Stop costing people money — show some RSVP R-E-S-P-E-C-T

WASHINGTON >> Event planners often warn clients about the noshows.

Depending on the event, 10% to 20% of the people who RSVP with a “yes” may not show up to your celebration.

I remember that when I was planning my wedding, my grandmother insisted that I invite a neighbor because she didn’t want bad blood on the block. I was already on a tight budget, but I relented and extended an invitation to the older neighbor, who I didn’t know well. The woman and her husband responded that they would attend the reception. They did not show up. Not only that, they never even offered an explanation for their absence. And they had company. There was an entire table of 10 that was empty because of the no-shows — friends and relatives. None of them provided a good reason for reneging on the RSVP.

My husband and I paid for our own wedding and reception. We had saved for a year. Looking at those empty seats made me furious, because had we known — even up to a few days before the reception — that those folks were not coming, we could have cut our expenses.

I had contemplated sending all the absentees an invoice for the missed meals. Of course, this would have been a breach of etiquette. (No, you can’t send the bad-mannered guests a bill.)

Some of my readers have also been forced to deal with this issue. One father of the bride, who was cutting the checks for the wedding and reception, was particularly disturbed by the reasons people gave for not showing up.

The Color Of Money

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