How to Do Invites & RSVPs

How We Handle Who’s Coming

We send out an open invitation to all our friends each week, usually on Monday or Tuesday with a post on Facebook (not a Facebook event). It’s a standing event, but we also make a point to personally reach out to people we haven’t seen in a while, friends who are visiting from out of town, or new people we’ve met and want to get to know better.

Sometimes, our friends will bring along family members or introduce us to someone new. Most evenings, we’ll have someone new in the mix, which keeps things fun and social. We love that—it’s a great way to meet people, and as long as we have a general idea of numbers, it all works out!

To keep things manageable, we usually cap the total guest count at 40 people. This helps avoid an overwhelming number of last-minute RSVPs, but more importantly, it keeps the night at a number that still feels fun and easy to host. For you, that number might be much smaller—just whatever feels right.

Our kids also spread the word in their own way. If their friends are interested in coming, they’ll give them my phone number so they can text me for details. When they do, I send them the RSVP link on our website so they can sign up. For older ones and our friends, the invitation already includes the RSVP link.

How RSVPs Work

• RSVPs go through our website – The Facebook post includes the link to RSVP, and we encourage everyone to use it. Sometimes people message us or say they’re coming in the comments, but we still make sure their RSVP gets added to the website so we have everything in one place.
• RSVPs are due by Wednesday night – We ask people to RSVP by 10 PM Wednesday, but if someone is late, we do our best to accommodate them.
• Last-minute changes happen – Some people cancel last minute due to sickness or other unexpected things, but numbers usually balance out.
• Bringing extra guests? The RSVP form includes a spot to indicate how many people are in their group, so they can add friends or family members right there.

We haven’t had someone just show up without RSVPing, but occasionally someone who RSVPed will bring an extra guest. Usually, they give us a heads-up, and it’s never been an issue.

Who Comes?

It’s always a mix of adults and kids. Some people bring their whole family, some just come by themselves—it all depends on what works for them. Parents with little ones sometimes leave them at home, but we’ve hosted guests of all ages, from babies to 90-year-olds! It’s really for everyone.

If we hit our capacity, we close the RSVP form and update the Facebook post to let people know we’re full.

If someone RSVPs and then can’t come, they’re usually really good about letting us know because they know ingredients are needed. We try to keep some key backup ingredients on hand—like a tin of pineapple in case a fresh one doesn’t show up, and we always have a pack of bacon in the freezer. If we’re missing something essential, we’ve had a friend pop back to their house or run to the local shop a few minutes away to grab it.

Final Details

Once we’ve figured out how many pizzas we’ll be making and what types, we send out a confirmation email on Thursday with everything guests need to know:

• The time and place – We start at 6 PM. The email includes our address and parking details so guests know exactly where to go.
• What to bring – Everyone brings a few ingredients or snacks to share, plus their own drinks. We send them a link to our “What to Bring page” so they can easily sign up.
• Contact info – In case anyone gets lost or has questions, we include our phone numbers so they can reach us.

That said, we don’t always make it a big thing. Some weeks, if we’re feeling like a quieter Friday night with just a few friends, we won’t post the invite publicly—we’ll still have pizza, just on a smaller scale.

We do skip pizza night if someone in our family is sick, if we’re away, or if the weather is really bad—we’ve had a few storms where the roads just weren’t safe. That said, sometimes we still do pizza night on vacation! It’s become such a tradition that even when we’re away, we’ll sometimes find a way to make it happen.

We usually wrap up around 9–9:30 PM. Some people head out earlier, while others stick around for more conversation (or the teenagers have their parents come to collect them later!).