If the card says something like “The Thompson Family,” then your immediate family is invited to the event. If the card doesn’t have a +1 or +2 on the card, you should assume that only the people listed on the envelope are invited. If you are married with children and only you and your spouse are listed on the card, you shouldn’t assume that your kids are also invited to the event.
For example, write something like “Mr. Joe Smith and Mrs. Jenny Smith. ” Only write the name(s) of those attending the event.
Letting them know who is coming in advance will allow them to properly prepare the right amount of food and allocate enough seating for everyone.
If you can attend, you can write something like, “Joe and Charlotte Shivers kindly accept the invitation to attend Marsha and Greg’s wedding on May 24th. ” If you can’t attend you can write something like, “Unfortunately, because of a prior engagement, Joe and Charlotte Shivers are unable to attend Marsha and Greg’s wedding on May 24th. We wish you both the best and regret that we can’t make it. ”
Many hosts will be busy with event preparations and won’t have the time to reach out to you personally if you don’t send back the RSVP. Some hosts will have a secondary list of guests they will invite if their first list of guests decline.
If the host has to wait to receive RSVP responses, it could push back their plans which makes hosting the party more difficult.
Using print rather than cursive may make it easier to read your handwriting.
The host is likely busy planning the event, so they may not have time to respond or talk to you over the phone or email.
