Article: Any way to get guests to RSVP?

Dear Martha: Do you have any suggestions for encouraging people to RSVP?

Answer: It's unfortunate that people need encouragement at all, but rules of etiquette can only be observed, not enforced. It's perfectly acceptable, however, to follow up your invitation with a phone call once the RSVP date has passed. To keep the conversation pleasant, you might simply say you wanted to be sure the invitation didn't get lost in the mail.

Another option is to make the RSVP for regrets only, which means only those invitees who can't attend will need to reply. This may result in a slightly less accurate guest count, but it will save you the aggravation of having to chase after replies. Other than that, ...

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