"R.S.V.P. stands for a French phrase, "répondez, s'il vous plaît," which means "please reply." The person sending the invitation would like you to tell him or her whether you accept or decline the invitation. That is, will you be coming to the event or not? Etiquette rules followed in most Western cultures require that if you receive a formal, written invitation, you should reply promptly, perhaps that same day. (italics mine) For hosts who are planning a dinner party, a wedding or a reception, this is important from a practical point of view, because they need to know how many people to count on and how much food and drink to buy. More important, though, is the simple courtesy of responding to someone who was nice enough to invite you, even if it is to say that you regret that you will not be able to attend."To read the rest, go here.
Why this post? Because I currently know two brides-to-be who are rather frustrated that invited guests have not responded to their wedding invitations. How hard is it, really, to fill in the blank, check the box, and slip that stamped reply card in the mail.
Along the same lines, I've had conversations with younger friends lately who bemoan their generation's reticence to commit to things - outings, dinner invitations...relationships. One young woman's assessment of this state of affairs is that people are waiting for the next best thing to come along. Refusing to commit allows wafflers to keep their options open.
I am feeling very thankful for the young men I know lately who have stopped looking for the next best thing and taken the bold step of proposing marriage to one young woman. They have decided that for better or worse, this is the woman with whom they will spend the rest of their lives. God enable them to honor their commitments.
And by the way, if you happen to know any of these young men and have been invited to their weddings, do them and their brides and families a favor....RSVP.
4 comments:
seems like there are always a few of those. it can be frustrating. difficult to plan. perhaps your post will stimulate a response ;)
Amen, sister! Preach on! I had very few people RSVP for my wedding. Very frustrating.
Abbi, if I may: I definitely missed the please RSVP note on your invitation until a few weeks before. For that I'm sorry. When I did see it (small print at the bottom, if I recall) I promptly responded. Laura, my response (to J&S) has been stimulated (though I hope they already anticipate I'll not only be playing the guitar, but also be in attendance). Beth, (trying to be brief) I'm guilty of waffling a thousand times if I've waffled once, and no excuses should be made for such. But I also want to point out that the vast glut of information, invitations, and choices in our culture forces one to not only choose how to respond to those myriads, but also, how quickly, and even whether or not responding is necessary. It is a difficult challenge for most of us, I'm sure, though some handle it better than others, and most of those others probably handle it better than me. So to the strong, I ask with Paul, "And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all." Beth, thanks for doing that on the blog and all the time.
Albert,
I, too, have been guilty of either not RSVPing or doing it late. I've just been so aware of it lately as I've seen these two women really frustrated that people don't respond. Seeing this recently has prompted me to be sure that I make every effort to respond promptly.
Saying yes to one thing may mean no to lots of other good things. Yes, so many choices, and when they are all mostly good, it is so often hard to make a decision. Sometimes, though, we just need to choose (prayerfully),stop weighing our options, and be happy with our decision. That's easier for some people than others, I realize, as I've seen my children struggle more or less with decision making.
Thanks for the encouragement from scripture. I hope I will always admonish, encourage, and practice patience with grace.
So glad you're a part of our fam, Freddie!
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