RSVP Meaning, History

Have you ever wondered why every invite you receive to a wedding, birthday celebration, and other formal events never miss the RSVP section even if you never really know what to do with them?

If you have ever wondered about the history and meaning behind RSVP, all your questions are about to be answered in the next few paragraphs. 

What is the meaning of RSVP? 

If you have been trying to find the exact meaning of the acronym RSVP in English, I’m sure your search must have been futile. RSVP is an acronym for the French phrase Respondez s’il vous plait.

Now, you need some interpretation so it makes sense in English. The literal translation is ‘respond if you please, or respond if it pleases you.’ However, in simpler, more common English, it means ‘please respond’

However, we often forget to respond, don’t we?
Before we talk about the polite thing to do, let’s talk a bit about the origin of RSVP.

What is the Origin of RSVP?

As we have pointed out, the acronym RSVP is of French origin. Although history is sketchy, there are two opinions about when the term was first used. The widely held opinion is that the term came into use in 1845. However, some sources say RSVP first appeared in a book in 1825. The book, which has the longest title ever, is named ‘Domestic Duties; or, Instructions to Young Married Ladies, on the Management of Their Households and the Regulation of Their Conduct in the Various Relations and Duties of Married Life.’ This mouthful of a book title was written by Mrs. William Parkes for young housewives to manage everyday life. It is said that the book had a part that taught young wives how to write invitations and RSVPs.

What we know for sure is that RSVP is of French origin and isn’t used so much these days, especially amongst the French. However, amongst the English, that’s not the situation. We might still be using RSVP for a long time, especially as it has made its way to less official events such as hangouts, birthday and Christmas parties, and even social media discussion invites.

How Should You Respond to an RSVP?
Should you ignore it? Definitely not. This is because the reason behind RSVP is so the host can know who will be attending and who won't be. This information helps the organizers plan better, especially for things like seats, food, and occasion favors.

Now, to the next question that has probably crossed your mind. Should you only RSVP when you plan to attend the event and stay silent if you won’t be attending? Well, if the invitation doesn’t tell you to RSVP ‘if attending’ or ‘if missing the event’ then you should RSVP either way.

Thankfully, these days, the RSVP contact is a phone number which makes it easier to respond. You don’t need to post a mail, so don’t shy away from it.

After you RSVP for a wedding, What next?

If you have been invited to a wedding and you have RSVP’d that you’d be attending, you probably need to go shopping for Wedding Guest Dresses so that you can look your best. 

We have a range of formal wedding guest dresses, Black Tie Wedding Guest dresses, and practically every style and code of wedding dress you seek that’ll suit the theme of the wedding you’re attending.

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