Organization. Thoroughness. Patience. These are three words to keep in mind when it comes to managing the RSVPs for your big day. As not everyone is an event planner or has a Type A personality, we’ve put together some helpful hints for the successful collecting of your RSVPS.

Step 1: Organization

First things first…create a spreadsheet of your guest list! This will be your main point of reference for keeping tabs on who’s responded, who has not responded (yes, you will have to follow-up) or has responded but did not leave a name or a name you can’t read (and yes, this will happen.)

Your spreadsheet should contain the following information: Guest’s First & Last name, their mailing address (physical or electronic), Menu choice (if applicable), Number of invited guests, Number Attending, and their table number. As the RSVPs trickle in you will be able to keep tabs on each guest’s response in a neat orderly fashion. As an added bonus this will also be helpful at the end of the wedding when you need to keep track of your Thank You Cards as well!

For those couples who opt for an online RSVP, you can create a separate email account for the replies to be directed to or most wedding website will have an option for receiving RSVP’s as well. To direct your guests to an online RSVP, you may provide your guests with the website link or email on the bottom of your invitation or include a separate response card.

Step 2: Thoroughness

When preparing your RSVPs for your guests there are a few tricks that you may want to take into consideration.

Numbering your Response cards. This helpful tip will be a savior in the end, trust us! Write down a tiny number on the back of the RSVP cards and match the number to the recipient in your wedding guest list spreadsheet. Using this method will help you to track the responses that come in as you may have guests who forget to write their names or may have illegible writing; this will save you from major headaches! We suggest using a yellow paint pen or Invisible ink pen on the card so that guests will not see the number.

Provide a your guest with a ready addressed and stamped envelope (be sure to check in with the post office for proper postage) for their response cards so that you encourage your guests to respond and make it easier to drop it in the mail!

Step 3: Patience

For those guests who have not responded you may need to have someone follow up with them via phone to make sure they will or will not be attending.

Be sure to give enough time for your guests to respond by as well as enough time for you to reach out to those who have not yet responded. We suggest an RSVP date that is at least a month out from the wedding date so that you have some wiggle room to contact guests who have not responded.

Be sure to check out our selection of  response cards for your invitations.

He asked and you said…YES!! The word will get around quickly, especially with the way our social network is these days; Don’t let that stop you from shouting out the news by making a formal announcement at an engagement party.

With the number of loved ones who are excited to celebrate with you, there is no limit to how many engagement parties you can have, however, as a rule of thumb the kick off should start with the the tradition of the brides parents being the first to celebrate the announcement.

How formal or informal can be left up to you, it can be anything from a casual backyard bbq to an evening cocktail party. Timing for the party should happen fairly soon after the engagement and remember that the guest invited to the shower should also be invited to the wedding as well. Usually this party can be more intimate with a group of both the bride and grooms family and their closest friends.

At the engagement party be sure there is have enough time to mingle with your guests, as they are there to wish you well and celebrate. The toasts of the night will start with the host of the evening, followed by the groom and you'll also have a chance to toast and thank the nights hosts.

Be sure to check out our new line of designs for Engagement Party Invitation.

Mimosas + Brunch + Laughter with great company is a fun and simple way to shower the bride to be! Planning a bridal shower can be as traditional or casual as you want it to be.

Pick a theme for the day and get creative! Plan your shower around a fun activity such as a cooking lesson or make it a mad hatter tea party or even having just a simple luncheon with the brides favorite colors!

Then set the date – typically showers are held at least one to three months prior to the wedding date. Be sure not to place it too close to the wedding as to avoid an overwhelmed bride and host! Once the date is set, plan to send out the invitations at least 4 to 6 weeks in advance.

Prepping for the day– Make sure you have enough time for your guests to mingle with the bride to be as well as enjoy the food and drinks! Also, don’t forget about any shower activities you might have planned as well as the gift opening. Most of all don’t forget to enjoy the day with the bride!

For fun and festive invitations be sure to check out our new Bridal Shower Invitations.

Want to make your Invitations stand out from all the other mail your guests receive? The answer is in the Postage and Handling of your invitation.

Prior to sending out your invitations, we suggest visiting your local post office with you a completed invitation and reply card with envelope. When there have them weigh them each item so you’ll know just how much postage you’ll need and you won’t worry about over or underpaying.

Once you know the cost of each invitation, the fun begins! Try to tie your invitations together with unique stamps to match your theme. Listed below are some of our staff favorite shops to purchase stamps:

Verde Studio

Kendall Simmons

Pack and Post (Friendly tip: At Pack and Post they have assorted grab bags so you don't have to add up each stamp to make sure you have you have the right postage amount. However, the only thing is that they do not stick to a theme with the grab bags)

Once you are ready to send out your wedding invites, another option to think about is to request that they be hand-cancelled. Using this method will have the post office hand stamp your invitations, rather than running them through machines and having the bar code at the bottom; it also decreases the chances of damaging your envelopes. To have your invitations Hand cancelled, visit your local post office with all of your completed invitations to request this.

There are many ways you can get creative with addressing your Wedding Invitations. While this part of the wedding process can be tedious, it can also be fun adding that personalized touch and seeing the final product come to life! In the end your guests will receive a beautiful, thought out invitation to a moment in time.

Here you will find some of our suggestions on how to make a lasting impression on your guests. Also be sure to collect your guest addresses early, as you want to make sure you are sending out your invitations 8-10 weeks in advance.

If there is something that you aren’t quite sure of, contact us!

With Love,

The LVD Team

Options and suggestions for making your Invitations stand out:

- Hand Addressing: If you (or your bridesmaids) have beautiful penmanship, writing out your own invitations is not only cost effective but also provides your guest with the sense that you have taken your time to personally invite them to your special day. Using special pens would be a nice bonus!

- Hiring a Calligrapher: If your handwriting capabilities aren’t up to par, a calligrapher is a great option to give your invitations a formal look. Envelopes should be provided to your calligrapher 2-3 weeks in advance of the mail out date. It would also be very helpful to provide them with extra envelopes in case of addressing mistakes as well as a clean print out of your guest list.

- Printing Address directly on the Envelopes from your home printer: *if your printer is capable of envelope printing, this could be a good option. Printing from home is a quick and resourceful way to get through your entire guest addressing. We suggest using a matching font from your invitations. Contact your Invitation Designer to find out the font names; you will then need to purchase this font online if you do not already have it. Also, make sure you have extra envelopes handy as it may take a few test runs to get them to your liking.

General guidelines to keep in mind when addressing your guests:

- Spell out guests full name (no nicknames i.e. Ms. Susan Love vs. Ms. Susie Love)

- Use the appropriate titles for your guests (i.e. Mr. & Mrs. – Doctor & Mrs. – Reverend – Lieutenant)

- Spell out words in the address rather than using abbreviations (i.e. Street vs. St. – Apartment vs. Apt) this also goes for City and State (i.e. Long Beach, California vs. Long Beach, CA)

Examples of addressing your guests:

- Single guests: Ms. Susan Love Or Miss. Susan Love (If a guest is invited, you may add “and guest”)

- Families: Mr. & Mrs. Edward Jones and family (For households with children under 18 you may add “and family” after the parents names)

- Unmarried couples who live together: Miss Susan Love Mr. Ryan Jacobson (These names should be stacked on separate lines)