RSVP – What Does It Mean?

R.S.V.P. – What Does It Mean?        

The definition of R.S.V.P. (Repondez S’il Vous Plait) actually means “Please reply”, however, in today’s society it seems to mean different things to different people.

To the busy mom … call if you can find the time.

To the procrastinator … call the night before the party.

To the organized parent … call the night you get the invitation. (Love these!!)

To the oblivious person … don’t call just show up.

To the oblivious and manner less … don’t call just show up with 2 uninvited siblings.

Which one are you?

What Does RSVP Mean For Invited Guests? 

The RSVP on the invitation it means that the Host would like you to tell them whether you are attending the birthday party or not.

When do you have to respond? 

Call as soon after you get the invitation as possible and let them know your son or daughter will be at the party. While calling to RSVP the night before the party is bad, no response is worse – so call whether you are going or not.

Why do you have to respond? 

Hosts need a head count at the very least 2 – 3 days before the party to know how much food to prepare, how many goody bags to buy and how many games, activities to plan.

How do you respond? 

Use the phone number or email address on the invitation to RSVP. Don’t send the message with your son or daughter to tell the child at school whether they will be at the party or not. Some children forget and others may be intimidated if they wont’ be able to attend and everyone else is talking about going to the party.

It may be a little uncomfortable calling to let a parent you don’t know that your son/daughter won’t be attending the party. But remember, they thought enough of your child to send them an invitation to a party …. Think enough of them to respond.

What Does It Mean For Hosts / Hostesses

RSVP means you’re in limbo waiting the reply of others. It is obvious that the term RSVP has different meanings to different parents. To some it means call if you’re coming, to others call if you’re not coming. And some don’t know what it means so they ignore it and do what they want – either have their child attend or not without letting you know which one until the party starts.

To help encourage a response by guests let them know what YOUR definition of RSVP is. Here are some ideas:

On the invitation where it says – RSVP – write in:

Please let us know if you will attend by ___________. If we don’t hear from you we will assume you are not coming.

(Fill in the blank with a date 3 days before the party). This tells parents if they don’t let you know by that date then you will not be expecting them. It may sound a little harsh, but actually, it lets everyone know what is expected and there is no second-guessing what you want.

Include your phone number and email address so they can contact you two ways. And always write in your name …. no one likes to call and ask for “Timmy’s Mom”.

And the best thing you can do … when you get an invitation always RSVP!

For additional help on filling out an invitation see What to Write on the Birthday Invitation.

Fun birthday party themes and ideas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who To Invite to the Birthday Party and Still Be Polite

Who to invite to the Birthday Party – sometimes it’s a sticky situation.
You envision a huge party with happy kids and 25 new friends for your child. 
Your child is dreaming of all those 25 presents piled high on the dining room table.  
Those are both great dreams … but there is birthday party reality.

Birthday Party Reality: 
Inviting everyone from the class is sometimes overwhelming and expensive.
It will set you up to host the 3 worst kids in class who’s parents need a babysitter for the day.  
It will bring the classroom dynamic into your home  - the bully will be the bully, the princess will still want things her own way.
15 – 20 kids can never be happy at the same time.
Visions of everyone playing the games nicely, sharing and taking care not to get chocolate frosting on the white carpet is not reality.

Bigger is not always better – For my daughter’s 8th birthday we invited the whole class and only 2 girls showed up.  Granted it was only a few days until Thanksgiving, but I was devastated.  2 guests!! I thought the party was ruined and I was a party planning failure.  The reality – they had the best time EVER!  They really got to know each other and now 5 years later are still best friends.  My daughter still thinks it was one of her best parties. 

So invite the kids that will make the party fun for your child. 

A good rule of thumb on how many kids to invite is still – one guest per age of the birthday child.  If your child is turning 7 then invite 7 guests.  

Most school policies about handing out invitations is that if they are handed out in school then every child must get one.  This is a good rule and there are several ways to work with it, or go around it.

Some teachers will allow you to place the invitations only in the childrens take home folders who are invited to the party.  Others will allow you to only invite boys or girls.  If neither of these is an option then you can mail or drop the invitation by the kids homes.  

Not everyone will show up that you invite, but you can have control over who enters your house and who becomes friends with your child. 

So, invite the kids that will make the party fun and give your child a chance to bond in an unstressful reality.

What to write on the Birthday Party Invitation

Now that you have your birthday party invitation picked out it’s time to fill in the blanks. 

First the easy part – what details to include in your invitation.
Date – Always include the day along with the date. 
Ex.  Saturday March 15, 2008
Time – Give the start and end times for your party. 
Ex. 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Place – Your house address or location of the party place. 
Hint – It is always good to draw a map on the back of the invitation or include one on a seperate piece of paper. 
For – Give your child’s name and how old they are going to be.
RSVP – This is always a little tricky.  Most of the time this important piece of information is overlooked and guests don’t let you know they are attending until they show up at the door.  Or you plan for 12 children and 5 show up. 
A good way around this is to add a comment like this to your invitation:
Please let us know if you are coming so we can prepare enough food.
Please call and let us know if you are attending so we can tell (name of place) how many to expect.
You can also ask guests to respond by a certain date if you need that information to plan your party. 

There will most likely be a few that will show up without calling.  Always prepare for 2  – 3 more guests then have called to tell you they will attend.

* Include your phone number and your email address in the RSVP.  Some parents are shy about calling other parents or too busy to pick up the phone, but they will take the time to email.

Also include any special information that the child needs about the party. 
How to dress if it is a costume party (give some examples of how they could create the look you want)
If you will be serving lunch or dinner
What type of food you will be having (this alerts any parents of possible food allergies)
What to bring (swimsuit, sleeping bag, pillow, old clothes if you are going to do a painting craft).

Sometimes parents think it is okay to send along siblings with the invited guest with or without warning.  If this hasn’t happened to you yet … just wait.  Suddenly there will be a 4 year old sister who has shown up for your tween daughters spa party and it is hard to say no when they are on the doorstep excited about the party.  To avoid this situation mention in the invitation that the party is for invited guests only. 

You can say it very tactfully.  Here are some suggestions for the invitation: 

“We are sorry, but due to the theme of the party we can not accomodate siblings”
“No siblings please”

Or you can incorporate it into your invitation and say something like :

“Your invited to Bobby’s party as one of his 7 very special guests!”

Next time …. who to invite and still be polite!

For more birthday party ideas, birthday party games, icebreakers, themes and party favor ideas - Birthday Party Ideas 4 Kids

Birthday Party Invitation Ideas

Birthday party invitations not only inform your guests of the party, but can also convey your party theme and create excitement before they arrive.  There are many fun and creative ways to announce your party date. 

Traditional – Buy a package of fun Birthday invitations at the store, fill them out and send to guests.  There are invitations that will fit almost any theme – this is an easy choice if you are short on time or find some great invitations that your love.

Computer print-out – Invitations that you make from your computer are getting to be more and more popular. There are many websites that feature free templates for birthday cards. Simply fill in your birthday party information and print them out. Use colored ink, or have kids color them in once they have been printed.

Make at home – Popular with teenagers these invitations can be made on the computer using pictures and different fonts and then printed out. We recently received a fun invitation for a friends 16th birthday that was made up in “ransom note” style fonts with pictures of the birthday girl through out her life. Fun and easy!

Photo Invitations – If you have a good photo program you can make invitations using a picture of your child and add birthday details around the picture. 

Creative Theme – Going all out with a birthday party theme is fun and what better place to start then the invitation to set the mood for the party. Be creative and think of different ways to invite your guests to the party. Here are a few:
Blow up beach balls and write the party details on the ball – then deflate and send to guests.
Message in a bottle invitations can be found at party stores – write your party information on a piece of paper, slip it into the bottle and seal with a cork. Yes, they can go through regular mail!

Puzzle invitations – Buy blank puzzles (available at craft stores) fill out birthday party information and send pieces to guests.

Send a prop or something you will be using at the party such as a bandanna, hat, or sword that they will have to wear to get into the party.

Send a taste – Send something from your party to get guests excited about attending.  Here are some examples:
Luau -place a little sand in the invitation
Circus or Carnival - include an admit one ticket, or a game ticket (found at most discount stores)
Pirate - a gold coin  

Secret message – make the information in code, or use invisible ink. Great for a mystery party.

Helium balloon – blow up helium balloons and slip the party information inside.  Tie a string on the balloon and then hand out to guests or tie on their front doors.  They will have to pop the balloon to find the place and time.

Be creative and have fun with the invitations – you are only limited to your imagination!
http://www.birthdaypartyideas4kids.com  for more birthday party ideas, games, and themes