Table of Contents:

Invitation Inserts:

Reception Cards
A separate reception card is used when the reception location is different from the ceremony site. The reception card is used to provide information about the time, location and style of dress. Separate reception cards are also used if you are inviting people to the ceremony but not to the reception afterwards. It is acceptable to include the reception information on the invitation and is a way to cut down on your invitation expense.

Response Cards
Including a response card with your invitation makes it easy for your guests to confirm attendance at your event. These cards are much smaller than the invitation and are pre-printed with accept or regret information. If you are providing your guests with an option as to their meal at the reception, you can include choice information here. You’ll want to also include a pre-addressed, pre-stamped envelope along with the card, so guests can simply respond and then drop it in the mail.

You don’t need to include the phrase “number of persons________”, since only the people listed on the envelope are invited. Use of this phrase may encourage people to include additional guests, which will then give you the awkward job of contacting them to let them know they can’t bring additional people.

Return Dates for Response Cards:
Two to three weeks prior to your event to allow you time to track down the “non-responses”. Caterers generally will want final numbers the week before, so this will give you enough time to contact those guests who forget to respond.

Admission Cards
Admission cards are used only in cases where a wedding takes place at a venue that requires paid admission such as a theme park, zoo or historical site. They should be in the same style as your wedding invitation.

Maps and Direction Information
If all your guests are not local, then it is a good idea to include a map along with detailed directions to your ceremony and reception sites. Although in this day and age, most people have access to resources such as Yahoo or Google maps, it is a nice gesture to include this information with your invitation, so they do not have to do any extra research. This information should never be put directly onto the invitation itself, but should be on its own separate card matching the style of the invitation

Strictly speaking, proper etiquette dictates that only directions to the church should be included with the invitation and if directions to the reception are required, then they are distributed at the ceremony by the ushers or included in the wedding program. However, practically speaking, it is easier and less stressful for your guests to have the reception directions ahead of time and most people include everything in one.

Pew Cards
If your wedding is on the larger side and you want to reserve the first few rows of your ceremony site for family and special friends, you can use the pew card to indicate their special seating. These cards are given to the ushers so they know where to seat your special guests.

At Home Cards
You can use an At home card to provide such information as your new address after the wedding and what name the bride will be using after marriage. These days, many women will keep their maiden names or hyphenate their names. This card allows people to know how to address the bride.