your best friend who is always late to be there at 5pm when you don’t actually need to leave until 7. It’s just the way it is!
Step 2: Know Your Audience
You know your friends and family. Your best friends from college are all in a group text all the time. Your Great Aunt Cathy calls you every third Sunday at 2pm after mahjong with the ladies. Your mom is a verbal bullhorn live-tweeting service to all of her friends and immediate relatives. As you follow up on those last missing RSVPs, you want to cater to the communication channel that your guests use the most. Tweet, WhatsApp, Facebook and email away…. If email is easiest, Glö’s nifty Messages tool will help send a RSVP reminder email specifically to guests who have not RSVPed and include a direct link to your website (doesn’t get more subtle than that!) You can also tag and group your guests to keep track of who received a paper invitation (Grandpa Joe!) and will need a follow up phone call vs. who’s on the easier to reach email list. Send gentle reminders as needed, giving yourself plenty of time before the final deadline.
How to handle folks who don’t follow directions? Carry around a notebook or make a “note” on your phone with a running list of people who RSVP on the fly or give you a verbal “yes,” but never complete the RSVP process. Then add these RSVPs into your Glö RSVP list at a convenient time.
Step 3: Be Prepared!
It’s not just a good scout’s motto, it’s a good motto for today’s engaged couples, too. Be prepared for a last minute “My dog has to have hip dysplasia surgery!” or a Snowpocolypse or Category 4 Hurricane (depending on where you are getting married and the time of year). Some people may not be able to make it at the very last second. And someone may have booked their flights, gotten you a present, and forgot to RSVP. It’ll happen. Just plan for it, be patient, and stay organized: you’ll be less stressed!
Do I have an “in-case-of-emergency-break-glass” option? When something “comes up,” remember to breathe! You don’t want to come off as a dreaded bridezilla (or the equally terrifying groomzilla) but you also don’t want to be stuck contacting half of your list in the final weeks before the wedding. You have other things to worry about! Worse comes to worse, you can call or text at the last minute. They’ll be embarrassed and you’ll be annoyed, but at least you’ll have your numbers.
You’ve heard the horror stories. Collecting wedding invitation RSVPs from your guests can be painful, but it doesn’t need to be! Traditionally, the RSVP process has started when the wedding invitations go out in the mail and you then wait…wait…and wait for the RSVP cards to be returned. In today’s world, you also have the option to collect wedding RSVPs online, which can be faster and less stressful.
Whether you go old school or adopt a modern-minded approach, here are some top tips on how to make the entire wedding invitation RSVP process run smoothly:
Be s.p.e.c.i.f.i.c – let your guests know *exactly* how to RSVP (e.g., please email your RSVP response to ourwedding@glosite.com) and what your RSVP deadline is. If you are asking guests to RSVP on your wedsite, include text on your invitation like “Please RSVP on our website at: davidandkate.glosite.com by March 1st, 2015.” (Oh, and make sure your wedsite host is set up to handle any responses sent by a guest who thinks your URL is an email address – e.g., davidandkate@glosite.com – because it happens more often than you’d think!)
Snail Mail Bonus Hint: if you are collecting RSVPs by snail mail, set the RSVP deadline two weeks *before* you actually need the responses to arrive. Most guests will feel good if their response is simply postmarked by the reply date (as the taxman has trained us to do…)
Give options- Do you have some friends who like texts and others who prefer email? Thought so! Make it easy for your guests by giving them permission to RSVP in the manner that they prefer: online, email, and text messages are easiest for some while mailing in an RSVP card might feel more comfortable for an older relative.
Snail mail bonus hint: If you’re using snail mail RSVP cards, make sure you include a pre-addressed and pre-stamped return envelope with adequate postage. Also, on the card, provide an alternative method to RSVP (like an email address or phone number.) That will help the busy guest who discovers the RSVP card in her “to do” pile 5 days after the RSVP deadline!
Stay organized – As the RSVPs start to roll in, make sure they are captured in one place so that you know both who has/has not RSVPed, as well what the responses are. If you’re not using a service like Glö to capture, organize and tally your responses, start a guestlist and RSVP spreadsheet. Here is an example spreadsheet in case you want to steal it! When you receive an RSVP, remember to add it to the spreadsheet right away so that nothing gets lost or forgotten.
Snail mail bonus hint: If you are sending paper RSVP cards in your invitations, number each one lightly on the back in pencil and mark down what number card goes with what guest or household on your spreadsheet. You’d be amazed at the number of cards that are returned without a name on them and this will make things oh-so-much easier to track.
Follow up (gently) – Your guests are interesting, fun people – but this means they are busy too. Although you are thinking about your wedding day and night, they are not, and there is *nothing* wrong with that. Many of your guests will need a gentle reminder that the RSVP deadline is coming up. Email is a great way to reach out.
Snail mail bonus hint: if you’re not using a service like Glö to manage your RSVPs and guest communications online, make sure you gather everyone’s emails and phone numbers together early in your planning so you have them when you need to follow up on those final missing RSVPs.
Plan ahead – don’t wait until 3 days before your catering numbers are due to start calling everyone in panic. Add some calendar invites to remind yourself when to send the first gentle reminder and when to start picking up the phone and dialing. If you’re collecting RSVPs online – consider asking guests to submit a tentative RSVP (i.e. using the “yes/no/maybe” question type on your Glö RSVPs) when you send out your Save the Dates. Their earlier you can start to get a handle on your attendance numbers, the easier your planning will be!One other tip is to build in some buffer for the unexpected yay or nay. Expect one or two guests to drop out at the last minute and one or two others to call at last minute and ask whether they can still come. If you are mentally and logistically prepared for this to happen, it will be less stressful when it does!
At the end of the day, the most important thing is not to panic. Collecting RSVPs just requires a patient and methodical approach. You will get there!
