How long for response cards

And, give yourself at least a week between your RSVP date and the date your venue and caterer need a guest count. When you receive a decline within weeks of sending the initial batch of invites , send an invitation to someone on your B or C Lists, making sure those guests receive the invite at least one week before the RSVP date. Be sure to order enough invitations to account for the extras being sent, and remember to keep a close watch on your guest count. Destination Weddings Destination wedding invitations should be sent months before your wedding date, and we recommend setting your response date for at least six weeks before the wedding date.

Address your invitations correctly—to each guest by name, not "and guest"—and guests should understand that the invite is meant for only those mentioned. If you find that some reply with their children's names added, give them a call and explain you're having an adults-only wedding and you hope they can still attend.

If there are a lot of kids in your family, you may want to consider hiring or arranging for a babysitter. It's definitely not required, but it's a nice gesture. Just be sure to include this information on the wedding website.

The easiest way to get your point across is to include a dress code in the lower right-hand corner of the invite or on a reception card. Trust us, your guests will appreciate the heads-up. Your invitation design can also clue guests in. An ultra-formal, traditional invite with letterpress and calligraphy will give guests a hint to the formal nature of the event, whereas an invite with a playful font and bright colors would fit a much more casual style.

Browse the different options on The Knot Invitations to find a design that reflects your wedding's style. Another option is to direct guests to your wedding website, where you can go into more detail about the weekend events and dress code in a more informal forum. No, you don't have to. If a guest isn't married or in a serious relationship, it's perfectly acceptable to invite them solo. Most guests will understand that without "and Guest" or another name on the invitation,they aren't invited with a plus-one.

While it's always nice to invite everyone with a guest, that can add up quickly in terms of both headcount and cost. If a guest RSVPs for two, call them and explain you're trying to be diligent about your guest list, unfortunately, you were not able to invite everyone with a guest. If you realize that nearly everyone will be coupled up, you might want to extend a plus-one invitation to your few single friends and family members.

The return address usually goes on the back flap of the envelope. Also, the return address used should be that of the person s whom you've designated to receive response cards, be it your parents or you traditionally, whoever is hosting the wedding handles response cards.

Don't forget that the RSVP envelope should also be printed with this address and should include postage. This is a tricky situation.

Standard etiquette dictates that everyone who attends the ceremony or wedding shower, engagement party or wedding reception should be invited to the wedding—that means the ceremony and the reception. By inviting guests to one and not the other, it could send the message that you want them there for the actual ceremony but you either don't want to pay for their plate at your party or don't care enough to have them there to actually celebrate your newlywed status.

If you worded the invitation by having their partner's name on the envelope rather than "and guest" , you have every right to say no. As a rule, invitations are nontransferable when people are invited by name. Explain that you're not friendly with their proposed guest and you'd prefer the wedding be limited to close friends and family.

If you invited all of your single friends sans dates, let them know they won't be the only one coming solo in case that's their worry. Main Menu. Ladd Drummond," but if the kids have been included too, the inner envelope will tip you off, as it will say, "Ladd and Ree, Alex, Paige, Bryce and Todd.

Many response cards will include an "M" followed immediately by a line. In keeping with more formal wedding tradition, the line is here as a way to kickstart your reply. The "M" stands for the first letter of the title you prefer to go by, be it Mr. Quick tip: Ms. Of course, you may have guests that are "The Honorable" or "Dr.

This is what often happens: You'll get a flurry of responses right after people receive their invitation thank you! Expect a bunch of replies close to the deadline. And then there are those who never respond -you'll have to go after them. To make sure you give guests enough time to RSVP but not too much that they forget , check out the guide below to figure out how much time you should really give your potential attendees to get their responses in.

Assuming you've sent your invitations out in time at least six to eight weeks before your wedding , then give your guests four or five weeks to RSVP. Have your RSVP due date be two to three weeks prior to the wedding.

Your caterer will want a head count at least one week before the reception, and you'll need a few days to get in touch with people who you haven't heard from.