Numbers RSVP wording by wedding type
Adults-only wedding RSVP wording you can copy
The names on the envelope are the guest list. The reply card should not reopen a decision you already made.
The short answer
Put only the adults' names on the envelope, and the same names on the reply. Do not add a number of children. If you need a sentence, use We have reserved seats for the names on your envelope. Apply it to both families.
An adults-only wedding fails when the invitation is clear and the reply card is not. A blank that says number attending invites a child to be written in. Our adults-only guide sets the rule before the stationery. This page is the reply that holds it.
The invitation line
Print this on the invitation itself, or on a small enclosure if the main card is already full.
We have reserved two seats in your honour. Kindly reply by 29 May.
The reply card
4 lines, and nothing else that the kitchen or the seating chart will not use.
Name(s) ________________________________
Accepts with pleasure
Declines with regret
Kindly reply by 29 May.
Use this when children are not invited, including nieces and nephews, with the exceptions (if any) decided before the envelopes are printed.
A reminder you can send
Wait until a few days after the printed date, then send this once. Copy the replies into the same list you use for the cards, so you are not keeping two headcounts.
Hi Sam, we are sending numbers in on Friday. We have two seats for you and Alex, as on the invitation. Could you let us know either way by then.
When this wording fits, and when it does not
Do not print an adults-only line on the reply card if the envelope already names the guests. Do not add a checkbox for children. Do not make an exception after one person asks, unless you are ready to make it for everyone.
The date on the card is not a guess. Work it back from the caterer's headcount deadline with the RSVP deadline calculator. The usual window is ten days to two weeks before that date, as in when to send invitations.
Free toolWedding RSVP deadline calculatorWork back from your caterer's deadline to the date to print on your invitations.Find my RSVP dateOther RSVP wording. destination, backyard, kids welcome.
Yes, I Do
Every guest, every reply
Paste a list from anywhere and it becomes names. Replies, plus-ones, dietary notes and tables stay in one place, for both of you.
Questions
How do you say adults only on an RSVP card?
Usually you do not. The envelope names the guests. We have reserved [n] seats in your honour is enough if you want a sentence.
What if someone writes in a child?
Reply once, kindly, that seats are for the names on the invitation. Do not argue on the card. The guest list is the record.
Should the website repeat the rule?
Yes, once, in the questions. We can only accommodate the guests named on your invitation. Thank you for understanding.
Do babies count?
Only if you said they do when you set the rule. An adults-only wedding that admits infants is a different rule, and it belongs on the invitation, not as a surprise on the reply.
Sources
- Wording below is written for a adults-only wedding. Change the names, the date and the seat count. Do not mix in a line from a different type of day.
- The RSVP date is set from the caterer's deadline, the method in when to send invitations.
- The longer invitation, from who is hosting, is in wedding invitation wording.
- The longer guide this card belongs with is adults only wedding.