"And how does it help you to plan?"
— Steve Stockdale, April 2026
The term RSVP comes from the French phrase Répondez s'il vous plaît, which translates to "Respond, if you please." It has been in use since the 18th century, which means people have been ignoring it for roughly 285 years.
The RSVP was invented because French aristocrats in the 1700s got tired of not knowing how many baguettes to buy. The tradition has since spread worldwide and is now routinely ignored by family members across all cultures and tax brackets.
When someone — let's call him Ryan — invites you to a holiday dinner, he needs to plan. Here's what that looks like:
Is Ryan feeding 12 people or 30? The difference is roughly $200 and two additional trips to Walmart.
Ryan needs to know whether to set up the folding tables. Those things are in the basement. Behind other things.
Studies show that the #1 stressor for holiday hosts is "people who never respond to the group text."
The beer-to-guest ratio is a delicate science. Too little: chaos. Too much: actually that's fine.
Based on the proximity to Easter dinner and the number of responses received, the Pastircak household is operating at the following RSVP alert level:
It takes 4 seconds. Ryan timed it. He built this website in less time than you've spent not responding.
✉️ RSVP Now