Should I include a RSVP deadline for response cards?
Depending on your planning needs, it may be wise to include a deadline. Of course this date will depend on your own deadlines (when does your caterer need a final headcount? When do you need to create seating arrangements, etc.?) It’s safe to say that the deadline should not be later than tree weeks before the day of the event.
How should I keep track of wedding invitation responses?
Worried about being able to read and keep track of all those RSVP’s? Heed our warning about trying to decipher fancy and/or illegible handwriting. One helpful trick is to number each name on guest list and lightly place that number on the back of the response card. This way, you can simply check number on the back of the card and match it to the corresponding guest on your list.
How should response cards be labeled and addressed?
Encourage guests to respond in a timely manner (and make it easy for them to do so) by pre-printing your name and address on the front of the Response Card envelope. Traditionally, the host’s name and address (for example that of the bride’s parents’) should appear here. Of course in many cases this rule will not apply (for example, you are hosting the wedding yourself, you live a long distance from the host and want to receive the invitations, etc.) In these cases you will simply need to use your own discretion (or creativity) to come up with an appropriate response label.
What should I do if guests don’t return a response card?
You should not have to guess when it comes to your final head count, and your guests should understand that. If you don’t receive a response within an appropriate timeframe, call and ask if they are planning on coming. You can make this call in a polite way by expressing your concern that the recipient may not have received the invitation. Chances are the response card is simply sitting under a stack of mail, and your guest will not take offense to your friendly reminder. If making this call is absolutely not an option for you, it’s best to assume the guest is coming. You would rather have an empty seat at the reception than a guest with no place to sit!
Are there any additional rules for addressing reply cards?
Traditionally speaking, the names of the bride and groom should not appear together in print until after the wedding. In most cases, if an unmarried couple is living together, the response cards should be addressed to the bride only.
