Backyard Wedding RSVP Wording

Three cream envelopes with rose heart seals floating in an arc

The short answer

Keep the tone easy and the facts tight. Please reply by 29 May so we can set the chairs. If guests will drive, one line for We will have a car helps you plan the street. Do not ask people to bring a chair unless you mean it.

A backyard wedding feels informal until the rental order is due. Chairs, loos and the caterer's table count all come from the same replies. Our backyard planning guide covers the rest. This is the card.

The invitation line

Print this on the invitation itself, or on a small enclosure if the main card is already full.

Join us in the garden. Please reply by 29 May so we can set a chair for you.

The reply card

5 lines, and nothing else that the kitchen or the seating chart will not use.

Name ________________________________

I'll be there

I can't make it

We'll have a car / We'll walk or ride

Please reply by 29 May.

Use this for a wedding at a home, a family garden or a hired backyard, especially when parking or neighbours are part of the plan.

A reminder you can send

Orange and brown envelopes in a grid — Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

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 Maya, we are ordering chairs on Monday and wanted to make sure we set one for you. Can you still come on the 19th. A yes or no by Sunday is perfect.

A pile of blank envelopes — Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash

When this wording fits, and when it does not

Do not ask for a potluck dish on the same line as the yes, unless the whole wedding is a potluck. Do not leave the date off because it is just at ours.

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 date

Other RSVP wording. adults-only, courthouse, casual.

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.

Plan my wedding

The guest list with replies coming in, pending and declined

Questions

What should a backyard wedding RSVP ask?

Who is coming, by when. Add parking or a dietary blank only if you will use the answers. Chairs come from the yes count.

Do backyard weddings need formal cards?

No. A plain card or a single website form is enough, as long as there is one date and one place to reply.

Should we ask people to bring a chair?

Only if that is truly the plan. Most backyard weddings rent chairs so the lawn looks like one wedding, not a picnic.

When is the RSVP date for a home wedding?

The same arithmetic: ten days before whoever is cooking needs a number, which may be you.

Sources

Wording below is written for a backyard 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 how to plan a backyard wedding.