The venue is ready, your dress fits perfectly and the decor is going to look immaculate, you have planned your perfect wedding down to the last minute. But you realize that a lot of your friends have either not Rsvp’d or they have Rsvp’d with a big fat NO, and you don’t know why, we have a few things to help you consider, as to why this is happening.
Let’s look at 11 possible reasons why your friends are not coming to your wedding
If your friends are not going to your wedding, then you need to adjust a couple of things. If there is still time, have the wedding in a small venue to minimize the costs of paying for no-shows.
11 reasons why your friends are not coming to your wedding
You are not bosom buddies
If we look at the scenario of inviting some of your colleagues. Just because you work with people doesn’t mean that they have to be invited to your wedding. Granted, you may have a great relationship with them at work, but if you don’t interact with them outside of working hours, are you that close? Do you consider them your friends? You might have invited them to your wedding because it was the polite thing to do, but in hindsight, if you don’t go out for drinks, and invite each other out on weekend, then the friendship is not that solid
The time of your wedding clashes with other commitments
Ok, let’s be diplomatic here, if people know when you are getting married they should plan around your wedding time. But speaking hypothetically, life happens and a lot of things can come up at the last minute. If your wedding is set at a time when they have to be at another place then it could be the reason why some won’t attend. Whatever they have to do on the same day as your wedding is more important to them, it’s a tough pill to swallow.
The wedding venue is too far
I know this from experience, I have had to book a guest house just to attend a friend’s wedding because it was very far. Some people do not like to drive, so how far is the wedding venue? Do people have to drive out of town? Do your guests have to book their accommodation? The long distance from where people stay and the wedding venue could be a factor in them, not RSVPing.
You sent the invitations out last minute
Hey, I can’t stress enough how sending invitations on time helps your friends and family plan things. If you sent out the invitations late or invited the guests at the eleventh hour, then it should come as no surprise as to why they haven’t responded with a yes.
They have to go out of town, even after RSVPing
Going back to what I said about last-minute emergencies, we can’t dispute that they happen. Most people who live in the city come from small towns or villages. Some people might have genuine family emergencies where they have to go back home. On the other hand, some people might have to fly out for a business meeting, again, this can be anything.
They don’t have money
This ties in with the previous point about “ the wedding venue is far”. It’s not comfortable to talk about money, a lot of people have been hit very hard by what is happening around the global economy and things like weddings seem like luxuries. Your friends might be too embarrassed to talk about this but if your wedding requires your guests to book their accommodation, this involves a lot of costs such as the place to stay, money for gas, and food to eat while making their way to your wedding.
You didn’t attend their wedding, birthday, or event
Take a moment and think about this, the people who have not RSVP’d or the people who have responded with a NO, could they have a score to settle. Have you in the past disappointed any of your friends by not showing up when they needed you the most? This is quite rare but believe it or not it does happen.
They have to take special time off work
Most companies have limited off time, if your wedding is out of town, this means that your friends have to take a day or two off work to make the travel time and attend your wedding. It could be that they don’t have any special leave days, or they don’t think now is the right time to use those days for your wedding.
They are not fond of your husband to be
This depends on the relationship they have with your hubby to be. If your friends care for you then, I would be mad if this was the case. If the relationship between your partner and your friends is strained, does your partner want them at your wedding?
They don’t want to go but are afraid of hurting your feelings
We are not going to ignore this point, because like it or not it is true in some cases. Since this was your wedding day they were afraid to say “no, I don’t want to attend”. This could be for many reasons such as, you are not good friends with that person, they hate weddings or they didn’t think you would notice their absence since other people were in attendance.
They are afraid of being in large crowds
With so many health-related issues going around, people are getting sicker much easier. I once had a terrible case of the tummy bug the day I was graduating, it was terrible and there was nothing that I could do about it. If you told people that your wedding is going to be this huge event with lots of friends and family, some of them might want to go, but because of the number, they have second thoughts. Some people don’t like to be around big crowds, and after everything the world has been through, it is understandable.
What percentage of people do not show up to a wedding?
There are no exact numbers to compare, but you can expect anything from up to 12 percent of the guests to not attend your wedding. The issue of wedding guests not showing up is more common than you think, anything can come up on the day of the wedding.
What do you do if no one RSVPs to your wedding?
If the wedding day is around the corner and you need to confirm with the venue and caterers then you need to call all those who didn’t respond. Don’t be afraid to ask them if they are coming, and also make it clear that it is perfectly fine if they are not able to. The last thing you want is a lot of empty seats that you have to pay for, or not having enough space because you thought some people were not going to attend.
How do you deal with people not coming to your wedding?
Change the venue- if there is still time
If time is on your side, if the place you booked has several halls to get married, then by all means speak to the venue and see if they can accommodate you in a smaller area.
Done forget to call the caterer to let them know the number of people who will attend so that you can limit any financial burdens on your part.
To wrap it up
Don’t let the fact that some of your friends are not coming to your wedding ruin your special day. There are could be an ocean of reasons why they have not said yes, or they have responded with a no. Do what you have to do, adjust what you must, and enjoy your special day.
Last but not least, just breathe…….