Wedding invitation etiquette & how much time to rsvp

It's interesting:
"Sometimes people get upset when their friend gets married, especially if they don’t know the bride too well. Well, the way I see it – today I’m not losing one friend to marriage, but gaining one instead. And, if you look over at our college friends sitting at table 9, it’ll highlight how nice it will be for us to gain a new member of the crew, a new best friend, especially one who clearly bathes regularly."

When you send out your wedding invites, you are simply looking for guests who plan to attend to let you know they will be coming -- or not. In a perfect world, as many invites as you send out, you would receive that many back letting you know either way if they are "in" or "out" to attend. There are definitely some dos and don'ts when it comes to who you invite and when- having a proper plan in place will eliminate a lot of trouble for you and your guests.

1. Who To Invite

   • One common mistake couples make in sending out their wedding invitations is that they send them to everyone they want to know that they are hosting a ceremony without realizing that they may not actually want all of those people to attend. Limit your invitations to only those you wish to attend the ceremony and reception.

   When To Invite

   • Give your guests at least three to four month's time to plan travel arrangements and vacation time to attend your event. If you'll have a lot of out-of-town guests, give them at least two months as well as they will need to book hotels, rental cars and/or arrange for personal arrangements. The normal time to send invitations is between six to eight weeks.

   Invitation Style Tips

   • A key rule to remember is to spell everything out when in doubt. From names, dates and addresses, spell everything out with no abbreviations. The only abbreviations that are "safe" are titles such as "Dr." or "Mrs." No matter if your invite is formal or casual, begin each line in lowercase such as "on the eighth of September" and avoid periods after each line. Spell out dates and times in full, such as "two thousand and eleven" for formal invites. Casually, you can leave off "Mr." and "Mrs." for a more personal, informal approach.

   Guest RSVP Date

   • Give guests a strict date to RSVP. Even if you're doing a separate mailing to guests who require more time, give everyone the same RSVP date. Getting guests to confirm whether or not they will attend helps you to plan your wedding. Consider this before allowing them only two weeks before the wedding to let you know. Consider how many guests will likely respond at the last minute. Set your RSVP six weeks before your wedding so that you will have an accurate head count for seating, food and beverages for your event vendors. The more people you have confirmed early, the easier it will be to plan final arrangements and get your plans set in stone.

   Addressing Information

   • For formal invitations, the same rules apply to the addressing of the invitations as it does with the actual invite. Use your guests' titles with their names in the addressing, such as "Dr. John Smith," as well as with married couples, such as "Dr. and Mrs. John Smith." For a casual, more contemporary approach to addressing, opt for "Dr. John and Jane Smith." Spell out the entire address including the street directions and city and state.

Source: www.ehow.com

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