What Does RSVP Stand For?

The initials R. S. V. P. stand for a French phrase, “répondez s'il vous plaît” which means “respond, if you please” or “please respond.”  It is usually found at the end of a formal invitation, asking the recipient to let the sender know whether or not they will be accepting the invitation.

When members of the aristocracy wanted to throw a party, invitations had to be hand written. Soon this practice became an art form, with fancy lettering (calligraphy) and decorated parchment paper. The paper would be folded to keep it from getting dirty and placed inside an envelope with the invited guest’s name and address on it. It was sealed with wax with the family crest. Delivery would have been on horseback, possibly on muddy roads, so the envelope protected the inner invitation.

After the printing press was invented, invitations could be printed instead of hand written, and a piece of tissue paper was inserted inside the invitation to keep it from smudging. No longer needed today, the tradition is still upheld. The custom of having two envelopes comes from those early aristocratic days as well. People’s residences didn’t have addresses on them, so the instructions given were sometimes very long. So, the inner envelope held the actual invitation and the outer one was for directions.    

RSVP Today

So how did French initials wind up on invitations of today? The French were very etiquette conscious, as were many in civilized society. The Italian diplomat, Conte Baldassare Castiglione, wrote the first etiquette book in the 16th century. It was a book concerning proper behavior among the nobility of that time.

However, most of Western etiquette comes from the French, especially the court of King Louis XIV. On his palace in Versailles, he had the rules of proper behavior written on “tickets” or “etiquette.” These were either posted, like signs, or were the actual invitation to an event with the rules written on the back. In the United States during the 19th century, French was the chosen language of high society and refinement. Some say that the RSVP is just a polite reminder of something that the recipient should already know; that it is proper etiquette to let your host know whether or not you will be attending. In other words, if you receive an invitation, you should reply.

Writing an Invitation

Here are the steps showing how to write and send an invitation. 

• First decide on the tone of the invitation, how formal it should be, and whether it will be hand-written or printed. 
• Choose the type of invitation, and always buy a few extra, in case you forgot someone. 
• Choose your words wisely, as they will determine the level of formality. “Request the pleasure” is a lot more formal than “Please join us.”
• Make sure the invitation includes the name of the host or hostess, the place, time, date, and reason for the event. 
• Don’t forget the RSVP, along with your telephone number.
• Include a “respond by” date, so there will be time to plan for the expected number of guests.
• For a very formal affair, a response card and envelope should be included.  You may even address the envelope and include a stamp. 
• Finally, mail the invitations three weeks prior to the event, four weeks before a formal affair, and three months before a wedding.

Other Meanings of R. S. V. P.

These initials, R. S. V. P., also stand for a few other things:

• Requested Songs for Video Play was a video request show in the 1990s.
• RSVP was a vertical version of the game Scrabble, which was called 3D Scrabble.
• RSVP is the name of a song released in 1985, by Five Star, a British musical group.
• It was also the name of a horror film released in 2002.
• Rover Sequencing and Visualization Planner, used by NASA. It is a software tool used by people operating the MER Rovers. The software uploads commands to the spacecraft when the Rover is on the ground.

However, most of the time, RSVP refers to the simple reminder to please let your host know if you plan to attend their gathering.