Custom Reply Cards
If you are interested in a custom reply card design, visit our Custom Invitations page and then contact us to schedule a free invitation design consultation.
Catalog Reply Cards
If you are interested in our catalog products, visit our Carlson Craft invitations page.
DIY Reply Cards
If you have the skills to build your own invitation, Visit our DIY Invitations page to view the hundreds of options available for creating the perfect DIY Invitation, then contact us to place your order.
About RSVP Cards
RSVP is a French acronym that means "Respondez S'il Vous Plait" which is translated in English to mean "please respond or respond please". The acronym RSVP was typically used with invitations related to formal events such as weddings engagement parties or christenings. These were occasions where the number of attendees was significant to the host to ensure sufficient food, grab bags or tokens of appreciation were present for all. However, it is becoming more common in the informal setting as well as people learn to budget and save and still enjoy life.
You can confirm numbers by sending out RSVPs. Typically RSVPs are sent out at least a month before the event. Your RSVP should make clear:
- the nature and location, date and time of the event
- who is invited (are children invited?)
- a deadline for accepting (expecting people to reply within a week is not unreasonable)
- how they can accept or decline (e.g. telephone, letter or email)
- (optional) choice of meal
RSVP cards often include a space for the guest to fill-in and return.
You should always include a date by which people must reply, otherwise some people may decide to leave it to the day before the event. Chase up stragglers with a phone call once the reply deadline has expired.
If it is an important event and you want to warn people to keep the date free long before you send out RSVPs, you can send ‘save the date’ cards.
Crane's Reply Cards Etiquette
Historically, women were the social secretaries of their households. Any correspondence that needed to be sent on behalf of the household was handled by the "lady of the house." Since she did not work outside the home (or inside, for that matter, since the "help" performed most of the household tasks), she had plenty of time to serve as social secretary. Among the functions she performed as social secretary was handwriting responses to invitations. Years ago, all responses to formal wedding invitations were handwritten on plain, unembellished letter sheets.
Over the past generations, women's roles have changed dramatically. As more and more women enter the labor force, the time they are able to devote to being social secretaries has decreased. That, and the fact that fewer and fewer people are now taught how to correctly respond to wedding invitations, leaves today's host in a quandary. While many would like to issue wedding invitations without reply cards, they are not sure that their guests will (or even know how to) respond. With the high costs involved in hosting a reception, hosts need to have as accurate a count as possible, so most are opting to use reply cards, which increase their chances of receiving replies. As the use of reply cards continues to grow, the custom of hand writing responses may disappear. (Despite the popularity of reply cards, however, many people still consider them improper and are insulted when they receive one, since they feel it suggests that they do not know how to respond properly.)