5 Creative Ways to Get Your Guests to RSVP

One of the most frustrating parts of planning a wedding is getting a final head count. If you don’t order enough food and have enough place settings, you’ll have unhappy guests on your hands. If you order too much, you’re overpaying. But outside of personally calling every single person you invite, getting RSVPs can be a challenge.

There are ways to motivate guests to respond, though, and one way is to make RSVPing fun and memorable. Here are five of our favorite ideas:

1. Make them mad. (As in Mad Libs, of course!). Have your guests show their creativity and share a little about themselves by presenting them with a Mad Libs RSVP like these on Etsy. You can read a few at your rehearsal dinner to get guests laughing and in the wedding spirit.

2. Give them something to vote on. I’m sure you’ve discovered that guests love to share their opinions about your wedding plans. Include a ballot on the RSVP that allows guests to vote on something, such as the first dance song or what style of dance the bridal party should do. Make sure you pick options you like, of course, so you’ll be happy with the outcome!


3. Include pictures or graphics. Some of the cutest RSVPs we’ve seen include graphics in the place of words, such as for meal choices. Guests are meant to circle the picture that reflects their choice. One RSVP had a small thermometer that they called the Excite-O-Meter, and they asked guests to fill it in to their level of excitement. It catches the eye and entices guests to fill it out.

4. Design them in a format that invokes excitement. You’re inviting your guests to the biggest celebration of your lives, so make it feel like one by choosing movie or concert ticket style RSVPs. We found these on Zazzle and found them, well, dazzling!

5. Word it creatively. These days, couples are changing up traditional RSVP wording to include some personality and spark. Many creative (read: snarky) wording choices, such as these, will definitely invoke a response. Just try to avoid curse words or anything inflammatory. It’s still a wedding, after all!

Regardless of how you word and format your RSVP, make sure it includes all of the pertinent information: guest name(s), whether or not they will attend, if they have any dietary restrictions, and (if applicable), their meal choice. Keep it short, simple, and easy for them to return to you. That way, you’ll have one less thing to worry about while planning your big day!

8 Couples Who Don't Take The Whole Wedding Thing Too Seriously

Traditional wedding invitations give guests the option to "happily accept" or "regretfully decline" -- which is a total snooze-fest, if you ask us. It's no wonder so many people forget to reply!

We rounded up eight of the snarkiest, most creative wedding RSVP cards we've ever seen. Check them out below, but be warned: You will be wishing you had snagged an invite to these weddings.


via Redditor pajamas1
Because honesty is the best policy.


Credit: Katie Kerr and Chris Sabino
You had us at "free booze".


via dianotter on Imgur/HappyPlace
You can never have too many options.


via Redditor mgoreddit
Because Nic Cage is romance personified.


via Redditor United08
Black tie optional, bells highly encouraged.


via Redditor Herm0
Finally, an option for people who think RSVPing is for sissies.


via Redditor rickcheese
Ugh. Those pesky anti-child consumption laws are such a drag.


via Imgur
If you're not going to come, at least have a super awesome excuse.

How To Deal With Wedding Guests Who Don't RSVP On Time

The rules of wedding etiquette are constantly changing, making it difficult for modern brides, grooms and guests to find up-to-date and correct information. That's why we've launched #MannersMondays, a weekly series in which we ask our followers on Twitter and Facebook to submit their most burning etiquette-related questions. Then, with the help of our team of etiquette experts, we get you the right answers to your biggest Big Day dilemmas. Check out this week's question below!





Anna Post -- great-great-granddaughter of etiquette guru Emily Post and author of Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette -- is here to help us answer this week's question. Find out what she had to say below:


"Necessary? No. But I think you’ve answered your own question: You don’t want surprises. Unfortunately, some people do just show up, thinking it isn’t a big deal, when in fact it can cause a huge amount of stress, distraction and annoyance on a day when those are the last things you want to experience.

So that means you need to make some phone calls. There’s a good plan of attack for this, but first, a word on fairness. This isn’t fair — you have put a lot of effort and expense into planning a wedding. The least a guest can do is acknowledge your desire to include them with a yes or no (there’s even a convenient little form with check boxes! And a self-addressed, stamped envelope!) But if it’s the position you find yourself in, you might want to take a moment and think about the big picture: There’s a reason you invited this person in the first place, and presumably you still want them to share in your Big Day. Letting annoyance drip from your voice when you call — even though they are in the wrong — won’t do much good.


After you’ve squared away any frustration, start making calls about a week before you need to give your numbers to the caterer and/or venue. (Note: It’s smart to set the RSVP date a week or two prior to this deadline.) This is a great time to enlist any offers of help from close friends, family and members of the wedding party to help you make calls. Remember that this is not required duty -- it’s a favor. When you call, start by giving your errant guest the benefit of the doubt: 'I wanted to be sure you received our invitation. I need to give final numbers to my caterer on Friday, and wanted to know if you’ll be able to attend. We hope you can! Thanks.' If you are worried this won’t cover it, you can always add, 'I won’t be able to change the numbers after this.'


There’s no need for lengthy explanations — 'numbers to the caterer' in a wedding setting is about as clear as it gets. And, if someone does roll in on the wedding day who never replied, save any lecture on inconvenience for a later date. Delegate someone else to alert the caterers and squeeze them in — and hopefully it won't be at the kids' table."

Funny RSVP Card Shows Off Couple's Sense Of Humor (PHOTO)

A typical wedding RSVP card usually gives guests the option to check one of two boxes: either "happily accept" or "regretfully decline." And maybe, if you're lucky, the couple will ask if you prefer chicken or beef.

But one Chicago-area couple -- Katie Kerr and Chris Sabino -- decided to up the ante with their RSVP card and let their awesomely snarky personalities shine through. Check out the hilarious reply card below:

 

 

The couple -- who are big White Sox fans, in case you couldn't tell -- is set to tie the knot on September 21, 2013.