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., Mrs., Ms., or Miss.
“M is simply the beginning of someone's title,” explains etiquette expert Lisa Grotts. “The custom may be dated, but it's used for formal invitations even in this day and age.” That means that after the capital M, you're supposed to write the rest of your title, whether that's “Mr.,” “Mrs.,” “Miss,” or another.
That "M" stands for the first letter of the guest's title, like Mr., Mrs., Ms. or Miss. The guest writes their full name, along with the names of anyone else who has been invited, on the line.
You can include a response date on your response cards, giving guests four to six weeks to respond to your invitation. In other words, you can ask guests to let you know at least two weeks prior to the wedding whether they will attend, who will attend with them, and any entrée choices of the attendees.
Response Card: fill in and reply by the date indicated and return in the enclosed envelope. RSVP with phone number: telephone and make sure to speak in person – answering machines can be unreliable. RSVP with email: you may accept or decline electronically. Regrets only: reply only if you cannot attend.
It happens. Things come up, especially urgent, unavoidable things like sickness, unexpected deaths, can't-miss work trips, and other legitimate excuses. Whatever the reason, it's how you handle your RSVP status that counts. Regardless of how close you are to the couple, no-showing is NEVER appropriate.
After you've filled in your reply details, slip the RSVP card into the included envelope (typically pre-stamped, and almost always pre-addressed), and drop it in the mail. Be sure to submit your RSVP before the 'your reply is appreciated by date' — way earlier, if possible.
THE “M” LINE - The “M” line on the response card is the place where guests will write in their names. The M itself is meant to designate the first letter of the formal salutation (Mr., Mrs., Miss or Ms.). It is most traditional to use the “M” line, though couples may opt to use the langauge, “Name(s)” instead.
A recent study conducted by event management software company RSVPify generally corroborates that 80 percent estimate, finding that, of couples who used their platform to manage RSVPs, an average of 83 percent of invited guests accepted their invitation, while 17 percent declined.
By adding the line, "number attending _____", guests can write down the number of individuals attending from their party. You can also use this line to indicate how many people you are allowing to come by writing in the number before mailing out the response cards.
How long should guests have to RSVP for weddings? Ideally, the RSVP date should fall three to four weeks before the wedding, and the wedding invitation should be mailed six to eight weeks prior to the wedding.
For the RSVP return envelope, the 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 include the proper postage for return mailing.
"RSVP" is an initialism of the French phrase, "répondez s'il vous plaît." this directly translates to "Respond, if you please." The initialism is often used to confirm attendance for an event, such as a wedding, birthday party or baby shower.
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., Mrs., Ms., or Miss.
I regret to tell you that I won't be able to attend due to another commitment, but please accept my warmest congratulations." "Regrettably I won't be able to attend the wedding due to some conflicting commitments." “Thank you so much for the invitation, I really appreciate it and it means a great deal.”
Most of us in our society are programmed to RSVP yes to events, but RSVPs are not optional. Letting your host know “yay” or “nay” is an etiquette-do. Without it, they are left guessing if you'll be in attendance or not.
Set the deadline to RSVP at 3 weeks before the big day. A few important things to remember while considering this data: Your social media frenzied friends may respond within hours of their invitation, while Great Uncle Joe who shuns computers may not respond for 3 months (if ever).
To give guests ample time to plan and respond, you'll want to send your invitations out at least eight weeks before your big day. RSVP etiquette dictates that it's ideal for guests to reply at least four weeks before your ceremony, allowing you time to confirm the numbers with your caterer and venue.
There's no magical formula to determine exactly how many invitees will RSVP "no" (trust us, if we could predict the future for you, we would), but it's safe to plan for roughly 15 percent of people to decline the invitation (and more like 20–30 percent for a destination wedding).
Anticipate around 4-5 guests having to cancel last-minute. Instead of stressing about these cancellations, know that your loved ones have valid reasons for not attending and would have loved to make it if they could. And don't even try to fill their seats with last-minute invitations.
How many guests can I expect to show up? Typically 75-85% of local guests attend weddings. But you can expect less attendance from out-of-town guests or if you're planning a destination wedding. Some couples will plan for this and increase their guest list by about 10% - 20%.
Include full names. If attending, write the titles and full names of all invited guests next to the “M” on the response card. Don't forget to include the full name of your plus one so that the host can get a proper head count and create a personal name card for your guest.
If you want your guests to mail back an RSVP card, make sure the envelope is pre-addressed and includes a stamp. Does this mean you'll have to buy a whole bunch of extra stamps? Yes, but asking your guests to pay to reply (even if it's just a single stamp) is an etiquette no-no.