Happy Wednesday, Everyone! Today I thought I’d share with you my new found knowledge of RSVP card do’s and don’ts. According to Emily Post!
Today I finally received the package I’ve been waiting for all week! It’s the invitations and rsvp cards for my son’s upcoming rehearsal dinner. But as I was unpacking the box it occurred to me I didn’t know how to (correctly) assemble the invitations, rsvp cards and the reply envelopes. Do I put the rsvp card in the envelope or leave it outside? Do I put the invitation to the rehearsal dinner on top of the rsvp card and envelope? Behind it?
Naturally I want to send the rehearsal dinner invitations correctly, so I consulted THE expert on etiquette. Ms. Emily Post. (or regretfully since she has past on, her great-great granddaughters who currently hold her torch.) Months ago I purchased their book called “Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette” and there is actually an entire chapter devoted to Envelopes and Enclosures. (Chapter 10)
So, first things first, since my husband and I are hosting the rehearsal dinner we are also sending the invitations. We picked the venue then we ordered the invitations and the rsvp cards through Minted.com. We chose Minted because they will address the envelopes to the guests at no extra cost. You simply enter the names and the addresses in their online address book, choose your design and font and they do the rest. So pretty and professional looking! And no need to hire a calligrapher! (You can see the pretty stamp I found on eBay too.)
We also purchased the rsvp cards through Minted. I love the simple design we chose and again they printed our return address on the reply envelopes at no extra charge. I like wording for the response such as “accepts with pleasure” or “declines with regret”. Either way, it makes your reply sound more polite I think. Also, it’s nice to place a postage stamp on the reply envelope to make it extra easy for the guests to responde si vous plait.
So, now for the assembly part. According to Emily, I will slip the rsvp card under the flap of the reply envelope so the card is face up and the addressed side of the reply envelope is face down.
Then slip this into the large envelope along with the invitation.
**The reply card and envelope goes on top of the invitation to the rehearsal dinner which is also face up. Because we didn’t include any extra enclosures such as tissue paper or directions, etc. that’s all we need to include. And here is one invitation, complete with rsvp card and reply envelope.
I made one mistake when ordering the invitations though. I forgot to include our return address on the envelopes of the invitations. Oops. So, like it or not, I’ll need to put a sticker on the back of the envelope flap with our address in case an invitation somehow gets lost, etc. Luckily, not too long ago I ordered some pretty white ones from Zazzle, so I”ll use those. Just so you’ll know, Minted will print the return address for you on the back of the envelopes. Here they are! All stamped, addressed and ready to take to the post office! Yay!
One last note, on the rsvp card there is usually an “M” and a blank line. The M precedes the space where the guest can write his and/or her social title and name such as Mr. and Mrs. Bradford Barton, or Ms. Faith Brooks. Guests can also include the names of the invited children and whether or not they will attend. This helps when making arrangements for seating charts and place cards. (If children are invited their names will appear on the outer envelope of the invitation.)
So, thank you, Emily Post! You answered my question about whether or not to put the rsvp card inside the reply envelope. Now hopefully folks will remember to return the rsvp cards back to me by November 1st!
I’m off to the post office! Thank you for stopping by today! I hope you have a lovely day. xoxo Dell
TIP: Make sure to have the post office weigh the envelopes to ensure you have adequate postage!
