I must say, I’ve been in the wedding business for almost 10 years now and I still do not understand how people can simply NOT reply to an invitation.  I see it happen with birthday parties, weddings, free classes…..the list goes on and on.  I think it’s time we educate those who are invited to an event, especially one such as a wedding (one of THE most expensive events there is) as to the proper ettiquette of an RSVP. 
 
What Does RSVP Mean on an Invitation?
RSVP is the abbreviation of four French words. Thus, RSVP means ‘répondez s’il vous plaît’. This phrase literally translates as ‘Respond if you please’ or even simply, ‘Please respond’. This tradition was started by the French people. The French are well-known for their etiquettes. In fact, they are even credited with coming up with various etiquettes that are followed to this day. **http://www.buzzle.com  /By Dr. Sumaiya Khan**

 

Well, please, let me explain.  When one plans a wedding, depending on their venue, they may need to rent a plate, fork, knife, spoon, chair, napkin and glass for each person that comes, which in my business will cost approximately $6-11/person.  On top of that, the caterer will normally charge a price per person and it all depends on the meal as to the cost.  On average, a meal per person at a wedding will range from $25-50/person, and we may as well add on a bar charge for each guest, which averages about $21-35/per person.  Let’s not forget the venue location fees that also tack on a per person charge for extra chairs, tables, linens and staffing.   Right now, YOU as a guest, would cost that bride and groom almost $100 on the high end of our “average” wedding.  I’m going to guess that those of you that have not planned a wedding are saying “Wow” right about now.
 
Now, let’s do some math here…..if your friends are getting married and they are looking at sending out 200 invitations, that’s going to give them a possible total of 400 guests, if they all reply yes and bring a guest.  Two weeks before the wedding is when they will most likely have to finalize their guest count with their venue, their caterer, their cake baker, their rental company and maybe even their invitation company (for guest seating cards and programs).  If you forgot to respond by the time they gave on their invitation (typically, 3-4 weeks before the wedding), they now have the daunting task of either calling you or playing the guessing game on whether they think you are coming or not.  Either way is simply not fair to them when they have so many other things to be taking care of right before the biggest day of their lives.  Multiply that by the other 30 invitations they have not heard from.  That means, they have about 60 guests they are unsure of right now.  60 guests x $100/per guest = $6000…..that’s a HUGE loss for a bride and groom that are only trying to offer you a great time at their beautiful wedding.  All you had to do, was simply check off ACCEPTS or REGRETS and send back….might have taken you 5 minutes at the most to save your friends $200.  Maybe you will think twice on the next invitation you receive (wink, wink.)

 

I have a little advice for the hosts:  Be sure to send out your invitations about 6-8 weeks in advance of the wedding...

 

Welcome to our very first blog! We are Classic Party Rentals of VA (Virginia)….we are commonly confused with Classic Party Rentals, which is nationally owned. Please note: we are a privately owned company and are not affiliated with the national company (though it is a great company, too), hence the reason we have “VA” as part of our name. Ok, so now that that’s out of the way, I can tell you how it all began.

 

Classic Party Rentals of VA has been providing quality rental equipment since 1997 in the Richmond and surrounding areas. The company was started by Jim Whittleton with very little inventory and small storage pods. Once Jim realized the business was taking off, but needed some additional hands, he then brought on Nina Whittleton. They both co-own the largely growing company now. The way they tell the story, Jim wanted Nina to go out and get some “big fish” so they could really get the company rolling...well, Jim says she did that alright...she went out and got the biggest fish she could find...a very well-known caterer (who will remain nameless) and this caterer told them flat out…”if you want us to do business with you, you need to get at least 3000 pieces of china settings, flatware and glassware”. True story, by the way. Upon leaving the meeting, they quickly had to figure out where they would find those items as well as where in the world were they going to store it???? Needless to say, they opened up a small warehouse and here we are today...

 

Today, we own thousands of chairs in many styles, hundreds of tables in different sizes, linens in over 60 colors, fabrics and styles, thousands of China pieces in several patterns, thousands of flatware in different patterns, grills/ovens, serving pieces….the list goes on and on. If you walked in to our warehouse, you would be completely surprised. Come on, I dare you to come visit...

 

You may ask what our plans for this blog are and why should you read it? Well, let me help you with that...not only will you find the latest trends and styles for your events, but you will get to see firsthand, how this company will continue to grow with creative ideas, positive energy and grace.

 

Our next blog will be on etiquette, specifically RSVP do’s and dont’s...stay tuned. Thanks for reading!

 

Angela Smith is the Director of Bridal Services for Classic Party Rentals of VA. She is a proud member of Richmond Weddings (www.richmondweddings.com) and recently served on the board of Richmond Bridal Association (www.richmondbridalassociation.com) as Programs/Education Chair.