Wedding Planning: Why You Should Use Online Wedding RSVPs
By Mae Andrea
There is little doubt that the internet has revolutionized the world we live in. The way we work, shop & socialize have all changed in recent years & now wedding planning is getting in on the act.
Traditionally your RSVPs would come in the form of mailed back response cards which you would have included with your invitations. Your wedding planning then saw you sifting through the many responses deciphering handwriting & trying to calculate exactly who is coming & who isnt. But nowadays you can approach your RSVPs in a completely different way, thanks to the world of cyberspace!
Having your RSVPs handled online is a fairly new development in wedding planning but one which couples are getting to grips very quickly. So much so that the use of such a service has surged in popularity as couples find better & more efficient ways to organize their weddings. Unlike the traditional method of posting reply cards, online RSVPs in an inexpensive method of collecting your guests replies & many of these online services will offer extra functions also.
But how do you go about setting up one of these RSVP sites? It so easy to set one up & you can find various sites offering free basic services or for a fee sites which will offer a more complete wedding website package. Which ever option you choose you can have it set up & running in minutes.
So what features can you expect from an online RSVP service?
Please note that not all sites will offer all of these features, so check what they do offer before signing up.
1) Multiple Events You can collect replies for other events which you may be holding as part of your wedding celebrations. These could include Bridal Shower, bachelor/bachelorette parties, rehearsal dinner etc.
2) Print Capabilities You can create your own lists of RSVPs collected & customize them as you wish. These can then be handed out to people such as your wedding coordinator, caterer, wedding party members etc.
3) Downloadable Capabilities You can create a spreadsheet of all your replies by downloading the information into a spreadsheet format or you can simply download it to any format you wish.
4) Live, Real-Time Data You can be notified of RSVPs as soon as your guests have submitted them. The beauty of the internet is the fast turnaround it offers & unlike the traditional method you wont be waiting days on end for replies to drop the letterbox.
5) 24/7 Access to all Reports You online RSVP service is available 24/7 so you can view it at any time of day or night. RSVPs can be submitted at any time & you will be notified immediately, unlike the postal service which doesnt run 24/7!
6) Share and Collect Additional Information You can customize your site to collect other information from your guests such as dietary requirements, accommodation preferences, your gift registry & much more.
7) Meal Tracking If you are offering a selection of dish choices for a sit down dinner, you can customize the site to collect your guests preferences as well. This is a great time saver as you can then submit these quickly to your caterer.
Auto Confirmation Email After your guests have completed the acceptance or decline of your invitation & have entered their email address, they will receive a confirmation email confirming their response. This can be reassuring to many guests who will want to know that their RSVP has been delivered.
9) Secure Storage All your personal & private information, along with your entire RSVPs & guest information are stored in a secure account which can only be accessed by use of a username & password.
10) Password Protection For further security you can send your guests a unique password which they will need to access the site & submit their reply.
11) Special Messages You can customize the site to accept personal messages from your guests.
12) Accurate Totals The site will always produce live totals for your guest head count & you can customize your reports to view those that have declined & those that have accepted separately.
2 Benefits of using an online wedding RSVP site:
1) It is cheaper than mailing cards.
2) Your replies will not be lost in the post or be subject to long delivery times.
There is a wide choice of sites available to choose from, some are free, others will offer various features for a fee. Whichever you choose make sure you pick a site which will give your all the features you need to aid your wedding planning & help your wedding day run as smoothly as possible.
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