Here’s the dilemma: you sent out party invitations a month ago, and in the last few weeks the replies have rolled in steadily. But now that the RSVP date has lapsed, there are still lots of outstanding responses … and quite frankly, you’re starting to get a bit annoyed. How can you organise the party when you don’t know how many will be attending? It’s a sticky situation - so how can you handle it with style?

• The first way to prompt an RSVP from friends who’ve failed to respond to your e-invite is to send them a friendly myinvites RSVP reminder. It will ping into forgetful guests’ inboxes, reminding them that they haven’t yet replied. Most guests should be jolted into action and hopefully you’ll have your head count sorted, pronto.
• If guests still haven’t responded, you have little option but to contact them individually. Even though you might feel awkward about having to call people who haven’t RSVPed, there are a few tactful approaches you can take, which will ensure nobody feels hounded.
• Don’t rush to label your guests as “rude” or “thoughtless” and ring up demanding to know why they haven’t replied. Give your friends the benefit of the doubt – maybe they’ve changed their email address; been away on hols without net access; or caught up in a family or health crisis.
• Whatever the reason, keep your tone friendly and casual – call up and exchange the usual pleasantries before asking, “By the way, just wanted to double-check if you got my birthday party invite? I don’t want you to miss the party of the year!”
• Most people will be so embarrassed by your polite enquiry about their attendance that they’ll gush “yes” or “no” straight away, along with a profuse apology. They’ll probably have a genuine excuse to match, or mumble something about being frantic at work lately.
• If you’d rather text than talk, you could SMS something like, “Hey mate, I sent you an e-invite to my party on the weekend – think you can make it?” By taking these gentle but direct approaches, your guest list will be complete, allowing you to get on with the party planning. Phew!