Répondez S'il Vous Plaît!

A reply to attend or not to attend a wedding or party is always appreciated. It is good etiquette and good manners.

Once upon a time in a land not so far away, response cards didn't exist. When a guest received an invitation, the polite way to reply was with a hand-written note. Unfortunately, frustrated hosts were making numerous follow-up phone calls to forgetful, or inconsiderate, guests. All this frustration resulted in the invention of the response card! However, in these technological times we live in, some hosts will opt to accept RSVPs via email; and believe it or not some hosts still abide by that time honored tradition of not including response cards with the invitation.

So, if you receive an invitation with no response card or an email address to respond to, here is the correct way to write your formal RSVP.

Always mirror the original layout and formality of the invitation. Hand write, or type in the case of an email, the response and refer to yourself in the third person. Abbreviations are never used. Everything should always spelled out in full, even the date.

Mrs. Ashley Lynn Houghton
accepts with pleasure
the kind invitation of
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Raymond Bradley
for Saturday, the first of May

*or*

Mrs. Ashley Lynn Houghton
regrets that she is unable to accept
the kind invitation of
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Raymond Bradley
for Saturday, the First of May


My last bit of advice? RSVP, ASAP! It is considered bad etiquette to leave your response to the last minute.