RSVP is short for the French phrase répondez s'il vous plaît, which means "please reply". On a wedding card it asks you to tell the family whether you are coming.
On Indian cards it usually does a second job as well. The names and phone numbers printed under RSVP are the people to call: to say you are coming, to ask about the venue, or to say how many of you will be there.
RSVP full form
| Full form | Répondez S'il Vous Plaît |
| Language | French |
| Meaning in English | Please reply |
| Meaning in Hindi | कृपया उत्तर दें |
| Pronounced | reh-pon-day seel voo pleh |
It is written RSVP, R.S.V.P. or R.s.v.p. All three mean the same thing. English borrowed it from French etiquette in the 1800s, and Indian printers took it from English cards, which is why a word nobody in the family speaks sits at the bottom of a Hindi or Marathi card.
RSVP meaning in Hindi
RSVP का मतलब है "कृपया उत्तर दें"। यानी कार्ड भेजने वाला परिवार जानना चाहता है कि आप शादी में आ रहे हैं या नहीं।
हिंदी कार्ड पर RSVP के नीचे जिनके नाम और फ़ोन नंबर लिखे होते हैं, वही लोग आपके जवाब का इंतज़ार कर रहे हैं। उन्हें फ़ोन या WhatsApp करके बता दें कि आप आएँगे और कितने लोग आएँगे। कुछ कार्ड RSVP की जगह सीधे हिंदी में लिखते हैं: "कृपया पधारने की सूचना दें"।
What it means for a guest
You are being asked for three things, in this order:
- Whether you are coming.
- How many people are coming with you, if the card says "with family" (सपरिवार).
- Which functions you will attend, when the card lists several, such as the haldi, sangeet, wedding and reception.
Reply within a few days of getting the card. A family planning a dinner for 500 orders food, chairs and return gifts by headcount, and a late "yes" is harder to plan around than an early "no".
A phone call or a WhatsApp message to the first name under RSVP is enough. There is no formal reply card in most Indian weddings, and nobody expects one.
What to say: "Namaste, we got the card, thank you. The four of us will be there for the wedding and the reception." If you can't come, say so plainly and send your blessings. That is the polite version.
What the family should write under RSVP
Two or three names with phone numbers. Choose people who will actually pick up in the weeks before the wedding, which is often a cousin or a younger uncle rather than the eldest person in the family.
A typical layout:
R.S.V.P.
Rajesh Sharma 98xxx xxxxx
Neha Sharma 99xxx xxxxx
In Hindi:
कृपया पधारने की सूचना दें
राजेश शर्मा 98xxx xxxxx
नेहा शर्मा 99xxx xxxxx
Add a date if you need numbers by then: "Kindly RSVP by 10 December." For a large wedding this saves a round of phone calls in the final week.
"Regrets only" means reply only if you are not coming. It works for a small reception where you can assume most people will come. For a wedding with several functions it causes confusion, so we would not use it there.
RSVP on a digital or WhatsApp invite
A card sent on WhatsApp still carries RSVP, and the reply usually comes back in the same chat. That is the easiest system for most families: whoever forwards the card collects the answers.
If you are inviting several hundred people, a simple Google Form link under RSVP, asking for the name, the number of guests and the functions they will attend, gives you a list you can count instead of a hundred chats to scroll through. Keep the phone numbers on the card as well. Older relatives will call rather than fill in a form.
Other words near RSVP on a card
- With best compliments from: names of relatives or friends joining in the invitation. No reply is needed to them.
- Darshanabhilashi (दर्शनाभिलाषी): family members who look forward to seeing you. See wedding card terms.
- Swagatakankshi (स्वागताकांक्षी): the people who will welcome you at the venue.
- WBCF: short for "with best compliments from". See WBCF full form.