Dear Just Be: I am planning a few events this summer, but don't want to over buy on food. How can I best ensure knowing how many people will attend?

Determining head count for any event, a family reunion, a community picnic or even a wedding can be frustrating. In today's society, it seems we don't have the time to pick up the phone and personally invite every person to our event and then call back to confirm if they are coming or not.

We suggest, that you send out invitations for major events no later than 6 weeks prior to the event, and possibly as much as 8 weeks prior if there are many people traveling long distances. You may even want to send out "Save the Date" cards 3-6 months prior depending on the event; such as a family reunion. (These types of events may require a lot of time and coordination and people may need to request time off of work and arrange travel plans.)

Whether you send out an invitation physically through the mail or electronically, it is imperative that you include an RSVP, which translates to "please respond."
For those of you receiving invitations for events this summer (and into the future), please be courteous and respond to all invitations and inform the host whether you will be attending the event or not. Not responding leaves the host wondering if the invitation was received or if the RSVP was "lost in the mail." If there is an enclosed note card for the RSVP, use it. If not, make an effort to call the host and tell them of your attendance.

For hosts, we suggest you keep a detailed Invite List and update it as you receive your RSVP's and note how many people are attending per invitation (don't mark 1 if a family of 5 has indicated they are attending.) As the date gets closer, feel free to call upon those people who have not responded to confirm they received your invitation and to ask if they will be able to attend or not. Another good idea about 1 week prior to the event is to send a reminder notification, reminding them of the date, time and location of the event and any other pertinent information such as directions, parking instructions, etc.

We hope all of your events run smoothly this summer!