R.S.V.P.

At one point I knew what RSVP stood for, but I forgot, so sometime earlier this year I looked it up again.

Respondez, s'il vous plait. Or, "Respond, if you please," in English.

I'm sitting here saying the phrase alound to myself, trying to work on my French pronunciation, which is admittedly bad, and Eli is cringing. I think he may cave one day and get me some Rosetta Stone help just to put me out of his misery, but today's not the day (on this note, he can't stand when we drive into Louisiana and I try desperately to welcome us to Louisiana in French, as it is on the sign--Bienvenue a Louisiane).

Anywho, the Ladies' Tea was today, and it was so much more than I could ever imagine! My volunteer hostesses did so much and worked so hard to pull this off! The themes were varied and wonderful. And so I don't forget next year, here's what they were:

1. Tulips and Teapots
2. Love (Valentine's theme)
3. Beach and Blue (live goldfish in the centerpiece!)
4. Fancy Fillies
5. Angels (Willow Tree)
6. Roses and Lace (I'm naming this theme for what was on the table)
7. Pirate's Tea
8. Rub-a-dub-dub
9. Spring Tea
10. Tea with the Queen

That last one was mine. I wanted an Alice in Wonderland/Mad Hatter theme, but time and money ended up working against me. I'll have to table that idea for next year (pun intended). Thanks to ATB for sharing food with me!

This week was a little bit crazy with people turning in their RSVPs late, and there being a minor breakdown in communication when some of the hostesses knew that a few guests wouldn't be coming, but didn't mention this until this morning. My table was supposed to be overflow, with four people and two extra seats, but I ended up only having three when one of the college girls flaked out. So, in total 8 people sent in their RSVP and then did not show up, giving us 52 guests total. In the end, I didn't need to host a table, but that's okay. We were prepared for 60 plus any extras, so there was a lot of food.

For next year, I'm thinking maybe each hostess should be responsible for filling seats at her table, and following up with her guests to make sure they are going to come. I don't know. Maybe we should have people pay ahead of time to reserve their spots. This was the first year we did this, so people didn't know what to expect. Next year will be different, I'm sure. I had several people mention how they would like to host a table next year after seeing all the tables. So maybe there will be a next year.

The best part, I think, is when my friend came up--the same friend who told me that the idea of tea was antiquated--and admitted that she was wrong and I was right. That's quite a statement, and it made me smile.

So, here's to next year! (Anyone else want to coordinate?? Haha!)

[I didn't get to take any pictures, but JC did, so I'll post them when she gets them up on FB.]