People “really” Excited to Come

An invitation is not a summons. It stinks when everyone you love cannot make it, but unfortunately even people who really wish they could be there just have an unavoidable conflict on the same day/weekend. If you are hearing this from a lot of guests though, do you think there is anything about your reception that is inconvenient or unwelcoming to your guests? Things like not including partners of dating/married guests, not offering a meal at dinnertime, unrealistic special attire requests, etc.

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I guess in this perspective there were only a few people that I really didn’t care if they came or not but they were still my friends that I like to see from time to time.

Per one of your previous discussions, you got married last year, so rather than attending a "wedding" people are RSVPing to a reception (or a celebration of marriage, if you're hoping to recreate the ceremony). This circumstance may unfortunately impact people's decision to attend, especially if they have something else going that day.

An invite is not a summons. Many people express excitement but they may not want to make the trip for any number of reasons that have nothing to do with you as a person. Don’t count a yes or no as set in stone until your rsvps come in.

I think it's natural to feel excited for someone but then still not be able to make it due to other obligations

Yes I’m dealing with this too! These are people who for the past 2 years (after postponing from last fall) have expressed that they would “definitely be there” and are “so excited” to attend. I get that things come up, but there has been plenty of time to figure that out, and even if something unavoidable has come up, it feels like they don’t even have the decency to explain that that has happened or what it is that has come up. I get that covid has affected people’s willingness to attend these events, but people aren’t even saying that’s the reason. It feels disrespectful and unfortunately has altered friendships with people my FH and I thought were close friends. It’s very disappointing.

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We have friends who have had to postpone twice now. We were able to make the first two dates no problem, but the newest one they've chosen I wasn't able to go unless I altered previously made plans. I understand that you've been planning this for a while, but especially with everything being weird in the world I wouldn't change your friendships with these people. If they've been there for you in the past, why throw away that relationship over one day?

Some people just don't have the money. And most people rather work then go to some kind of fun gathering meaning weddings, party's ect..... Maybe once or twice a year. So try not to feel so bad and think about how the other person might be feeling in their life.