Friday, April 1, 2016

How do I specify the number of guests invited on an invitation?

So you're having a party, and the seating is limited.  How do you prevent a guest from adding an uninvited +1?  Here are a few tips:

Address the envelope properly. 
If a single person is being invited with a guest, the words "and Guest" should appear on the outside envelope.  If a couple is being invited with their children, include the words "and family" on the outside envelope.  If only some children are invited (such as older children), be sure to include their first names on outside envelope (Mr. and Mrs. John Smith and Sam).  The lack of "and Guest" and "and Family" implies that no extra guests are included.

Include an inner envelope.
While some will consider it a waste of paper and money, a formal invitation commonly includes another envelope once you open the outside envelope (common with wedding invitations).  If you include an inner envelope in your invitation set, you should print/write the name of each person being invited (first names only) on the front of this envelope.  

Tell them exactly how many are invited.
The best option, to avoid any misunderstanding, is to include the number invited directly on the invitation or RSVP card.  Simply have your invitations/cards printed with a fill-in-the-blank blurb (allowing you to write in the number attending):

We have reserved ____ seats in your honor.


Monday, January 18, 2016

Green Wedding - Plantable Wedding Invitations


If you are trying to reduce your impact on the earth while planning your wedding, you should check out the video below.  Send your guests invitations that they can plant.  And if you use telephone RSVP by RSVP Services, there will be ZERO waste.




Find plantable invitations on Amazon.  The invitation in the video above is available here.



Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Wedding Registry - How Do I Ask My Guests For Cash?



For many engaged couples today, the tradition of registering for gifts isn't as ideal as it once was.  As people marry at a later age, many of us have all the household items an engaged couple would typically register for.  This leads most of us wanting to ask for cold-hard-cash - but how do you do this without appearing rude?


Well, the short answer is, you don't.  While many of your guests won't mind giving you a monetary gift, some will think it's rude for you to have asked.  Here are a few recommendations on how to accomplish this without offending too many of your guests.


  1. The most tasteful way to register for Cash is to simply register for gift cards (it's just as good as cash if it's for a store that you like).  Provide your guests with a list of your favorite stores on your rsvp website.  You can even setup a registry on the store's website (if they offer it), and add different denominations of gift cards to the registry.
  2. Use a honeymoon funding website to collect cash from your guests.  There are many of them out there, but one example is www.honeyfund.com.  You add different things that you want guests to purchase towards your honey moon.  And the money they spend will ultimately end up as cash in your pocket (minus a small fee).  You can chose to spend it on your honeymoon, or on something else entirely.

    There are other websites that use a similar methods of collecting cash, without incorporating your honeymoon. Check out www.simpleregistry.com to register for anything.
  3. Register on Amazon.com.  While it's not cash, Amazon has just about everything you could ever want, and now they have a gift registry.
    Visit the Amazon Gift Registry Homepage
  4. If you want to directly ask for cash, we recommend adding a poem to your website to at least address it in a creative way.  Here are a few examples of poems to add to your RSVP website:


If you were thinking of giving a gift to help us on our way,

A gift of money in a card would really make our day!

~~~~
We made a commitment, some time ago,
Together through life, we were destined to go.
To save you looking, shopping and buying,
Here is an idea, we hope you’ll like trying!
Come to our wedding, to wish us both well,
And please make a donation to our wishing well.
~~~~
Our life together has already begun
And we almost have everything under the sun
So we both thought we would make a suggestion
To save you from all the searching and guessing
Instead of spending lots and lots
Just put some money with your card
And place it into our Moneybox
Large amounts are not anticipated
Any amount would be appreciated
Now that we have saved you all the fuss
We can’t wait for you to celebrate with us!
~~~~
Now we are to be Mr & Mrs
We don’t need a wedding list of dishes
We have two kettles, two toasters, two microwaves
And we have dreams for which we have to save.
If you would like to give us a gift
A cheque or vouchers would give us a lift
We like to think of it as our ‘Wishing Well’
Which will be filled with your love, we can tell!
~~~~
We’ve lived together for quite a while,
With all our pots and pans,
And as we don’t need homely gifts,
We have another plan!
We know it’s not traditional,
But it’s easier that’s for sure,
To have no wedding list at all,
Your attendance means much more!
For those of you who do insist,
We have a savings pot,
A small gift to add to this,
Would really mean a lot!
~~~~
We’ve been together for a few years now;
We have pots and pans and linen and towels;
We have glasses and toasters, really quite a few;
So instead of more gifts, we suggest this to you;
If it doesn’t offend and it won’t send you running;
What we would really appreciate is quite simply money;
We know choosing gifts can be such a pain;
And this way there is no chance of bringing the same!
~~~~
We don’t want to offend but we have it all,
All household goods and so much more.
To save you shopping, sit back and rest,
A gift of currency is our request.
Don’t go overboard or rob any banks,
Any little thing will make us smile with thanks.
We supply the wishing well,
No wrapping, an envelope who can tell.
Now that we have saved you all the fuss,
We’d love it if you would come and celebrate with us!
~~~~
We haven’t got a gift list for all of you to see,
because as you all know we never can agree!
But if you’d like to help us start our married life,
cash or high street vouchers, would save a lot of strife!
House
More than just kisses so far we’ve shared,
Our home has been made with love and care,
Most things we need we’ve already got,
And in our home we can’t fit a lot!
A wishing well we thought would be great,
(But only if you wish to participate),
A gift of money is placed in the well,
Then make a wish …. but shhh don’t tell!
Once we’ve replaced the old with the new,
We can look back and say it was thanks to you!
And in return for your kindness, we’re sure,
That one day soon you will get what you wished for.
~~~~
So what do you get
For the bride and groom
Whose house needs things
In every room?
When shopping for a present
Please don’t be rash
As there is always the option
To just give cash!
We hope you don’t find
Our request to be funny
But we really would appreciate
A gift of money
~~~~
Honeymoon
You’ll find more honeymoon poems.
We know it’s traditional to write a list
But in this case there is a slight twist
Our home is complete with the usual stuff
And the things that we have are good enough
Our dream is to honeymoon in a foreign land
And walk along the beach hand in hand
We hope you don’t think of us as being rude
And that our request is not misconstrued
But a contribution to our honeymoon pot
Would be appreciated such a lot
But the most important thing to say
Is that you are there to celebrate our day!
~~~~
We are sending out this invitation
In hope you will join a celebration
But if a gift is your intention
May we take this opportunity to mention
We have already got a kettle and toaster
crockery, dinner mats and matching coasters
So rather than something we’ve already got
We would appreciate money for our honeymoon pot
But most importantly we request
That you come to our wedding as our guest.
~~~~
You’re invited to our wedding, when we both say ‘I Do’
And as you know we’ve been ‘I do’-ing for at least a year or two!
We’ve been together many years, and have a lovely home,
There’s not that many items we don’t already own.
So if your thoughts were on a gift, your presence will suffice;
But if you really feel the need, donations to a honeymoon would be really nice!
The choice is really up to you and we’d just like to say;
That most of all, we hope you come, enjoy yourselves, and have a lovely day!
~~~~
We do not have a gifting list
Our house is set with nothing missed
We’d like to go on honeymoon
A place for us as bride and groom
We’re asking for a cash donation
To send us to our dream location