I hear it time and again, the RSVP deadline is 2 days away and I still need to hear from 30 people! If the first thing you need to do to plan for your child’s Bar or Bat Mitzvah is to make the list, the last thing you need to do for the finishing touches is to know the final number of guests to expect. And there are a lot of things that you can’t do until you have a darn close to final guest count.
1. Order Favors
Not only do you need to know how many to order, but you may also need to know sizes. When each item can run $20 a pop, you don’t want to wind up with too many extras or that’s just money down the drain. You don’t want to order too late or you’ll incur rush charges.
2. Seat guests
When placing guests at tables, you need to have a good sense of who is coming so you can seat the right people together. You want to ensure that no table is too crowded and no table is too empty. How can you do that if you’re still waiting to hear from your guests?!
3. Order Rental Items
If you don’t know how many guests to expect, how will you be sure of the number of tables and the number of centerpieces needed for those tables? How will you ensure you have the correct number of chairs rented?
4. Print Escort Cards
After you finally are able to assign guests to tables, it takes time to print escort cards or seating charts. It’s always a scramble at the end to get this done which causes lots of unnecessary stress for the Mitzvah family.
5. Food and Beverage
Guest counts are due to caterers anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks prior to your event to ensure that they are able to provide ample food.
In conclusion
Don’t be a jerk! RSVP right away. A Bar or Bat Mitzvah is an amazing celebration and you’re not likely to get a better invite for the weekend. Just commit already! And, if you have to cancel at the last minute, you’d better have a darn good excuse.
