Meal Choices: Guide Guests With Wedding Invitation Wording

Planning a wedding comes with a lot of intricacies, and one of the most important tasks is noting your guests' meal preferences. This ensures that everyone gets their preferred meal on time and avoids any food-related issues or allergies. While it is not necessary to include a menu in your wedding invites unless guests need to pre-order, it is becoming more common to request guests' meal choices on wedding stationery. This can be done through printed wedding invitations with a food choice section or on a separate enclosure card. Knowing your guests' meal preferences in advance will help you and your vendors, especially for a seated dinner.

Using RSVP cards

Wording and Format:

When creating your RSVP cards, consider including a section for guests to indicate their meal preferences. You can add this section to the response card itself or include it as a separate enclosure card in your invitation suite. Here's an example wording:

"Please initial a meal choice for each guest: Chicken __ Fish __ Beef __ Vegetarian __"

Alternatively, you can create a separate line for each invited guest, making the entrée choice clearer. Here's an example:

"Name: [space for name] Attendance: [space to check attendance] Meal Choice: [space to circle or initial chicken, beef, fish, or vegetarian]"

If you've finalized your wedding menu, you can include more detailed descriptions of each dish to help guests make their choices. For instance, instead of just "beef," you can specify "filet mignon."

Online RSVP:

If you're using an online RSVP system as part of your wedding website, be sure to create additional fields for guests to indicate their meal choices. This method saves paper and makes it easier to collect food orders.

Pros and Cons:

While requesting meal choices on RSVP cards has its benefits, there are also a few considerations. One possible downside is that guests might change their minds about their meal choices by the time of the wedding. To accommodate this, your caterer can bring a few extra servings of each dish. Additionally, you may need to use place cards to indicate each guest's meal choice, which can be optional at some weddings.

Dietary Restrictions and Allergies:

Even if you're offering a buffet or family-style meal, it's a good idea to ask about dietary restrictions and allergies on the RSVP card. This ensures that all guests can enjoy the food on your special day. Here's an example of wording for this section:

"Please advise of any food allergies: __________________________"

If there are guests with severe allergies, you may want to discuss the menu options with them individually to ensure their safety.

Other Catering Serving Styles:

If you're not having a sit-down dinner with menu options, there are other catering serving styles to consider. A buffet-style or family-style meal allows guests to choose their dishes and serves, offering flexibility and a more casual dining experience. For a more intimate and elegant option, you can provide individual entrée plates or duet plates with two proteins for variety.

Online RSVPs

Creating an Online RSVP Form

Use your wedding website to create an online RSVP form that includes additional fields for each guest's meal choice. This will allow guests to select their meal preferences when they RSVP, making it more convenient for them and easier for you to keep track of. You can also include a text box or drop-down menu for guests to specify any dietary restrictions or allergies, ensuring that everyone's needs are accommodated.

Meal Choice Options

When creating your online RSVP form, provide clear and concise meal choice options for your guests to choose from. You can use a simple format such as:

• Chicken
• Fish
• Beef
• Vegetarian

If you have finalized your wedding menu, you can include more details about each menu choice. For example, instead of just "chicken," you could specify "roasted herb-crusted chicken." This will give your guests a better idea of what to expect and make their selection easier.

Managing Multiple Courses

If your wedding dinner includes multiple courses, you can also use the online RSVP form to collect preferences for each course. For example, you can ask guests to select an appetizer, main course, and dessert. This ensures that your guests' dietary needs and preferences are considered for each part of the meal.

Customizing for Different Guest Groups

Depending on your guest list, you may need to manage different menus for different types of attendees, such as children or VIP guests. Look for a website or RSVP platform that allows you to create invitee-specific menus. This way, you can offer customized meal options for specific guest groups, ensuring that everyone's needs are met.

Communicating with Your Caterer

Once you have collected your guests' meal choices through the online RSVP form, create a comprehensive report for your caterer. This report should include each guest's meal preferences, as well as any dietary restrictions or allergies. This information will help your caterer prepare the appropriate amount of each dish and accommodate any special requests.

Benefits of Online RSVPs with Meal Choices

Collecting meal choices through online RSVPs offers several advantages. Firstly, it reduces food waste by allowing your caterer to prepare the right amount of each dish. Secondly, it saves time and effort for your waitstaff, as they won't need to take individual dinner orders during the reception. Finally, it enhances your guests' overall experience by ensuring that their meal preferences are considered and accommodated.

Place cards

Firstly, it's important to get your guests' meal choices on their RSVPs. You can do this by creating an online RSVP system, which will make it easier to track meal preferences. On your RSVP cards, be sure to leave enough space for each guest to write their name or initials next to their meal choice. This will save you a lot of headaches later on!

Now, for the place cards themselves, here are some ideas to indicate meal choices:

• Icons: Use a relevant icon for each meal choice, such as a pig for pork or a fish for a seafood dish. Ensure the icon is large enough and placed in a top corner of the card for easy visibility.
• Color-coding: Assign a specific color to each meal option, such as pink for beef or green for vegetarian. Make sure the colors are distinct enough to be easily distinguishable, even in low light.
• Text: Write out the meal choice in text, such as "Bistro Steak" or use a single letter like "C" for chicken. This is a straightforward method that leaves no room for confusion.
• Stickers: Add stickers to your place cards to indicate meal choices. You can find meal choice stickers on Etsy, featuring various designs, icons, or colors.
• Unique Designs: Create unique designs for each meal choice. For example, use different borders, patterns, or scroll prints for each option.
• Codes: Develop a simple code that your catering team can understand. For instance, use different colors or symbols to represent each meal, and provide them with a key to interpret the codes.

Remember, the key is to keep it simple and visually clear, especially if the dining room will be dimly lit. You want to make it easy for your catering staff to identify each guest's meal choice and provide prompt service.

Happy planning, and congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

Colour-coding

One way to use colour-coding is to assign each meal choice a specific colour. For example, if your wedding colours are purple and blue, you could use purple to represent chicken and blue for fish. You can then use these colours on the RSVP cards, place cards, or escort cards.

Another option is to use coloured stickers or jewels on the cards. For instance, you could use a green sticker for vegetarian, blue for fish, and yellow for chicken. This adds a bit of sparkle to your design while also indicating meal choices.

If you're using escort cards, you can place them on a table for guests to pick up, allowing them to choose their seats at the table. Alternatively, you can have a seating chart displayed near the entrance, with the escort cards at the place settings. This ensures that guests notice the cards and take them to their tables.

It is also essential to consider any dietary restrictions or allergies your guests may have. You can include a line on the RSVP card for guests to note any allergies or restrictions, or you can request this information on your wedding website.

• Use different coloured ribbons tied to the top of the escort cards that match your wedding colours. For instance, burgundy for beef and gold for chicken.
• Assign each meal choice a specific colour and use that colour for the backing of the marble tile escort cards.
• Use different coloured fonts or borders on the place cards or escort cards. For example, green for vegetarian, red for Halal, and black for no restrictions.
• Incorporate coloured jewels or rhinestones into the design of the cards, with each colour representing a different meal choice.

Remember, it is crucial to communicate the colour-coding system to the servers and caterers so they can easily identify each guest's meal choice.

Jewels/gems

Jewels and gems are a great way to add a touch of glamour to your wedding invitations and can be a fun way to indicate meal choices. Here are some ideas for incorporating jewels/gems into your wedding invitations to indicate guests' meal preferences:

• Colorful silk ribbons: Use different coloured silk ribbons to denote meal choices. For example, a green ribbon could indicate a vegetarian option, while a red ribbon could signify a beef dish. This adds a luxurious and elegant touch to your invitations.
• Different coloured keys: Attach small keys in varying colours to your invitations, with each colour representing a specific meal choice. This unique approach will surely impress your guests and make it easy for them to indicate their preferences.
• Mini photos of each guest in coloured frames: This idea adds a personal touch to your invitations. Include mini photos of each guest in colourful frames, with the frame colour indicating their meal choice. For instance, a gold frame could represent a chicken dish, while a silver frame could mean they've chosen fish.
• Multiple colours of place cards: Create place cards with large swaths of different colours, where each colour corresponds to a particular meal option. This ensures that your guests' meal choices are clearly communicated to the caterers.
• Different images on the card: Use small illustrations or icons on the invitation card to represent the meal choices. For example, a carrot image for a vegetarian option, a chicken illustration for roast chicken, and so on. This approach adds a playful and creative touch to your invitations.

Remember, when using colours to indicate meal choices, it's important to choose stark differences to avoid confusion, especially in low-light settings. You can also combine these jewel/gem-themed elements with creative wording on your RSVP cards. For instance:

"Please initial a meal choice for each guest:

Chicken _ [Illustration of a chicken]

Fish _ [Illustration of a fish]

Beef _ [Illustration of a cow]

Vegetarian _ [Illustration of vegetables]"

Additionally, be sure to include a section for guests to mention any dietary restrictions or allergies, as this will help ensure everyone's needs are accommodated on your special day.

Frequently asked questions