Couples planning a wedding no doubt work around financial considerations – and the biggest cost factor is the guest list. It can be frustrating when guests don’t consider the importance of following proper RSVP etiquette. If you’re a bride-to-be, consider the following tips to help convey the correct information to your guests. Avoid potential confusion before it starts!

-Send Save the Date announcements four to six months before the wedding, send invitations six to eight weeks in advance.

-Make sure to provide the date, time and hotel information. Include locations {and maps if possible} of both the ceremony and reception site. The more information that’s provided the better – it allows guests to make an educated decision on whether or not they’re able to attend.

-On the outer and inner envelope, list the name of each individual invited. If you’re limited on guest space, you can ensure there are no unexpected visitors by listing the invited individual or couple’s name on their response card as well. If they choose to bring additional guests {such as children or a new beau} the breach of etiquette is theirs, not yours.

-On the response card, include a “please respond by” date. Choose a date that allows you enough time to adjust the catering order and other arrangements, if necessary.

-It may be worthwhile to provide an online RSVP option for those with an internet-savvy guest list. This idea might not work for everyone though {say if you have grandparents or elderly guests aren’t comfortable surfing the web.}

If you’re a guest: don’t take the liberty of inviting someone not on the invitation. Reply to an invitation right away {even if you’re declining} so the bride or groom won’t have to track you down later. The only time a reply isn’t necessary is if it indicates “regrets only.” If you’ve RSVP’d but later realize you can’t attend, let them know as soon as possible. It’s bad manners to simply not show up.

**In a world of instant communication {Twitter, Facebook, e-mail} don’t neglect the art of filling out the reply card and dropping it back in the mail. The bride, her family, the wedding planner, and everyone involved in the planning process will be forever grateful.**

Your mother probably taught you these rules since you were little, but every now and then we could all use a brush-up on etiquette! These are all found in the Fifth Edition of Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette.

A few other hints:
* A good suggestion is to set a daily goal. Completing three or four notes a day doesn’t seem nearly as impossible as writing a hundred notes within a month. The accepted standard: your thank-you notes should be written and sent within three months of receipt of each gift.
*Share the responsibility with the groom!
*Always sign with your maiden name before the wedding, married name afterward. If using monogrammed stationery, notes sent by the bride before the wedding will have her maiden name initials, post-wedding notes will have her married initials.

*If you have any wedding etiquette questions, contact us at As you wish… we’d be delighted to help! We carry a full line of invitations, announcements and thank you cards. Schedule an appointment today to view our extensive line of albums, or we can create a custom order just for you!