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Wedding RSVP wording

Wedding RSVP and reply card wording, from traditional to funny, with the online reply and seats reserved. Fill in your details and copy it. Free.

A reply card makes it easy for a guest to say yes or no, and tells you how many people are coming. The best ones say who is invited, give a date to reply by, and offer a way to reply that every guest can use.

Pick a tone below. The card takes your reply date and web address from the details you give, and always prints the web address beside any QR code, for guests who never scan.

Which card?

The card guests send back.

Your card

Formal wording. The date and time are spelled out where the country does that.

M____________________

accepts with pleasure

declines with regret

Number attending ______

The favour of a reply is requested by [reply by date]

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Why this wording

  • A reply card with a date, and a line saying how many seats are reserved, avoids guesswork.Worth a look: this comes from one source.
  • Three to four weeks before the wedding gives your caterer time.
  • The spelling with a u marks a formal card. Whichever you pick, it is the same on every card in the set.

A quick look

  • Worth a lookNo date yet. Add one when you have it.
  • Worth a lookOne detail is still to fill in.

Your details

Only what this card needs. Everything stays as you type it, accents and hyphens included.

Partner 1

The full name, middle names included. Accents and hyphens are kept.

For a formal card, such as Mr, Ms, Mx or Dr.

Partner 2

The full name, middle names included. Accents and hyphens are kept.

For a formal card, such as Mr, Ms, Mx or Dr.

Replies

Guests can reply online or by post. The web address is always printed beside any QR code.

Leave empty if you would rather not say.

Filled from your wedding's events when they have meal choices. Leave empty if there is no meal choice.

How to word an RSVP card

  1. Pick the tone. Traditional (accepts with pleasure, declines with regret), modern, relaxed or a light, funny one.

  2. Set the reply by date. Three weeks to a month before the wedding, with a week's margin for your caterer. The builder suggests a date.

  3. Say how many seats are reserved. "We have reserved two seats in your honour" answers the plus-one question before it is asked.

  4. Offer both ways to reply. Online with a QR code and the typed web address, and by post. Some guests will not scan.

  5. Add meals and allergies if you need them. A line for dietary needs saves a second email.

Examples, by situation

Original examples with invented names.

Reply cards

  • A traditional reply cardTraditional

    M____________________

    accepts with pleasure

    declines with regret

    The favour of a reply is requested by May 15, 2027

    The M is for the guest to add Mr., Mrs., Ms. or Dr. before their name.

  • A modern reply card, with mealsModern

    Kindly reply by June 1, 2027

    Name(s) ____________________

    ____ Accepts with pleasure

    ____ Declines with regret

    Chicken ____ Fish ____ Vegetarian ____

    Allergies or dietary needs ____________________

  • Online and by post, with the web addressModern

    Kindly reply by June 1, 2027

    Scan the code, or go to merriwell.app/r/leila-owen

    Or reply by post to 41 Water Street, Charleston, South Carolina 29401

    The web address is always printed beside the code, for guests who never scan.

  • A relaxed reply cardRelaxed

    Will you join us? Please reply by May 1, 2027

    Name(s) ____________________

    ____ Yes, we will be there

    ____ Sorry, we cannot make it

    Number attending ______

  • A light reply cardFunny

    Please let us know by July 10, 2027

    Name(s) ____________________

    ____ Yes, we are coming, and we are hungry

    ____ Sadly, we cannot make it

    Number attending ______

Replying without a card

  • A reply line on the invitation, no cardTraditional

    The favour of a reply is requested by May 15, 2027

    Mrs. Jane Morgan

    14 Orchard Lane, Napa, California 94558

    If there is no reply card, the guest answers by hand to the address shown.

The parts of a reply card

A reply card has a line for the guest's names, two choices (accepts with pleasure, declines with regret), the number attending, and the date to reply by. Add a meal choice only if you need one.

The M on the first line is for the guest to add Mr., Mrs., Ms. or Dr. before their names. If you offer a QR code, print the web address next to it.

Saying who is invited

Address the outer envelope to the people you are inviting, and say how many seats you have reserved on the card. Leaving a name off the envelope and hoping guests notice often fails; a seat count is clear and kind.

No reply card at all

If you skip the card, put "The favour of a reply is requested by" and a date on the invitation, with an address. A formal reply is then written by hand, in the same style as the invitation.

Questions people ask

What should an RSVP card say?
A line for the guest's names, "accepts with pleasure" and "declines with regret", the number attending and the date to reply by. Add a meal choice only if you need one.
How long before the wedding should the RSVP date be?
Three weeks to a month before, with a week's margin for the caterer.
How do I say who is invited without being rude?
Say how many seats are reserved on the card, and address the envelope to the people invited.
Can I use a QR code?
Yes, as long as the web address is printed next to it, and there is a second way to reply, such as by post or by phone.
What does the M on a reply card mean?
It is the start of the guest's title (Mr., Mrs., Ms. or Dr.) which they add before their names.
What if there is no reply card?
Put "The favour of a reply is requested by" and a date on the invitation, and give an address. Guests reply by hand.

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