Is it normal these days not to RSVP?!


Question: It has been suggested that some people do not understand what RSVP stands for, because the abbreviation comes from the french répondez s'il vous pla?t, which directly translates to respond if you please. It might help clear up the confusion if you use Please Respond and then a date. Or you can spell it out even further and just write Please Respond, regrets only, which will mean that people only call if they're not coming.
Unfortunately most people do not RSVP, so I try to follow up my invitation with a phone call or an e-mail to confirm whether or not they're coming.


Answers: It has been suggested that some people do not understand what RSVP stands for, because the abbreviation comes from the french répondez s'il vous pla?t, which directly translates to respond if you please. It might help clear up the confusion if you use Please Respond and then a date. Or you can spell it out even further and just write Please Respond, regrets only, which will mean that people only call if they're not coming.
Unfortunately most people do not RSVP, so I try to follow up my invitation with a phone call or an e-mail to confirm whether or not they're coming.

quite normal.Most people ignore RSVP s anyway

Unfortunatley, yes. People's social skills and ettiquette have declined drastically over the last 25 years.

One person told me if you dont call it means your coming(they said you only called if you werent going) and then another person said you must call so when i was like 20 i never rsvpd...but,now i always try to that i know you are suppose to so that they can get a good head count.Good Luck!!!
But I agree everytime i send out party invites no one calls;)

In these days of email, cell phones and text messages formal RSVP's have gone out the window. I think it's still good manners to let someone know SOMEHOW if you can or cannot attend an event. If someones planning a dinner party it's only fair to let them know if you're going or not. However the formal written RSVP is pretty much reserved for very high end stuff.

Normal or not it is somewhat rude not to.
RSVP translates as Please Reply. If someone has been kind enough to ask you to something and then said politely to PLEASE let them know if you can come could you then consider it polite to say nothing? If someone, for example asked you to your face "Are you able to come to my dinner party on Thursday?" would it be polite to look at them, say nothing and walk away? Same thing... simple manners.
Nowhere has it ever said paper and pen are a pre-requisite of RSVP, although traditional etiquette would probably be for the RSVP to be in the same fashion as the invite, so I would say that in this modern age as long as you gave some form of reply, barring a grunt that is LOL, all would be well.

I think more and more people don't do it. I find it's rude though because, as the host, how are you going to be sure you have enough snacks and drinks for everyone, if a bunch of people you aren't expecting decide to show up?!

Translated it means; Repondez s'il vous plait, it's origins are French, where proper Etiquette is so important.

Sadly, yes. You should RSVP, it is the proper thing to do so that the host/hostess can better estimate all that is needed for a great party or event.

Good manners never go away!! You should always RSVP, if you are coming or not.

A lot of lunk heads and losers no longer understand what RSVP even means. My husband recently talked to an upset caterer that served a large dinner where 30 people did not show up.





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