Here Comes The Guide's Blog

Brides Want to Know: Organizing the Guest List

Timing, choice of wedding stationery and, of course, guest list protocol are all critical steps in your wedding planning. The ever-savvy Vera Wang has some ideas for helping you get organized.

Question: What must I keep in mind for a guest list?

Answer: The wedding invitation is the first public reflection of your tastes as a couple and establishes the tone of your wedding day, from color to design elements. Your wedding dress may influence your choice of wedding stationery.

Your guest list should be almost final before you order your invitations, recognizing that last-minute adjustments are more likely than not. In preparing your guest list, segment close friends and family of the bride and the groom from those guests who you would like to share your special day with, but whose attendance is not as certain. This will help you keep count and tailor the guest list to your desired size. Also, take extra care of changes to your guests’ personal status, such as a divorce or separation, when addressing your invitations. Your thoughtfulness will be noted.

For those not invited to the event itself, it is considered polite to send a formal announcement the day after the ceremony in your selected wedding stationery suite. These announcements should be pre-stamped and pre-addressed with the return address of the bride’s parents.

—Excerpted with permission from Vera Wang’s RSVP Club newsletter. Want to read more of Vera Wang’s newletters? Click here to subscribe.

Wedding Invitation Ideas: RSVP Online

When my husband and I got married, tracking all the RSVP cards was a bit of a job—and we didn’t have a large invitation list. 

Recently a bride tipped us off that she used an online RSVP form from Wufoo. Here’s what she said:

With Wufoo, you can generate reports and never again have to compile individual emails.  I used Wufoo on my wedding RSVP and it worked perfectly.  No RSVP cards.  I simply downloaded all the RSVPs (including dinner choices) the day before my event.

(By the way, using this system did not mean she flouted tradition altogether. She had glorious peacock-themed paper invitations from Hello!Lucky.)

We already knew how great and easy Wufoo is because we use it ourselves to survey our readers on our website. I knew immediately that Wufoo would make it super-easy for any couple to customize an RSVP page so it would reflect their style. 

Click here to see an example.

You can even include a Google map to your reception. Nice. 

Best Budget Beauty Buys

I love when my friend Suzy comes to visit me in California. Splitting her time between the posh resort town of Aspen and bustling Manhattan, style expert and author Susan Redstone keeps me current on critical fashion advice and inspiration. (I was so relieved when Suzy gave my favorite Ugg boots a nod of approval—yes, they’re still a fashion “Do”!)

Over a bottle of deliciously light Pinot Grigio from Meridian Vineyards, Suzy shared her favorite budget beauty buys, which she recently touted on a Fox TV segment. These are quality products that do everything from maximize to moisturize—for far less cash than pricey department store brands.

Suzy’s top picks for brides include Maybelline’s Pulse Perfection™ Vibrating Mascara; Orly’s Once Upon A Time and Matte Couture nail color (“Matte polish is very ‘in’ right now”); and Sealed with a Cure lip gloss in a shimmering pale pink with gold flecks; it’s pretty, paraben-free and packed with lip-friendly botanical ingredients—and 20% of the proceeds go to breast cancer research.

For more of Suzy’s fashion wisdom, have a look at her book, Just Try It On, a smart seasonal guide of when to buy what—with a whole chapter devoted to weddings!

See Suzy here: