RSVP Planning · · 1 min read
How to Resolve Duplicate Wedding RSVPs
Two replies from the same family can inflate a wedding count, especially when one parent responds online and another confirms by phone. Reconcile the household before changing totals so that a correction never becomes an extra booking.
Identify a likely duplicate
Compare the household reference, guest names and invitation contact. Similar surnames alone are not enough: two related families may be separate invitations. Keep the original submissions until you know whether they describe the same people. Add a status column for “needs clarification”.
Ask a precise question
Try: “We have one reply for two guests and another for three under the Sharma household. Could you confirm the final reception count and the names attending?” Record the confirmed answer as the active response and mark the earlier entry as superseded, with a date.
Close the loop
Update each affected event and any meal or transport count. Tell the relative who collected the phone reply that the records are merged. Before the next export, filter for active records only and check the total against the previous version. Never delete an unfamiliar name simply because a phone number is shared.