Wedding Invitation Pieces Explained: The Reply Card
What is it?
The reply (or RSVP) card is a small card and self addressed stamped envelope that your guests send back to you to indicate if they are attending or missing your wedding. Its essential purpose is to collect information from your guests, so you know who to expect.
Photo by Mikkel Paige Photography
When should I send it out?
It should be included with your invitation, which we recommend sending out 8-12 weeks before the wedding.
Photo by Mikkel Paige Photography
What information should I include?
At a minimum, you need to ask how many people are coming, and what their names are. It is also important to include when you need a response from your guests. We also highly recommend numbering your address list, and then lightly numbering the back of your RSVP cards.
On a personal note, I was shocked by how many people sent back reply cards for my wedding without writing out their name. If I hadn’t numbered my cards, I would have had a lot of place cards that read ‘not totally sure who this is, but I’m glad you’re here!’
You also don’t need to stop at just collecting basic information from your guests. This can be an opportunity to really personalize the event for your loved ones. You can ask your guests about all kinds of things, from dietary restrictions, to what meal they would prefer (if you’re doing a plated dinner), to what songs they’d like to dance to at their receptions. My favorite RSVP cards tend to be the ones that are more mad lib style, or that leave space for a note from your guests - it is so sweet to get 100 special little notes from all of your loved ones.
Photo by Mikkel Paige Photography
Why should I care?
Because without reply cards, wedding planning would be a total nightmare. You wouldn’t know how many people were coming, so you’d have to over order on food and drinks, and it would be crazy expensive. I know you’re probably thinking wait, I have to pay postage to send these, and then I have to pay postage to send them back too? And I feel you, because postage is crazy expensive. The great news is, if you’re trying to cut costs, you have a few options. You can create an RSVP postcard, which will cut the cost of envelopes (and envelope printing). Standard sized postcards also cost 35 cents to mail, versus 49 cents. Many couples are also opting for the online reply, which is even cheaper to do.
It’s also very exciting when your reply cards start coming back. It means your wedding is right around the corner, and the people you love will definitely be there to celebrate with you. It’s really fun to have a few weeks where you are getting potentially lots of little letters in the mail!
So there you have it, everything you needed to know about your reply cards. Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions - I’m happy to answer!
