Two appropriate forms of requesting an acknowledgment are displayed on these invitations, both of which bring fond memories of joyous celebrations to mind!
When composing an invitation, which side do you place the acknowledgment request, aka the R.s.v.p. (R.s.v.p. is French for “Respondez s’il vous plait”)? On the lower-right corner or the lower-left corner?
It should be on the lower-left corner of the invitation!
Respondez s’il vous plait may be written as R.s.v.p., with a capital “R” and lowercase “s.v.p.” The other form of R.S.V.P. is in all capital letters. The preferred form is R.s.v.p.
“The favour of replay is requested” is another form of an acknowledgment request. It relays a touch of old-world charm and formality to the occasion. I chose this for my wedding reception invitation because the British spelling of “favour” reminded me of my dear father, who was British.
I sent this invitation to dear friends, “The Rambunctious Rams,” who celebrate Aries’ birthdays with my husband. It is always an amusing evening of celebration!
It is appropriate to use the simple phrase “Regrets only” along with a phone number, email address, or both. This form is considered less formal than using R.s.v.p.
When including a phone number, email address, or both, it is preferable to indicate them underneath the R.s.v.p.
GrandMilennial Tip:
The “dress attire” is placed in the lower-right corner of an invitation and is always included on a formal invitation. (An easy way to remember this is: “How to dress RIGHT!”)
For informal invitations, you may add a response date under the R.s.v.p. The number of the date may be spelled out or in numeral form: April 10th or April tenth. (If spelled out, the number is not capitalized, but the month is capitalized)
Example:
R.s.v.p.
By April second
Forbidden Faux Pas:
No-no: To not respond soon after receiving an invitation: Do your best to respond to an invitation within 2 to 3 days of receiving it.
No-no: When a formal invitation, such as a wedding invitation, is sent and does not have a response card enclosed, you are expected to respond on your writing paper in the third person (Mrs. R. Stuart Holden, Jr. accepts with pleasure the kind invitation of…).
No-no: If a response card is not included with the formal invitation, you should not phone or email your response, even if you know them well. Your response should always be handwritten and mailed to the host.
Note the selective wording in the lower-left corner, which suggests a stately fundraising luncheon, with limited acceptances. This invitation included an acknowledgment request card.
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Xx
Holly