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An RSVP Favor… |
| July 7th, 2009 by BridalBuds |
As part of our wedding mantra, Dahlia Dude and I are trying to be green. Our ceremony and reception are within two blocks. Our Rehearsal Dinner is three blocks away. Basically, we’re hoping that people from out of town don’t need to rent or use a car while at our festivities. We’re using green printing for our invites. And, we’re using Wedding Wire’s online RSVP.
RSVP
This is where the trouble comes in. I have been planning to use this feature (seriously, how great is it!?!?) but had not mentioned it to Dahlia Mom. Dahlia Stepmom and Dahlia Dad are on board, but then I asked Dahlia Mom for a list of a few people (grandparents mostly) who are not computer savvy and would need a response card. This seems to have started a heated discussion. In her mind, this is a “HUGE mistake.” Personally, I’m pretty laid back about most things, and this seems like something that 90% of the population can figure out.
So I reach out to you, wedding graduates, to find out if you’ve used an online RSVP and ask for feedback. Pluses? Minuses?
At this point, I know I’m still using the tool, and with the exception of a few Response cards, we’re saving some paper. Who doesn’t love that you can just seat everyone who has responded ‘yes’?
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Categories: Wedding Invitations, Wedding Planning |
6 Comments |
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July 7th, 2009 at 9:08 am
I’ve only had one client use online RSVPs and it was a nightmare for her. Apparently the guests didn’t put in their names so nearly every guest had to be called at the end to find out if they were coming or not. This was a while back so hopefully the process has improved. Most of my brides use postcards to save on paper and seating charts.
July 7th, 2009 at 10:03 am
Dahlia Bud,
It is a great feature. It seems as though you are making a compromise for those that you know do not have access to a computer, or access to someone who has a computer, that could RSVP for them, and that’s great. You have to gage your guests, you should know best as to whether or not the majority will be able to RSVP in this fashion. You are correct, these days, if you don’t have a laptop or PC, you have a cell phone that enables you to get online. For those that live in some obscure land, where they and no one else that they know, has a laptop, pc or cell, maybe you could have your maid of honor contact them via pigeon messenger (or two, for that “plus 1″) to facilitate the RSVP. It’s just an RSVP, not an excel spreadsheet. I hope that your guest support you in making this statement for the environment.
Good Luck!
Danielles last blog post..Home
July 7th, 2009 at 10:29 am
Hi Dahlia Bud… Yes, we used online RSVP’s, and so far, about 4 people have complained. My mom was all for it, and I certainly expected a few people to be resistant to it, but with an “RSVP online or by phone ###”, there really should be no excuses! The only problem is, when people RSVP by phone, they are missing out on all the additional info we have posted on the website… so I think I will draft up a quick ‘newsletter’ for those people, just so they are up to date on all the activities… this is still greener than sending inserts in all of the invites! Stick to your guns… green options are all good options!
Geranium Buds last blog post..My little bride elves…
July 7th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
I heard the exact same thing from my mother about doing Online RSVP. I persisted and told her there was no way that I would consider sending response cards to anyone. If they can’t RSVP online, they can call me. No one besides my mother (only initially) said anything to me about disliking the online response option. (It may be compounded by the fact that we live in Canada and are inviting people from the US and England so response cards with prepaid postage seemed overly complicated to me.) The wedding wire rsvp option makes it SO easy for you to deal with, I’ve gotten all mine back and have had to do literally nothing to keep it organized. It allows comments to come in with the rsvp, as well as meal choices, and it emails you with every rsvp. There have been no negatives for me.
I also love love love the seating feature too – I just seated everyone at the beginning and when they declined the invitation, they disappeared from the seating list and map!
Kirstens last blog post..Sky High
July 10th, 2009 at 9:49 am
Thank you thank you thank you! Ladies, you are the best.
I am standing my ground, and after speaking to my father, I’m pretty sure we’ll be ok with 99% of all people that are invited.
I look forward to proving how far we have come with the internet!
July 16th, 2009 at 9:59 am
We also used Wedding wire’s online RSVP feature and LOVED IT! We did get a bit of push-back as well, but for the most part, everyone who responded said they loved the website and online RSVP feature, and commented on how easy it was! We also made sure we put on the invitation/response card that RSVPs were online on our site, or they could call us. We did get a few phone calls, but mostly for the declines. There were a few people we had to follow up with after the deadline, but from what I understand, even if you sent paper reply cards, not everyone remembers to respond. One person I followed up with said “I thought I sent in the card…” Umm, there was no card, silly! But otherwise, it was smooth sailing, and the meal tracking and seating features were so easy because of it! And to address what Tiffany said above, there is no problem with not putting names through Weddingwire, since they RSVP by clicking on their name.