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What to Include on an RSVP Card

When you choose your wedding invitations, you’ll notice that one of the items that comes along with it is the response, or RSVP card. And while invitations follow pretty standard wording for the most part, figuring out what to include on an RSVP card gives you a chance to show your personality if you’d like to. There are lots of fun ways to tailor your response card to the type of wedding you’re having. If you’re hosting a super-formal wedding, stick with traditional wording, like “Accepts with Pleasure” and “Declines with Regret.” Casual destination wedding? Consider more laid-back language like “Our Bags Are Packed!” and “We’ll be Toasting From Afar!”

But aside from the most creative response choices you can dream up, what should you include on your RSVP card? Remember that these cards will be very important when it comes to implementing the actual details of your wedding, like headcount for different events, meal choices, and possibly even where everyone will be staying. This information will be invaluable during your planning process, so be sure to have a good system for storing and recording your RSVP cards as guests mail them back to you.

So when it comes time to decide what to include on your RSVP cards, be sure consider all the information you’ll need guests to provide. We’re here to break it down for you.

 

Space for your guests’ names

Traditionally, this is a long blank line that begins with a printed “M.” It’s the place where recipients will write the names of those planning to attend your wedding. Another (and perhaps more modern) alternative is to print the word “Name:” before the blank line.

Wondering what you should do if your guests forget to fill in their names? Pencil in a tiny number on the back of each card and keep a corresponding spreadsheet so if someone forgets to write their name, you’ll know whose response card it is.

The RSVP deadline date

The date by which you need the recipient’s response should be prominently displayed on your RSVP cards. This gives your guests a sense of urgency to RSVP ASAP. There are a few possible wording options, based on whether you want your response cards to have a formal or casual feel. Wording like, “The favor of a reply is requested by,” and “your reply is requested by” are more formal ways to word this, while “RSVP by” and “please respond by” tend to give a more casual vibe.

Accept or decline options

Another hallmark feature of what to include on an RSVP card is the section that allows your guests to select whether they’ll be attending or not. Like we mentioned above, the options are endless here. So feel free to be as creative as you’d like, or have these responses tie into your wedding theme. A more formal option is leave the card blank except for the RSVP deadline date so that guests can fill in their own responses.

Food selections

If you’ll be serving a sit-down dinner at your reception, it’s a good idea to have your RSVP card include a small section at the bottom where the recipient will select his or her choice of entree (if there will be choices). And be sure to be considerate of people who may have food allergies. Include a line for food allergies or dietary restrictions. This is very helpful to the venue’s chef should they need to accommodate a serious allergy for a guest.

Accommodations

Are you inviting out-of-town guests? If you are and are thinking about what to include on your RSVP card, you may want to consider including a line that invites your guest to specify where they’ll be staying. Simpson says, “this is a great idea if you have a number of room blocks at hotels in the area, and makes it easier to coordinate welcome gift bags and transportation.”


Source: WeddingWire

The 5 Most Common Wedding Invitation Typos

 A wedding invitation typo can cause some pretty significant problems on your big day. Here are some common typos to look out for.

The big cardboard package arrived at our doorstep in the middle of the day. We ran to the door, hardly able to contain our excitement. Our invitations were finally here! After weeks upon weeks of going back and forth about the design (with the very patient designers at Paper Culture), we were finally ready to see our creation in person instead of just via digital proofs. We ripped open the box – when I say ripped, I mean it only in spirit as we were very careful not to damage anything – and the smile on my face grew wider and wider as we saw how amazing everything came out. Then I saw it. The wedding invitation typo. My wife’s aunt’s last name was spelled wrong on our brunch invitation. And I was the one that spelled it that way. Yikes. There’s nothing like realizing you ordered 150 of something and all 150 of that something will need to be replaced.

Wedding invitation typos happen. That’s a fact of life. If you’re like me and decided to design the whole thing yourself through an online company, you’ll be asked to approve the invitations before they get printed. That means any mistakes are your fault. If you went the more traditional route with a calligrapher or stationer, there’s a chance it’s not your fault. Doesn’t matter. If there’s a mistake, it’ll need to get printed and that probably means saying goodbye to extra cash. Luckily for us, Paper Culture was so accommodating that they reprinted the brunch invites free of charge. We were so thankful. That said, typos happen to the best of us, but you should do everything in your power to make sure they don’t.

 

Keep an eye out for these common wedding invitation typos so your heart doesn’t sink as soon as you catch that big mistake.

The Crucial Time Typo

Even if you spent 100 hours designing your wedding website with perfectly accurate information, a good chunk of your guests are still going to rely solely on the invitation they got in the mail. That’s why it’s so important to check the times of your events before it gets printed. It’s not that hard to write 12 when you meant to say 11. Think of the ramifications of a time typo. You’ve scheduled all your vendors, the venue, and every last detail of your schedule to accommodate a certain start time. Sending out the wrong time on your invitation could sabotage the whole thing. Check the times again and again and make sure you have the right ones listed. Trust me on this one.

The Address Typo

A close cousin of the Crucial Time Typo, the Address Typo rears its ugly head when your guests wind up at a Taco Bell two miles away from your wedding venue because you wrote 220 Clark Ave. instead of 2220. While Waze and Google Maps may help your guests get to the address printed on your invitation, it means nothing if the address is the wrong one. Check every street number. Check every street name. You went to all the trouble of throwing a wedding, so it’s worth it to make sure your guests know where it actually is.

The Important Name Typo

This was my big mistake. I failed to double-check the spelling of my wife’s aunt’s last name (one of the hosts of the post-wedding brunch) and wound up having to get 150 invites reprinted. Names are the hardest wedding invitation typos to catch because they’re not going to be flagged by spellcheck. The best rule of thumb here is to proofread every name with your significant other. With your forces combined, the Jonathans will be sorted from the Jonathons and you’ll be able to sleep at night.

The Transformative Typo

There’s a famous Curb Your Enthusiasm episode where Larry’s in charge of the obituary for his aunt and a typo changes “beloved aunt” to something much more vulgar. That’s definitely the kind of mistake you want to avoid.

Any Typo at All

For us grammar-obsessed folks (what’s up, semi-colon nerds!), it’s mortifying to imagine any typo at all on our invitations. When I was alerted to the aforementioned misspelling on our brunch invites, I wanted to crawl into a hole and let bugs turn me into lunch. While a wedding invitation typo isn’t going to impact your event in any significant way, it’s important to remember that the invitations are one of the few tangible memories of your special day. Take the time to proofread (and again and again) and you won’t have to explain to your future grandchildren about the time you spelled Great-Grandma’s name wrong on your wedding invitation.

Source: WeddingWire

5 Details Your Save the Date Needs—and 4 It Doesn’t

 Trying to figure out what to include on a save the date? Help your guests plan for your big day by including these five points.

The time has come to kick the wedding-planning process into high gear, starting with figuring out what to include on your save the date (how exciting!?). While your impending wedding might already feel as real as can be, this step makes it just as real for your wedding guests. Not only will they put it on their calendar, but they may even start making some arrangements to ensure they’re able to be there. They’re typically sent out between 6 to 8 months or so before your wedding date, although they can be sent out earlier if you happen to be particularly organized and on point! While they’re meant to be simple, there are some important bits of information when it comes to what to include on the save the date. On the contrary, however, there’s no need to go out of your way and include pretty much every detail you’ll have on your wedding invitation, which you’ll send around three months before your big day.

 

Here, wedding planners reveal the dos and don’ts of what to include on your save the dates.

Needs: Your (maiden) names

This one might sound obvious, but it’s so important that your guests know who the save the date is for! Taylor Keenan, wedding and event planner, suggests not only ensuring your names are on your save the date, but ensuring that they stand out and are totally visible. “You might even want to go as far as picking a different font from the rest of the wording,” she says. “It is also nice to include a picture of you as a couple if the design warrants it.” When printing your names, don’t forget to use your maiden names instead of “the soon-to-be Mr. and Mrs.” 

Doesn’t need: Your venue

Whether or not you’ve already selected your venue, there’s no need to feel pressure to include it in your save the date (although of course you can if you choose to!). Just providing a city and state is sufficient for save the date purposes. 

Needs: The date of your wedding

This is why you’re sending a save the date in the first place. “Make sure it has the date of the wedding day on it, and, if you are having a celebration for the weekend, make sure it is clear when the ceremony is,” says Keenan.

Doesn’t need: Your hotel information

Deborah McCoy, president of the American Academy of Wedding Professionals, believes it’s best not to bog guests down with hotel, flight or “things to do” information in your save the date. “Chances are, the majority will have no idea as to whether or not they will be attending at this stage,” she says. “That type of information should be reserved for those who have accepted the wedding invitation.”

Needs: Location

While you don’t have to get super specific when it comes to what to include on your save the date, your guests will need to know where (as in, what city, state and country) your wedding is being held. “Part of the reasoning behind sending a save the date so far in advance is so people can make travel plans,” notes Leah Weinberg of Color Pop Events in Long Island City, New York. “Travel costs like airfare are going to be less expensive six months out than they would be two months out from the wedding.”

Doesn’t need: Exact times

This early in the wedding-planning stages, there’s no need to have your timeline in place in terms of specifics (like the time of your ceremony and/or reception). “The save the date is more for them to secure the day than a specific time,” says Keenan. 

Needs: Your wedding website

Most wedding planners recommend waiting to look at save the date ideas until your wedding website is up and running. This way, wedding guests can get to know you a little better as a couple (if they don’t already, of course), and become familiar with the type of wedding you’re planning on having. “This is where all of the details of your wedding are going to live, so it’s good to send people there as early on as possible,” adds Weinberg.

Doesn’t need: Attire specifics

When thinking about what to include on a save the date, know that it doesn’t have to specify the attire for the wedding. “If a guest desperately needs to know that information before receiving a formal invitation (assuming that the dress code isn’t listed on your wedding website), then all they have to do is ask you,” says Weinberg.

Needs: A note that a formal invite will follow

Keenan recommends letting guests know that they will be getting a formal invitation to your wedding. It is also good to have the save the dates addressed to exactly who you want to know about your wedding,” she says. “Adding ‘and guest’ at this point will give time to additional parties that would not otherwise receive the save the date.”

Source: WeddingWire

 

When to Send Save the Dates

You’ve set a date so now it’s time to figure out when to send your save the dates! Our advice: Not too early, not too late!

 

Save the dates are the first form of communication couples have with their guests and as the saying goes, timing is everything. When considering when to send save the dates, you don’t want them to arrive too late for obvious reasons, but you also don’t want to send them too far in advance, either. Your guests will need ample time to book travel and accommodations, particularly for destination weddings, but save the dates sent too far ahead of time might be stored in a drawer and forgotten about. There is a difference between when to save send the dates for hometown weddings vs. destination weddings, so be sure to time these notices carefully.

Wondering when to send save the dates? Here are your answers.

When do you send out save the dates when you’re hosting a destination wedding?

If you’re hosting a destination wedding and most of your guests will have to travel to the location, it’s extra important to consider when to send save the dates. You’ll want to ensure that your guests have enough time to clear their schedules and book flights and hotels (hopefully you’ve already reserved room blocks for your loved ones!). Therefore, we recommend sending save the dates for destination weddings eight to 12 months before the big day. Make sure that you’ve already reserved room blocks and have listed travel information on your wedding website before sending your save the dates. That way, your guests will be able to take action as soon as they receive their save the date. By not having a complete wedding website, you run the risk of guests totally forgetting to book travel until it’s too late.

When do you send out save the dates if you’re hosting a hometown wedding?

Couples hosting hometown weddings can be a bit more flexible when it comes to when to send save the dates. We recommend sending save the dates between four and eight months in advance of your nuptials for hometown weddings. If a good portion of your guests are traveling to your event, send save the dates around eight months in advance, but if most people are local, four to six months ahead of time is fine—anything later than four months in advance, your guests may already have conflicts on their calendars. As with a destination wedding, your wedding website should be relatively complete by the time those save the dates go out. Your guests will likely refer to your wedding website immediately after receiving your save the date to check your registry and other details, and the last thing you want is them to be greeted by a blank page.

 

What should I include on my save the dates?

Save the dates should be kept relatively short and sweet. Your and your partner’s names, your wedding date, the location of your venue (we mean city and state, not actual venue), and your wedding website’s address are really all you need. Some couples, particularly those hosting destination weddings, may choose to put travel and accommodation information in their save the dates, but as long as the information is on your wedding website, and you note your site’s address on the save the date, you’re fine. You’ll also want to say that a formal invitation will follow so that guests don’t think this is the actual invite.

What shouldn’t I include on my save the dates?

The major etiquette no-no is including specific registry information on your save the date. This information can be included on your website, but shouldn’t be added to any printed materials. You also don’t need to be specific about your venue, exact timing, or dress code. Your guests don’t need that information at this early point.

To whom do I send my save the dates?

Your save the dates should be sent to all of your guests, which means you should have a finalized guest list before sending them out. Some couples create A, B, and C guest lists and only sending save the dates to those on the A-list, but that’s not something we recommend. It’s possible that those on your B and C lists will find out that save the dates went out (“Hey, did you get Jordan and Blake’s save the date? It’s so pretty!”), and they weren’t included—not ideal.

Do my save the dates need to match my wedding color scheme and/or invitations?

Nope! While your save the date should reflect the style of your wedding (formal or casual), it’s doesn’t have to match the rest of your paper goods. In fact, you probably don’t even know what the rest of your paper suite will look like at this early point, so don’t sweat it! Just pick a style that you like and feels true to your event’s general vibe.

Source: WeddingWire

Craft Room Storage 101

Organizing your craft room is likely to be one of your favorite adventures around the home. It’s fun, rewarding, and inspiring as you get to reconnect with all of the different projects you’ve dreamed up over the years. You will feel great as you shred through the clutter and make plans for new projects, but above all, you’ll be all set for your amazing crafting projects! Here are some simple craft room tips to try.

  1. Begin your craft room makeover by taking inventory of your craft supply categories. List out the key groupings of supplies – like sewing, painting, beadwork, and more. Next, consider how you would best design a craft room storage system that accommodates each individual grouping of supplies. You might like to set up some drawers under your table for instant access to the materials you would use there. A well-designed closet affords effortless craft room storage and a nice and neat out-of-sight, out-of-mind appeal to your space.
  2. Look into craft organizers and plastic drawer sets offering compartments just the right size for your scrapbooking supplies or your glitter collection. If you have bins and boxes available, take the time to sort your supplies into these temporarily, prior to buying any new containers or shelves for your crafting space, so you can see at a glance just how much stuff you actually have.
  3. Make a shopping list that includes the types of storage containers and furniture you want to buy as well as any relevant requirements or dimensions. Put a little note of what kinds of craft supplies go into each receptacle so you can think and change your plans on the fly if you can’t find something on your list.
  4. Check out cases and containers designed for specific crafting supplies. Sewing boxes, crochet hook cases, and other sweet craft storage items make it easy to keep your space tidy long after your overhaul. If you haven’t already got them all, add a few of these to your list for Santa to bring along this holiday season.
  5. Organizing craft supplies in a small space can be a bit more challenging. Pick up a couple of air-tight storage bins for any overflow items that may not fit into your neatly organized craft area. These items can take up residence in your attic or garage, and helps to keep your home as clutter-free as possible.

 

Rustic Pinterest Wedding Becomes a Reality

Today’s blog actually is all about my special day. I married my hubby on September 8th, 2018 in an amazing barn and old farm home. Our wedding was a rustic theme mixed with my DIY touches. We held both our ceremony and reception inside the barn letting the barns beauty be the perfect backdrop. Virtually the entire event was inspired by the my devotion to online wedding blogs, Pinterest and DIY ideas. With help from family and friends, we pulled off a perfect event despite the rainy day.

Photographer: CT Johnson Photography
Catering: Porkbelly BBQ
Wedding Dress: Belle Amour Bridal
Wedding Cake: Buggy Whip Cakes