Not Rsvping

Yes, absolutely!! Most caterers/venues require a head count, in order to charge you the correct amount for the catering/beverage, etc. That means that you have to have a firm yes or no from every person.

I would suggest waiting until after the RSVP deadline because a lot of people will wait until the last day to RSVP online, or mail the little card back. Then track down everyone who didn't respond. Let them know that you have to have a firm yes or no by x date (usually about a week before your caterer needs the count), or they won't have a seat or a meal.

You don't want to be overcharged for no-shows, and you don't want people showing up that you didn't plan on, and maybe not have enough food.

I absolutely would track down those who haven't responded. Either they forgot to RSVP, or maybe they put it in the mail and it got lost in the mail, etc. But caterers need a definite count, and depending on how many people haven't responded, it could affect the total count by quite a bit if they're actually planning on attending and didn't tell you. You don't want to assume they're attending, since you might end up spending a bunch of money on food for them, just to have them not show up. Likewise, you don't want to assume they're not attending, and then not have enough food if they do show up.

Yes because you will absolutely need a final headcount. When I had to track people down, I either texted or sent them a message on Facebook.

Yes you have to track them down for accurate numbers for the caterer and venue. Usually there's a couple weeks of cushion between the reply cut off date and when the vendors need their headcount to allow you time to track down responses.

Or you just don’t have a caterer. Family and friends are preparing the traditional finger foods because your reception is not at a meal time.

Text and call them! My fiancé and I texted the straggler, we did our RSVP's through our website we resent the link and got immediate responses.

Most either forget or got the invite and just put it in their mail pile and forgot about it.

Yes! using spreadsheets helps

Yes, and you should. You will need a proper headcount, not just a guesstimate.

View Quoted Comment Girl, I’ve got spreadsheets for everything. Wedding and nonwedding. Google sheets is my favorite because I can access them everywhere.

I would contact them and give them one last deadline. If they don’t answer then they would no longer be invited.