The confirmation call, even in the age of email

With invitations sent by email you might expect the replies to arrive on their own. For some guests they do. For the most senior ones they hardly ever do: their private office replies, often by phone, sometimes at the last minute, and sometimes nobody replies until someone calls.

When to call

Follow-up calls work best on a fixed date, chosen before the invitations go out: for example ten days before the ceremony, for everyone who has not yet replied. Calling too early annoys people. Calling too late leaves the seating plan open just when it needs to be closed.

What to note

For every call, note who answered, what they said and whether to call back. “The private office confirms, but the minister may send a deputy” changes the hall, and it has to reach whoever is placing the seats, not stay on a sheet by the phone.

Who calls

The calls are best made by one person, or a small team, and always the same people. Private offices learn to recognise the voice, and the caller learns to read the half-answers.

In CerimoniereWeb the people making follow-up calls have their own role: they see the list of guests who have not replied, note the outcome on the invitation and move on to the next.