When you have been invited to some event and asked to RSVP, did you know how much the host would be spending?
All I knew in the past was the RSVP was something in French and it meant – tell us if you’re coming or not.
Now that my wife is planning a wedding for her daughter, my step-daughter, RSVP has taken on a whole new meaning…
We are blessed that we can afford a nice wedding, and it is not over the top. We were at a lovely private ranch near Los Angeles, and it cost $9,400 to use the facility.
We are also fortunate that the groom’s family is hardworking and financially successful, and they offered to contribute to the expenses.
My wife has a large and close family with many cousins and their children. It took me years to get used to how close a large family can be.
There were many times during the year 15-20 people would get together to celebrate a birthday and watch the Emmys or the Oscars. Every December, for about 60 years, they would all meet to exchange presents and there could be 50-60 people including little children.
So when it came to a wedding, and two families, you can guess the guest list would be large; and it is at 162 people.
It was frustrating when some of the cousins would not send in an RSVP and confirm if they were coming or not and what they wanted to eat. The caterer needs to know how much fish, or meat, or whatever to order for the event. And the headcount cannot be the day before.
This brings me to the importance of the RSVP: When we add in the cost of flowers, DJ or band, photographer, wedding dress, security, insurance, invitations, desserts, and more, it comes to $521 per guest! This is not a typo: It is $521 per guest!
And that does not even count a rehearsal dinner or out-of-towners brunch the next day!
We should have encouraged them to elope. 😊
The next time you get an RSVP for a wedding, quinceañera, baptism, bris, bar mitzvah, baby shower, or some other event, please consider how much the host is spending and reply quickly.
Are you sitting on any RSVP?
To Your Prosperity,
Rennie
