RSVP question

20pearls16 · July 2012

Received my final RSVP yesterday. Yay! The process was relatively painless, thank God. We have 81 confirmed guests. Should I tell the caterer 75? We are having a cocktail reception with passed hors' d ouvers so we don't have to worry about place settings etc. I just cringe at the thought of wasting money on folks that don't show up. Your thoughts?

RichNicci4211122 · July 2012

I was wondering the same thing. I was thinking of telling the caterer 137 because I am thinking that there will be a few that won't show up. And there will still be enough seats left at the tables to accomodate everyone if there is 100% attendance. IMO...

VNEluvsAJB · July 2012

I'm telling the cater the confirmed number (and maybe a 2-3 over). There's nothing worse than a party that doesn't have enough food. I think if there are a few extra bites around then people will go ahead and eat more but if there's not enough then there's not really anything you can do about it on the day of.

ohnoitskaroljo · July 2012

I'd tell them the exact number. Better to have more food than not enough!!!

tuarceatha · July 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_august-2012-weddings_rsvp-question?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Club%20BoardsForum:1fb748ee-7a4e-40eb-b4b4-e553486f4cacDiscussion:418688a3-5365-4749-a89d-d13e14197a29Post:2372eee4-89ad-467a-97cd-6a5dbc503f9c">Re: RSVP question</a>:
[QUOTE]I'd tell them the exact number. Better to have more food than not enough!!!
Posted by ohnoitskaroljo[/QUOTE]

This was my first thought. :)

dawnp917 · July 2012

Tell them the exact number, don't forget to include yourself in the final count as well.

transcriber87 · July 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_august-2012-weddings_rsvp-question?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:1fb748ee-7a4e-40eb-b4b4-e553486f4cacDiscussion:418688a3-5365-4749-a89d-d13e14197a29Post:3320eab7-6e04-4536-95a6-ddc2890391c6">Re: RSVP question</a>:
[QUOTE]Tell them the exact number, don't forget to include yourself in the final count as well.
Posted by dawnp917[/QUOTE]

Uh oh! Hadn't thought of including the entire bridal party in the count..what is wrong with my head? That will be 6!

lb1212 · July 2012

I would tell the exact number (or more). If you have left-overs, ask the caterer to pack you a doggie bag for a midnight snack! I know I've "scheduled" breakfast and lunch on my wedding day, but I'm not sure how much my nerves will actually let me eat! I'm having my caterer pack us a plate for a midnight snack!

libby2483 · July 2012

In Response to Re:RSVP question:[QUOTE]Tell them the exact number, don't forget to include yourself in the final count as well. Posted by dawnp917[/QUOTE]

I'm with Dawn. I would be more worried about running out of food than I would be overpaying by a bit, so don't count on people not showing up.

VNEluvsAJB · July 2012

Also the no-shows may be cancelled out by people who rsvp no and change their mind or who show up and didn't rsvp at all. I've heard of this happening before.

20pearls16 · July 2012

Thanks for the advice. I did remember to include myself and my FI thank God!

Ajoyd · July 2012

It is a risky proposition giving a final head count of less people, but for a cocktail reception you might be able to get away with it. When I worked in event planning this was a common practice and it never turned out badly. That said, what time is your reception? If it is at a meal time, I would definitely give your caterer the exact head count because people will probably really go after those hors d'oeuvres!

I would not give a head count higher than your actual number. No good caterer would ever run out of food.

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