The RSVP Card

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Part of my job helping people through the process of designing invitations is to teach them what corners they can cut according to their budget or artistic preferences.  An RSVP card is one of these.  It is simply a logistical and perhaps mathematical decision whether to include an RSVP card.  This is because the RSVP serves two purposes: First, it helps you budget your event.  Second, it gets one more piece of stress off your mother’s back.

Simply put, if in some aspect of your event you are paying per person, you will easily pay off the additional $50 the RSVP cards will cost.  In fact, if you’re having a catered reception meal, you may be paying close to $50 a person, and therefore being one person more accurate will pay off those RSVP cards–and you will be at least one person more accurate.

If not, it may still be worth the money if your mother needs to know those specifics to stay calm.  A stressed out mother will really affect the tone of the event.  Imagine having a large framed photo of your family at your wedding on your wall for the rest of your life where, whether anyone else can see it or not, you know that your mother is so freaked out she’s wearing a fake smile.  Isn’t that worth $50?  It’s up to you. 

After both those explanations, I guess I am a fan of RSVP cards for those planning big events.  So if your wedding is unlike those on TV, a $3000 wedding with a static table of Hors d’œuvres, and your personality doesn’t lend to freaking out, it may not be worth it for you…  But if you’re planning a $20,000+ wedding, with a sit-down dinner and you have the kind of mother who can afford that kind of stuff because she’s such a domineering stress case in her corporate life, don’t mess with the tone of your wedding over a $50 upgrade.

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