Rehearsal Dinner RSVPs, Are they needed?

zerostarzombie

Hello,

Is it common to have Rehearsal dinner RSVPs sent out to family and bridal party, or just word of mouth is okay? I was not sure.

scrunchythief

zerostarzombie said:

Hello,

Is it common to have Rehearsal dinner RSVPs sent out to family and bridal party, or just word of mouth is okay? I was not sure.

I think it depends.  My aunt and uncle both had invitations with rsvps for their rehearsal dinners.  But theirs were both larger, and on the fancier side.  

For ours, it was just the people involved in the wedding+immediate family.  We also didn't need very exact numbers for the restaurant.  So we spread the info by word of mouth/email.

flantastic

zerostarzombie said:

Hello,

Is it common to have Rehearsal dinner RSVPs sent out to family and bridal party, or just word of mouth is okay? I was not sure.

You mean actual invitations with RSVPs? I'd say it depends on how many people we're talking about. You probably want "official" invitations if there are going to be more than the bridal party, parents, and their SOs, and you probably want "official" RSVPs if you need a firm headcount, or else you might end up with a bit of a headache getting answers from people. But with a small group, word of mouth can be fine.

Cookie Pusher

I think it depends on how many people you're inviting. If it's small, you can do word of mouth and just keep a list to make sure you know who's coming.

madamerwin

We just did word of mouth... We knew which bridal party members (plus their SO's/kids) and immediate family members were definitely attending, and then we just inquired with OOT relatives as to whether they would be there. We also did not need an exact estimate, since the price was not per person. I think we had about 35 people in attendance.

banana468

We did word of mouth and verbal responses.   The RD was much smaller and it wasn't that hard to get everything together.   FWIW, I have yet to attend a RD with invitations. 

ILoveBeachMusic

DD's ILs sent formal invitations with an RSVP requested. It was a very formal dinner (MIL had place cards and menu cards).  I think it just depends on the formality of the event and if the restaurant/caterer needs a firm headcount.

SP29

Depends on the size and formality of the event.

We did not.

poodledoodleooo

I don't think I've ever attended an RD that didn't involve an invitation and an RSVP, though typically they were RSVP with regrets only.

frenchiekin

I think this partly depends on whether the venue requires a firm headcount.  Ours did, so we needed people to RSVP - plus my MIL (who hosted with FIL) really just wanted to do actual invitations.  RSVPs were by phone, no card to send back or anything.  We had 36 people.

If yours is a more casual and/or small event and you don't need to give an exact headcount to the venue, then I think you can skip this and just do word of mouth.

[Deleted User]

The event called Rehearsal Dinner does not by mere fact of existing require RSVPs.  So, now it just comes down to what kind of event it is.  You having people over to your aunt's backyard for burgers and brats on the grill?  A firm guest count probably isn't required.  Do you need to give names of guests to the hostess of the restaurant so they get shown the VIP party room?  You probably need a firm headcount.  Up to you.

Jen4948

I think it depends on the type of event it is.  For a backyard barbecue, no, a formal RSVP isn't required, but I think it would be a kindness to at least tell the hosts that you're coming so they'll know how many hot dogs, hamburgers, drinks, cans of beer, etc. they'll need to buy.

For a party at a restaurant or some place where advance reservations are necessary, you very definitely need a head count, but you can probably still get away with phone calls, emails, and word of mouth.

[Deleted User]

@jen4948 said it perfectly, depends on the type of venue you are having.

kvruns

We did word of mouth invitations and asked for confirmation of who was attending so we had a headcount. We had a private room in the restaurant but ordered individual meals so we just needed an approximate for place settings but final count didn't matter too much.

lc07

Whatever the host prefers is what I would recommend. Either way is fine assuming you can accommodate your guests properly without formal numbers. We invited over 120 people to our rehearsal dinner (really a welcome party; we invited all OOT guests) and I really needed to know numbers for space/food/beverage planning with the venue.

ConkellSealWedding

Part of our bridal party is from pretty far away, so we're sending out formal invites. One less thing to have to forget while they're booking other travels etc.