One of the most common fears for couples is that people (both guests and vendors) aren’t going to show up. No bride or groom wants to imagine an empty venue with tons of vacant seats but that doesn’t stop those troubling thoughts from playing on your mind.

In a recent study from RSVPify, on average, 83 percent of guests indicated that they were going to weddings while 17 percent of invitees declined their invitation. So you’re not alone if you get flaked by your guests but instead of focusing on those RSVPs that might pull a No-Show, maybe you could try thinking about all the wonderful people who you know will for sure be there for you. It’s not like people are going to decline because they don’t LIKE you, they may have other plans that have come up, and it’s just bad timing, or they simply can’t afford to.


Just remember the people who you chose to invite to your wedding are people who love you and would want nothing more than to be able to celebrate with you. Send your save-the-dates early and trust your RSVP responses. Call any invitee with an outstanding RSVP response about a week after the due date to confirm whether they plan to attend.

To prevent your vendors from flaking on you, make sure you call them before the wedding to reconfirm all details and to also provide them with additional information such as itineraries and schedules, venue location and parking information. Ask your wedding vendors like the photographer, videographer, DJ and HMUA if they have backup plans incase of an emergency during your consultation. If a vendor doesn’t show up, hit social media. Word travels fast, and if you ask readers to repost, you’ll hopefully find someone that can swoop in at the last minute and save the day. Or, for the vendors that you didn’t hire for your wedding day, but still liked and respected, keep them in your back pocket and their contacts handy. You could reach out to them in a pinch and see if they can help.


If you’re still worried about low guest attendance, you can always send a reminder email shortly before your wedding day, outlining the details of the big day, such as directions to the venue, a schedule of events and accommodations for the out of town guests. If you’ve confirmed RSVPs with your guests and final details with your suppliers in the last weeks before the wedding, your job is done!

Remember that your wedding isn’t about the guest that don’t show, it’s about you! So celebrate! Have fun! Don’t worry be married!