Question from Eloisa:
Hi, It’s me again. I wanted to ask on the response cards should I put who will attend the ceremony & who will attend the Lunch Buffet? The ceremony will start at about 11:30 am and the lunch buffet will start about 1 pm and so with the distances some or all the guests would have to travel I don’t know how many would come for both or decide to come for the lunch buffet. If I do have the response cards written like that, can you give me an example on how to write it. Thank you for your help.
Answer from Wedding Expert Angela:
Hi Eloisa, nice to hear from you. To ask who will be attending the ceremony is usually not done. Do you have a reason for wanting to know? (i.e. setting up the room differently with different number of guests?) Usually response cards are to know how many people will be attending your event (the whole event), and the numbers are needed to give the caterer.
Are you making your own invitations, or are you purchasing invitations and response cards? Usually purchased response cards do not have anything about the ceremony and reception as separate events. Unless you have a pressing need to know how many people are attending the ceremony, it is proper etiquette not to ask. Most people will attend both ceremony and reception when invited to an anniversary (or wedding). Few people will attend just part of the event when they were invited for the entire event.
Standard response card wording is:
M___________________________________
________accepts
________regrets
Saturday the 10th of October
Silver Heights Community Centre
NOTE: The M can be eliminated if you choose, just leaving a blank line for the guest names.
or
The favour of your reply is requested
by the twenty-fourth of September
M_____________________________________
will ____________ attend
When people fill out the response cards, the assumption is that they will be attending the entire event.
If you have further questions, feel free to ask.
Angela Fiebelkorn, certified wedding planner
Hi I was wondering what you would think if we hung the paper lanterns from the celing at the hall if we would need to light them, on the celing right now there is tool that has lights in them im wondering if you think the light from the tool will give the lanterns a fine effect without putting lights in them.
Hi Tiffani,
I have seen paper lanterns on the ceiling both ways—being lit from inside, and hanging without being lit. Both work. If you can get some of the paper lanterns with lights inside, it will look nicer. But really, most people will not notice. It reallly depends upon the lighting in the rest of the room.
I suggest you ask at the reception site to see what they have to say. They are the experts on their location and know what works best. In fact, they may have done paper lanterns there and know exactly how to do it. Ask them.
Good luck and enjoy your wedding.
Angela Fiebelkorn, The Wedding Expert