Wording 01
The favour of a reply is requested by the first of May M ______________________________ ___ accepts with pleasure ___ declines with regret
TraditionalPersonalize
Wedding invitation wording
Wedding RSVP card wording that actually gets returned.
Twelve reply cards — formal, modern, meal-choice, and text-message — plus the wording that gets a headcount without a fortnight of chasing.
Set one
✉️ Printed reply cards
The traditional card gives guests a line for their name, a way to accept or decline, and a deadline. Everything else is optional.
Wording 02
Kindly reply by the first of May Name(s) _________________________ ___ Joyfully accepts ___ Regretfully declines Number attending ______
With headcountPersonalize
Wording 03
Please reply by May 1, 2027 Name(s) _________________________ ___ Wouldn't miss it ___ Will celebrate from afar We have reserved ____ seat(s) in your honour
ModernPersonalize
Wording 04
Reply by May 1 Name(s) _________________________ ___ Count us in ___ Can't make it Song that will get you on the dance floor: _________________________________
With song requestPersonalize
Wording 05
Kindly respond by the first of May M ______________________________ ___ accepts with pleasure ___ declines with regret Beef ____ Fish ____ Vegetarian ____ Please indicate the number for each
Meal choicePersonalize
Wording 06
Let us know by May 1 Name(s) _________________________ ___ Yes, and I'm bringing my appetite ___ No, and I'm devastated about it Anything we should know? (allergies, access needs, sworn enemies) _________________________________
PlayfulPersonalize
Wording for the invitation itself
The generator writes the RSVP line into your invitation — with your deadline and reply method already in place.
Set two
📱 Website and text-message RSVPs
Most guests now reply from a phone. These are the lines that go on the invitation or details card when there is no reply card to return.
Wording 07
Kindly reply by the first of May at whitfieldashby.wedding
Website onlyPersonalize
Wording 08
Please RSVP by May 1 whitfieldashby.wedding Questions? Text Eleanor at (843) 555-0148
Website plus numberPersonalize
Wording 09
RSVP by text: reply YES or NO to the message you received by May 1, 2027
Text replyPersonalize
Wording 10
Text YES or NO to (518) 555-0142 by May 1. That's it — no website, no login, no envelope.
Text onlyPersonalize
Wording 11
Two seats are held in your name. Reply YES or NO by May 1 — just answer this text and we'll do the rest.
Seats namedPersonalize
Wording 12
Please reply by May 1 so we can tell the caterer whether to make two hundred or two hundred and two. Text us back Y or N — Eleanor & Thomas
Playful textPersonalize
The rules
What makes an RSVP card work
A reply card has one job: to come back, filled in, before you have to give the caterer a number. Six rules that get it done.
1
Set the deadline two to three weeks before the caterer's
Three to four weeks before the wedding is standard. Build in slack — you will spend the gap between your deadline and the caterer's chasing the last dozen replies, no matter how good your wording is.
2
Write the names on the card yourself
The single most effective anti-plus-one measure in stationery: printing or writing “Eleanor Whitfield and Thomas Ashby” on the reply card removes the blank line a guest can add a name to.
3
Ask for a number, not just a yes
“Number attending ____” catches households who assume their children are included. Better still, pre-fill it: “We have reserved 2 seats in your honour.”
4
Offer one reply method
A card, a website, or a text — not all three. Split methods mean split records, and you will end up reconciling three lists by hand at the worst possible time.
5
The “M” line is optional
The traditional “M ______” exists so guests write “Mr.,” “Mrs.,” or “Ms.” before their name. It confuses as many guests as it guides; “Name(s) ______” is clearer and no less correct.
6
Include meal choices only if you need them
If your caterer needs a count by dish, put it on the card with a number line per option. If they don't, leave it off — every extra field lowers the return rate.
Avoid
Why reply cards come back wrong
Three wording problems that produce most of the chasing.
✕
No deadline
“Please reply at your earliest convenience” produces replies at everyone's least convenient. Print a specific date, in the same format as the rest of your stationery.
✕
A blank name line on an addressed card
It reads as an invitation to fill in whoever they like. Combined with no headcount line, this is how a table of eight becomes a table of eleven.
✕
Cute options with no clear yes
Funny reply cards work — as long as one option unmistakably means attending and one unmistakably doesn't. If you cannot tally the card at a glance, the joke cost you a number.
Your turn
Word your invitation and RSVP line
Add your reply-by date and reply method, and the generator places the RSVP line correctly on the card and in the text version.
💌
Invitation wording generatorFree forever · no email required
The details
A phone number, a website, or “reply to this text.”
✓
Keep exploring
More wedding invitation wording
All wedding invitation wordingEvery situation, with examples you can copy→Details card wordingDress code, adults only, registry, and travel→Text message invitation wordingInvitations and RSVPs guests answer from their phone→Wedding invitation wording examplesTwenty-four you can copy, by style and situation→Formal wedding invitation wordingTraditional etiquette, line by line→Casual & modern wordingRelaxed invitations that still cover everything→
Good to know
RSVP card wording questions
What should a wedding RSVP card say?
A reply-by date, a line for the guests' names, a clear way to accept or decline, and — if you need it — a headcount or meal choice. Anything beyond that lowers your return rate without telling you more.
When should the RSVP deadline be?
Three to four weeks before the wedding, which is usually two to three weeks before your caterer's final-numbers date. That gap is not padding: it is the time you will spend chasing the last handful of guests.
What does the “M” mean on a reply card?
It is the start of a title — Mr., Mrs., Ms., or Mx. — which the guest completes with their name. It is traditional but frequently misunderstood, and “Name(s) ______” is a perfectly correct modern replacement.
How do we stop guests adding extra people?
Write the invited names on the reply card yourself, and add a pre-filled seat count: “We have reserved 2 seats in your honour.” Leaving a blank line on an addressed card is what invites the extra name in the first place.
Can guests RSVP by text instead?
Yes, and reply rates are dramatically higher — a text is answered in one tap, from wherever the guest is standing. Text My Wedding sends the invitation, collects YES and NO replies automatically, and chases the guests who haven't answered.
Do we need to include meal choices?
Only if your caterer needs a count per dish. If they do, give each option its own number line so households can split their choices. If they don't, leave the field off — every extra question costs you replies.
Got the wording? Now get
the replies.
Text My Wedding sends your invitation by text, collects RSVPs and addresses automatically, and chases the stragglers for you. Try it free.