The Wedding RSVP: Why it is So Important
We believe answering your wedding invitation with your rsvp card is one of the most important things you can do as a wedding guest. Not only is it important in the couple’s wedding planning process, but by returning the wedding rsvp card you are respecting the couple’s wishes.
Weddings are complicated, stressful, expensive and they take months of planning. One of the first things a couple must do to plan their wedding is figure out how big of a wedding they want to have. This ultimately determines their venue, catering, floral design, favors, and so much more. It also isn’t an easy task to create a wedding guest list.
How Couples Create the Wedding Guest List
CJ Dickson, the owner of CJ’s Off the Square, suggests using a ranking system to create a guest list. The simple ranking system helps determine who should be invited, and who should not. Often times, the budget determines guest count, so couples have to make tough decisions on who will ultimately be invited. So many people have had a positive impact on the bride and groom’s life, so determining who should be on the list is complicated and stressful. The bride and groom must balance the budget and guest count without offending anyone (or try to anyway).
If you did not get invited to a wedding you wanted to attend, please know on behalf of the couple, it was not personal, they just had to make some really tough decisions in order for them to have the wedding day of their dreams. Ultimately, the wedding day isn’t about the cake, flowers, guests, food, or the amazing venue. The wedding is about the bride and groom joining together as one, it is about them, so we all must focus on what they ultimately want for their perfect wedding day.
So, what does this all have to do with the wedding invitation and the rsvp card? It has everything to do with that small card or the online rsvp instructions. If you receive a wedding invitation in the mail, the bride and groom want you at their wedding. They are planning on you to be there even before you respond to the rsvp card. This is why we are so strongly encouraging wedding guests to mail in their cards.
Answering “Yes”
First, if you can come, amazing! They will have a seat and food for you! After all, they wanted you to be there, so out of respect for them, answer the invitation! Imagine, inviting hundreds of people to your next event, but no one says they can come, how do you plan? It makes it almost impossible! So by mailing that card, you are helping them and respecting the happiest day of their lives.
Answering “No”
Second, if you can’t come, it’s okay! They would have loved for you to be there, but it is just as important for you to let them know. The same rules apply as above if you can’t make it, because then you are narrowing down their guest count and helping them finalize their wedding plans! You don’t want them to pay for food and drinks that you won’t be there to have!
It may seem like we are passionate and pushy when it comes to rsvp cards, and that’s because we are. There has become a trend where people are failing to answer rsvp’s and it is making the happiest wedding day for a lot of couples a nightmare. Our goal as Nashville wedding videographers is to help our couples have the wedding of their dreams, and by answering the wedding rsvp card, you are helping them as well!
From the beginning, we wanted to create beautiful wedding films, but we also wanted to help educate and make the wedding day and planning process a breeze.
