Numbers RSVP wording by wedding type
Evening wedding RSVP wording you can copy
When some guests are invited to the ceremony and others only to the evening, the reply has to say which invitation they hold.
The short answer
If the person is invited to the evening only, say that on the envelope and the card. We look forward to celebrating with you from 7 pm. Kindly reply by 29 May. Do not send them the ceremony card by mistake.
Split guest lists go wrong at stationery, not at the door. Two reply cards, or one card with a line that matches the envelope, keeps the ceremony seats honest. The day timeline will show the hour they are actually invited to.
The invitation line
Print this on the invitation itself, or on a small enclosure if the main card is already full.
Please join us in the evening from 7 o'clock. Kindly reply by 29 May.
The reply card
4 lines, and nothing else that the kitchen or the seating chart will not use.
Name ________________________________
Accepts, and will join in the evening
Declines
Kindly reply by 29 May.
Use this when the ceremony and dinner are for a smaller list, and a larger group joins for dancing, or when the whole wedding starts after 6 pm.
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 Jordan, we are confirming evening numbers with the venue. You are invited from 7 pm, as on your card. Could you let us know by Thursday whether you can come.
When this wording fits, and when it does not
Do not use the same card stock and wording for ceremony guests and evening guests. A mixed pile in the studio is how the wrong envelope goes out.
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. brunch, cocktail.
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 word an evening-only RSVP?
Name the hour. We look forward to seeing you from 7 pm, with a yes or no and a date. Do not mention the ceremony.
Should evening guests know others were at dinner?
They will. You do not need to explain it on the card. The envelope is the invitation they received.
Do evening guests get a meal line?
Only if you are feeding them. A dessert and drinks reception does not need a main-course choice.
When is the RSVP date for evening guests?
The same caterer or venue deadline, unless the evening is staffed separately. When in doubt, use the earlier date.
Sources
- Wording below is written for a evening 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 wedding day timeline.