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Response Cards Samples, Response Card Etiquette and More

INTRODUCTION

Wedding invitations are cards or letters asking the recipient to attend a wedding and/or wedding reception. They are typically mailed out with response cards approximately six weeks before the wedding date. You can personalize your response cards with a handwritten note or print them with customized wording. When following proper response card etiquette, the recipient mails back the response card two weeks before the wedding or by the date indicated. For detailed information regarding response card etiquette and the correct format for an RSVP card, samples of response cards and more are featured below to help you gain a thorough understanding of response card etiquette.

Response Cards

Response cards are enclosed with the invitation to determine the number of people who will be attending your wedding. They are the smallest card size accepted by the postal service and should be printed in the same style as the invitation. An invitation to only the wedding ceremony does not usually include a request for a reply. However, response cards should be used when it is necessary to have an exact head count for special seating arrangements. Response cards are widely accepted today. If included, these cards should be easy for your guests to understand and use. Include a self-addressed and stamped return envelope to make it easy for your guests to return the response cards.

Things To Consider: You should not include a line that reads "number of persons" on your response cards because only those whose names appear on the inner and outer envelopes are invited. Each couple, each single person, and all children over the age of 16 should receive their own invitation. Indicate on the inner envelope if they may bring an escort or guest. The omitting of children's names from the inner envelope infers that the children are not invited. Samples of wording for response cards:

M_______________________
(The M may be eliminated from the line, especially if many Drs. are invited)
___ accepts
___ regrets
Saturday the fifth of July
Oceanside Country Club
OR
The favor of your reply is requested
by the twenty-second of May
M_________________________
will ________ attend

RECEPTION CARDS

If the guest list for the ceremony is larger than that for the reception, a separate card with the date, time and location for the reception should be enclosed with the ceremony invitation for those guests also invited to the reception. Reception cards should be placed in front of the invitation, facing the back flap and the person inserting them. They should be printed on the same quality paper and in the same style as the invitation itself.

Sample of a formally-worded reception card:

Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Waterman Smith
request the pleasure of your company
Saturday, the third of July
at three o'clock
Oceanside Country Club
2020 Waterview Lane
Oceanside, California

Sample of a less formal reception card:

Reception immediately following the ceremony
Oceanside Country Club
2020 Waterview Lane
Oceanside, California

Things To Consider: You may also include a reception card in all your invitations if the reception is to be held at a different site than the ceremony.