"Good luck getting people to RSVP to your wedding."
It's always said with a chuckle, but I feel like what they're really saying is, "I'm glad I no longer have to hunt down friends and family members begging to know if they want the fish or lasagna."
Peter and I thought we would be different. I mean, we sent out e-vites! All our family and friends have to do is fill out a quick survey on our wedding website stating whether they would be attending, and what they would like to eat. Simple, right?
For the most part, yes. After our first week we received just over 60 replies. With each day we boasted to one another, "Yup! This sure is easy! We would've never received replies this quickly if we sent out snail mail invites!"
And then the weeks went on. Every day a few more invites would trickle in, but nothing like that first week. Right now we are waiting on about 40 people to RSVP. So! What did we learn from this whole ordeal:
NOT EVERYONE CHECKS THEIR EMAIL AS FREQUENTLY AS WE DO (INCLUDING PEOPLE UNDER 30)
- I probably check my email 20 times a day, and that's excluding every time my phone sends out a notification ping. Obsessive? Sure, but that's just the industry that I'm in. We're online almost all day. Turns out, not everyone has a job that requires them to be married to their phone. Go figure!
FACEBOOK MESSENGER HAS REPLACED EMAIL (FOR SOME PEOPLE)
- People may not be checking email compulsively, but they are checking Facebook. I reached out to a few relatives who did not respond to the e-vite via Facebook messenger, and received an RSVP right away.
MAKE SURE YOU GIVE VERY, VERY, VERY CLEAR RSVP INSTRUCTIONS
- A few friends/family members filled out the survey, but did it only once. We are still unsure as to whether their partners will be attending and will follow up. If we were to send out the e-vites again, I think I would put in bold letters " Please Fill Out One RSVP Per Person".
FOR THE MOST PART, GUYS PROCRASTINATE
- I'm definitely going to touch on this in a future blogpost, but for the most part, we are definitely waiting on more male RSVP's than female. That being said, I'm POSITIVE that if we sent out snail mail invites, we would be in the same boat.
SURVEYS AND SPREADSHEETS FOR THE WIN
- Both get an A++ in my books. We asked our guests to fill out a simple survey about their attendance and meal choice. After they hit 'submit', their form is sent to a Google Spreadsheet that can tabulate all of their answers. This is going to make our lives so much easier come catering time.
PUT AN RSVP DEADLINE IN THE BODY OF YOUR EVITE
- I was a dummy and thought about this, but then decided against it. Turns out just having the deadline on the website isn't enough. People aren't looking at our website as closely as we had initially thought. Another strike against the ol' ego!
Later this week, Peter and I are going to send out another reminder RSVP email. We've given people till the end of this month, so it'll be more of a gentle reminder. Will it make a difference? Let's find out.
