How does a Busy Bride get her guests to RSVP?

Imagine this- you've sent out your beautiful, elegant wedding invitations and now you can't wait to see which guests reply they are able to celebrate with you. But your excitement quickly turns to disappointment as only a few responses trickle in over the next few weeks...and then they stop altogether.

Some party and wedding planners estimate that only 50% of invited guests will actually reply to your wedding. This leaves you with the hard work of tracking down guests' phone numbers and calling them for their reply before your caterer and reception site needs a full head count.

How does a busy bride get her guests to reply? Including response cards and pre-printed envelopes with your invitations will garner a much better reponse rate than merely printing "Please R.S.V.P." on the invitation.

Try these tips with your respond cards to get guests excited about replying:

• place a stamp on the response envelope to make it convenient for guests to reply
  
• arrange for a variety of methods by which guests can reply in addition to mailing back the card and print them on the card (an email address, a website to reply to, a phone number to call, an answering service to call)
  
• print the "respond by" date on the card
  
• use creative wording on your response card to catch guests' attention (i.e., "Check your calendar now and drop this in the mail to us today!" or "This will be a wedding you won't want to miss - please reply to use today!" )
  

Of course, there may be a few wayward guests you may have to call, but being creative and thoughtful with your response card will make that number more manageable!

Happy Planning!