Question: My friend says that I should not ask people to "please RSVP." Is that true? If so, what am I supposed to write?
The short answer
I'm sorry, but yes, your friend is correct. You should not write in an invitation to "please RSVP."
That said, read to the end to check out our last word on the matter.
The details
RSVP stands for répondez s'il vous plaît. These French words translate to "please reply." If you ask your guests to please RSVP, you’re saying “please, please reply.” Unless you’re begging, one please is probably enough.
Of course, as many event organizers know, it sometimes seems as if you do have to beg to get people to respond. But that’s another issue.
Are you interested in a few more do's and don'ts when using RSVP?
Don’t write “RSVP in advance”
Asking your guests to RSVP in advance is redundant. If you can’t assume that people will respond to an invitation before the event in question—rather than, say, after it's over—why send one out in the first place?
It is okay, and indeed recommended, to give guests a reply-by date. For example, you could ask your guests to “RSVP by Friday” or "RSVP before May 4."
(Hey! Did you notice I threw in a date there, and I didn't write it "May 4th"? If you're not sure why I did that, it's time to read my tips on ordinals and cardinals!)
Do write RSVP in all caps
Technically speaking, "RSVP" is an initialism. An initialism is an abbreviation composed of initial letters of a phrase, and those initials are pronounced separately. Initialisms are always written using uppercase letters.
Other examples of initialisms include ATM, DVD, and BBC. Teenagers are known for having created many new initialisms for texting.
(Clueless as to what these youth are talking about? I've got you covered with a list of the top 10 text abbreviations.)
And there you have it. Cheers to your well-written invitation, and may your guests all reply promptly!
The last word
What's even better than having a perfectly composed invitation? Getting invited to a party! If people on your list are pointing out flaws in the invite rather than marking their calendars and planning what to wear, tell them from me to let loose a little. Sheesh!
Thanks for reading...