Reply Cards
There are two types of reply cards nowadays- Mail back reply cards
- Electronic replys
The essential items to include on a reply (R.S.V.P.) card
are shown in the typical example below:
The favour of a reply is requested
on or before (reply date 4 weeks prior to wedding)
M___________________________________________
Graciously accept____
Regretfully decline____
Number of persons attending_____
Dietary restrictions or allergies
________________________________
Number of vegetarian meals required____
Reply Deadline
Typically the reply's should all be back about 4-6 weeks prior to the wedding date.Wording Styles
Most formal wording style:The favour of a reply is requested on or before
(reply date about 4 weeks prior to wedding date)
More casual:
Kindly respond no later than
(reply date)
R.S.V.P. on or before (reply date)
The acronym "R.S.V.P." can be used too. It is not a verb in English and is incorrect to say "Please R.S.V.P. on or before...." It actually means "Répondez, s'il vous plait" in French (Eng. = please respond).
The next example is a good idea if you plan to have an "A" and "B" list of guests i.e. you send out the first batch of invites, and some refusals come back in your reply cards. Then you send out more invitations. It is recommended not to put a specific reply date. This line does the trick:
Your immediate reply is required
Below is a tasteful way to control your guest count for the reception.
You would write in the number (of guests) invited, so people know that only that many people are invited. This is for situations where invited couples assume that all their kids can come, when your wedding cannot accommodate all those extra people:
___seat(s) have been reserved in your honour
Accept/Regret line
Casual form:Will attend_____
Will not attend____
Formal form:
Graciously accept_____
Regretfully decline_____
Number of Guests Responding
Use this line when the guest count is more open:Number of persons attending_____
When you need to break down number of adults and children:
Number of adults attending_____
Number of children attending_____
Other Lines to Include
In an era of a myriad of food sensitivities it is courteous to accommodate these issues for your guests by including these lines:Dietary restrictions or allergies_____________________
Number of vegetarian meals required______
If you are offering multiple entree choices, you will have to include these
for people to choose, since your hall will want the exact number of each entree to prepare:
Please initial the entree selection for each guest:
Beef______
Chicken________
Vegetarian_________
The recent trend is to build your reception playlist for the DJ by asking guests for a song request:
Please write in your favourite song for our reception playlist_________________
Fanciful Wording Styles
We look forward to celebrating with you!
Kindly respond on or before (reply date)
Say "I do" before we do!
R.S.V.P. before (reply date)
The acronym "R.S.V.P." can be used too. It is not a verb in English and is incorrect to say "Please R.S.V.P. on or before....." It actually means "Répondez, s'il vous plait" in French (Eng. = please respond).
Electronic Reply's
If your plan is to have people reply to you by email or to a website, a mail-back reply is not necessary. It is recommended to still include an insert card with the invitation to prompt people how they should reply. It's not only good to know if a guest is coming, but essential if they are not. This way you are assured that everyone received their invitation in the first place, and you have a confirmed, accurate guest count.
This is a typical example:
Your reply is requested on or before
(reply date--4-6 weeks prior to wedding date)
to email
brideandgroom@gmail.com
via our wedding website
www.brideandgroomwedding.com
or by telephone
Bride 416.500.4321 or Groom 416.200.1234
Kindly indicate in your reply:
how many guests are attending, or if you are not able to join us.
Also, please inform us of any dietary restrictions, food allergies, or if a vegetarian meal is required.
We look forward to hearing from you!
That's about it for the reply cards!
Proceed to Accommodations.