How you decide to collect your guests’ Mitzvah RSVP is a total personal preference thing these days. There are pros to each method, so think it through and do what works best for your family.
Mailed Mitzvah RSVP Card Pros
- You have something physical that you can keep forever. Some people write little notes along with their RSVPs.
- It makes checking the mail fun since you know there will be something exciting almost every day.
- It’s easier for elderly guests who may not be tech-savvy.
- People who can’t come sometimes send checks with their responses.
- Having a physical card is a silent nagging to mail it back. Without the reminder on their countertop or bulletin board, people can forget to RSVP or think they did, when they didn’t.
- The cards can be used to help with seating plans. You can sort them by group (mom’s relatives, dad’s relatives, family friends, grandparents friends, kids etc.) and then use them to place guests in groups for tables.
Email Mitzvah RSVP Pros
- Saves money since you don’t need to pay for a RSVP enclosure, envelope and stamp.
- You can set up a custom email address for free.
- You can set an auto reply to share even more Mitzvah-related details–directions, hotel info, parasha…
- Allows more of a conversation if people have questions because you can easily just hit reply.
- If you’re going to enter the RSVP information into a spreadsheet anyway, you might as well already be in front of the computer when you get their response.
Online Registration Mitzvah RSVP Pros
- Saves money since you don’t need to pay for a RSVP enclosure, envelope and stamp. However, there could be a small fee for the program you choose. You’ll likely still pay less than what it will cost for the extra enclosures and stamps.
- Create an online form through Google forms, Wufoo or another program to capture other information besides whether or not they will attend–everything from meal selection to song requests.
- A website like RSVPify allows you to automate the process even further, by having specific permissions for certain guests to attend certain events but not others (so for example, you can tell it which guests are invited to the out of towners brunch and only they will be prompted to RSVP for that event) and making it very clear who is allowed a +1. It allows you to easily send reminder emails to people who have not yet responded. There are free and paid versions.
Not sure where to start with invitations or RSVPs? Pop Color Events can help! Contact me for a free consultation.
