I have been hearing the horror stories about how you send your invitations out with an RSVP date of 3-4 weeks later, so you can get your final count to your caterer on-time. 4 weeks later, Only about 1/2 of your invitations have been responded to. So, 2 weeks before your wedding, you are making phone calls to all of the people who have not responded–and normally, you have to leave a couple of messages until they finally get back to you, and, if you have folks coming from far away, you have to deal with the long distance changes. And it’s not like you don’t have anything else to do at this time…

I don’t know about you, but I have NO desire to make 30-40 phone calls 10 days before my wedding, just because people lose their reply card, forget to respond, or think “RSVP” means “only call if I am attending” or “only call if I cannot attend”. Actually, RSVP is French and means “Respond if You Please”

In my reading, I came across RSVP Services–If you go to Ask and type in “RSVP Services” you will get tons of hits for various different types. All of them vary from 75 cents and up per invitation or guest, depending on what you want them to do. And what they do is this: You provide them with your guest list and all of the pertinent info regarding your wedding. They will set up your website with the info and issue you an extension #. When you send out your invitations, instead of a reply card and envelope (or postcard) and postage, your guests receive a small card that will say something to the effect of:

Please reply by Date by calling XXX at 1-800-xxx-xxxx, ext. XX or online at xxx.com.

Your guests can call the 800 # and leave the appropriate information, and if you choose to also to have a website, they can also leave their information on the handy online form.

The website will also contain all of the appropriate information you need to relay, including menu choices, hotels, where you are registered, directions– just about anything you want your guests to know. If your guests have questions, they can also leave them on the voicemail at the 800 #, and someone will get back to them…

And here is the BEST part. On your RSVP due date, the service will begin calling the guests (up to 3 times) who have not responded, to get their information! How cool is this?

So, you save on having to buy stamps for the respond cards, reduce people calling your house with questions when you are swamped with wedding plans, and people can respond 24-7. The people who do not respond are tracked down and their responses are gathered–which will save you a bundle, as you would not have to pay for these meals.

And during the whole process, you have access to a database online with the status of the folks who have already responded. About a week after your RSVP due date, you will have a complete list of who is, and who is not, attending your wedding.

While this is a new thing here, I am betting this is very popular in the big cities. And I am so excited that I found out about this service–I think it’s going to save me a TON of grief, aggravation and time!