Texoma Bride Guide | Issue 008 | Winter/Spring 2021

INVITATIONS
INVITATIONS
ENVELOPES
It may seem strange, but you’ll need two envelopes for your invitations. The outer envelope is
for mailing purposes, and the inner envelope holds your invitation ensemble. The outer
envelope is formally addressed only to those who are invited to attend the wedding, but the
inner envelope is a bit less formal and includes just the first names of invited guests.
Just like for every other part of your wedding, there are some recommendations when dealing
with the outer envelope:
• Address each envelope by hand, and pay special attention to spelling, addresses and
handwriting
• Your guests’ names should be written out in full, using their titles such as “Mr.” and “Ms.”
• Spell out all the words in the address
• Spell out all house numbers that are less than 20
• The return address should go on the back flap of the envelope, and can be handwritten,
embossed or stamped
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RSVP
As the RSVP’s start pouring in, you will want to have a system developed to keep track of them!
Make sure to note how many guests confirm their attendance because your vendors will want
an accurate headcount a few days before the wedding. If serving a plated meal, include food
options on your RSVP cards so that guests can make their selection. Tracking the number of
guests is especially important if you’re paying for cake or food per person.
Before you mail your invitations, count and number your guest list and assign each RSVP card
a number accordingly. If a guest forgets to fill out the line for their name before returning it to
you, the number on the card will help you know who has RSVP’d and who hasn’t! Be careful not
to make the numbering too obvious.
If you want to make things easier for your guests, consider pre-addressing and stamping your
RSVP cards!
If you’re still missing a few response cards at the deadline, go ahead and place some calls. It’s
easy to get annoyed and frustrated at the lack of response, but don’t let that show. Politely ask
if they’ll be attending, reminding them that the vendors need to know the number of guests
by a certain date. Remember that it never fails that you will end up with an unexpected guest
or two, so we recommend adding a few additional people to your head count if you can’t get in
touch with everyone.
• RSVPs and gifts will most likely be sent to the return address on the invitation envelope
• Self-address the return envelope for the RSPV, don’t rely on your guests to do this for you.
Always include a postage stamp with the reply card.
TIMING
Modern brides are turning to online RSVP systems to capture the
responses of their guests. Be mindful of the guests you are inviting and their
level of comfort with technology and offer other ways for them to respond.
Ideally, you should send your wedding invitations eight weeks before your wedding. This gives
your guests plenty of time to clear their schedules and make travel arrangements. Request that
RSVP’s be returned by two to three weeks before the wedding. This allows you to know how
many guests to expect before crunch time!
PLAN WITH
THE TEXOMA
BRIDE GUIDE
Feeling overwhelmed and out of place in
the wedding space? In addition to
comprehensive wedding planning guides
and this magazine, we also provide
wedding planning coaching services. We
can help guide you through the process
and give you tips and tricks to succeed on
your big day.
If you’re having a destination wedding, give your guests more time to make arrangements by
mailing invitations three months before the wedding.
TexomaBrideGuide.com
If you’re sending out save the dates, mail them six to eight months before the wedding so that
calendars can be marked and there will be no surprises when the actual invitations arrive. Just
make sure that everyone who receives a save the date also receives an invitation.
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