How to Reply to a Wedding Invitation
Spring is slowly on its way and the wedding invitations are rolling in. Yes, spring is a time for new beginnings making it the perfect season for whimsical outdoor weddings! While you may have only just received your invitation to a May wedding, the couple organizing their big day will have already spent months planning everything from their guest list to the menu, to the party’s playlist and possible accommodations for those who have travelled from afar.
Planning a big wedding is no easy feat so you should do what you can to facilitate things for the happy couple – starting with responding to the wedding invite. If you’re not sure as to how to go about replying to a formal wedding invite, here are a few helpful tips.
RSVP Card – Formal Wedding Invitations
Many wedding invites come with RSVP cards, making it extremely simple for guests to respond quickly and without much fuss. An RSVP card may look something like this:
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Accept with pleasure
Regret they are unable to attend.
For your convenience, a little tick box is available right next to each given scenario (accept or unable to attend). Simply tick the box that applies to you and your plus one and send the RSVP card back to the couple in the provided, addressed envelope. If you were invited to bring along a guest who will not be able to attend, make a note of it on the RSVP card so the couple knows exactly how many people to expect.
Respond with Handwritten Acceptance/Regrets
If your invite was not foreseen with an RSVP card, it is up to you to inform the couple whether you will attend their wedding or not. A nice handwritten note or a congratulatory card will suffice, whether you’re accepting or declining. Depending on your relationship to the couple, you can either write a personal note (long-time friends or family), or a formal note (colleagues or casual acquaintances). Here is an example of a formal acceptance note:
Dear Katie and Richard,
Tom and I are delighted to attend your wedding on May 21st, 2018.
Kind regards,
Ashley & Tom Smith
If, for whatever reason, you cannot attend the wedding, don’t bog the couple down with too much detail – they won’t need to know about your dog’s upcoming frisbee tournament or your crazy work schedule. Keep it short and sweet:
Dear Katie and Richard,
Thank you kindly for your invite, however, we regret to inform you we will not be able to attend. We will be thinking of you from afar and hope your special day will be everything you imagined it to be.
Kind regards,
Ashley & Tom Smith
How to reply if you are not able to attend
Having to cancel on an event such as a wedding can be quite uncomfortable for fear of upsetting or letting people down.
However, letting the couple know in advance is the right thing to do as they will have a lot of money and organization riding on whether you attend or not – cancelling last minute, or worse, not showing up at all, could cause a lot of annoyance to the bride and groom. They might have to pay for a meal that will not be eaten, and their table arrangements might be out of wack because they didn’t have enough time to invite someone in your place. Things happen, and even if something comes up a day before the actual event, the couple will understand so long as you let them know as soon as you can.
Replying to a wedding invite may not seem like a big deal for you, but it will mean a lot to the bride and groom and their organizational progress.