Last Tuesday, we gave you the inside scoop on when to send your Save the Dates and Invitations, and when exactly to expect your RSVPs back. That post wouldn’t be complete, though, without the skinny on how exactly to word and design all of these pretty papers! We’ve done some digging and come up with the most traditional, unique, and totally theme-appropriate ways of creating your Save the Dates, Invites, and RSVPs. We have a feeling you’ll love these just as much as we do!
Save the Dates
One of our favorite things about Save the Dates is that they are less formal than wedding invitations. While we totally appreciate etiquette and tradition, we think it is so much fun to let your personalities shine through! Some of the best ideas we’ve seen (and we’ve seen quite a few) include the couple having fun and being creative!
Oh and we couldn’t resist this Save the Date, taken by Zack at BowTie Photo. I mean, it’s pretty clear from last week’s post (which you can find right here) that we are quite obsessed with incorporating your pets into your wedding.
However you decide to share your date with guests, make sure your Save the Dates include your names (it may seem obvious, but your mom’s cousin’s brother-in-law may not recognize just your picture), the date you’ll be getting married, and the location. If you’re organizing a room block, out of town guests would likely appreciate that information earlier rather than later. At the very least, providing your wedding website so guests know where they can find more information is clutch!
Invitations
When it comes to wedding invitations, even if you’re throwing a backyard barbecue, we recommend making them more elegant than your Save the Dates. While you don’t necessarily have to be traditional in your invites, a certain amount of etiquette is required no matter how casual the occasion. Always make sure to mention who is hosting the wedding, whether it be, as tradition goes, the parents of the bride, the parents of the groom, or the couple. We love how this couple phrased it:
Here is a more traditional option that we are swooning over:
Something we get asked often from our couples is whether or not to include their registry information in their wedding invitations. Our rule of thumb is no. Your bridal shower invitation is the perfect place to add your registry. While you may worry that your guests will not know where to look to find you that perfect wedding gift, we assure you, they will be able to figure it out. Pass the word along to your close family and bridesmaids about where you’re registered and guests will certainly hear via word of mouth where to shop. Still not convinced? Why not include your registry information (as well as some other awesome wedding stuff) on a personalized wedding website? Instead of including the registry on your wedding invitation, you can provide the link to your site, where they can find out all the juicy details about your big day! A few sites we suggest our couples use that offer great website templates are: Wedding Wire, MyWedding, and The Knot.
RSVPs
Everyone loved your out-of-the-box Save the Date and your wedding invitations are perfectly classy with a touch of fun. One last thing to do before sending out your formal invites is to make sure your RSVPs include all the information you’ll need from guests to make your day run smoothly. First things first: guests need a place to check yes or no! While we love tradition, we’re a little impartial to these sweet and clever responses.
You’ll also want to make sure to have a spot where guests can write their name and the name of their guest(s). And no matter how obvious you make the space, you’re going to have invitees who forget to write their names, leaving you to play guess the guest while making your seating chart…fun. Because of this, we are absolutely in love with these crafty little hacks to ensure you’re not trying to guess handwriting when getting your RSVPs back!
Put a small number on your RSVP envelopes that coordinates with the guest’s name on your spreadsheet. For example, put a 4 next to Aunt Sally’s name on your spreadsheet and a 4 on her RSVP envelope. If she forgets to write her name, you’ve got a back up to figure out who it’s from – brilliant!
Want to make things even easier for yourself? Get an invisible ink pen and write the guests names on the back of the RSVP. It won’t show up in normal lighting, but when put under a black light, you’ll know exactly who it’s from! We recommend testing this on regular paper first, for obvious reasons.
If you’re having a served dinner, make sure to include a spot where guests can choose which type of meal they’d prefer (unless, of course, you’re having the same course for everyone). If you’re having a buffet, save the space where’d you’d put options for one of these fun new ideas that we can’t get enough of:
A place for guests to put in a formal song request not only guarantees they’ll be shaking it out on the dance floor, but it will help you create your song list with tunes you know your guests will love! Of course you don’t have to play the song if it is on your “Do Not Play” list with your DJ or band! We are also totally on board with the idea of letting your guests know just how many seats have been reserved for them. This is a classy way of saying “No, we did not reserve a seat for your four children” and puts any questions to rest about having a plus one or not.
Oh, most importantly, do not forget to put a stamp on your RSVP envelope! No matter how casual your wedding, guests will be expecting their RSVP to be prepaid. Plus, this allows guests to RSVP as soon as they receive your invite because they can just put the pre-stamped envelope right back into the mailbox (this may be wishful thinking, but that’s how it’s supposed to work!)