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Want to manage your wedding guests with style and ease? Forget about multiple checklists and trying to decipher the illegible handwriting sent in by your wedding guests. The days of sorting through scattered mail-back response cards and calculating, then recalculating your guest counts are gone. Thanks to the internet, there’s a better way to approach the entire RSVP process for your wedding!

Online wedding RSVPs, one of the most recent developments in the wedding industry, have skyrocketed in popularity among brides and grooms looking to efficiently handle their guest list. Receiving RSVPs online is an inexpensive way to stay organized and have a bit of fun with the helpful extras that some online RSVP systems offer.

So how can you have your own wedding RSVPs online? It’s very easy! There are a few free sites offering a basic RSVP service, or you can purchase a complete personal wedding website which will, among other things, give you the capability to have your wedding RSVPs set up and online in minutes. Other brides and grooms simply choose to include an email address, however, the advantages of a full service wedding RSVP system can be numerous and well worth the small fee.

Features to look for with Online Wedding RSVPs:

(Note: Prior to ordering, check with your wedding RSVP service provider to confirm that any options of interest to you are available.)

1) Multiple Events - Collect online RSVPs for any multiple events surrounding your wedding, such as RSVPs for: bridal showers, engagement parties, bachelor/bachelorette parties, rehearsal dinner and gift openings.

2) Print Capabilities - Create and print custom lists of RSVPs and corresponding information to hand out to your wedding planner, bridal party members and caterer.

3) Downloadable Capabilities - Download all RSVPs to a convenient spreadsheet format. Flexible to suit the format you want!

4) Live, Real-Time Data - No waiting! Receive all RSVPs the second they are submitted by your wedding guests. You will enjoy the fast turnaround that is only possible through the internet. In fact, you may even begin to collect RSVPs the same day your wedding guests receive your wedding invitations in the mail!

5) 24/7 Access to all Reports - Online wedding RSVPs work to your schedule and may be received and viewed at any time of day or night, seven days a week. You can even receive RSVPs on the weekend…yet another perk of the online RSVP method versus the postal route!

6) Share and Collect Additional Information - Customize your online wedding RSVP form to collect more than “accept” or “decline” responses from your wedding guests. If your wedding calls for it, customize your RSVP form to collect child care bookings, hotel preferences and more. Or you may choose to share certain information in conjunction with your RSVP form, such as gift registry information, allergy alerts and more.

7) Meal Tracking - If you are having a sit-down dinner, not a buffet, you can easily collect your wedding guests’ meal selections by entering an online list of available options. Your wedding guests then indicate their desired meal choice when they submit their RSVP. This is the perfect way to obtain an accurate meal count for your caterer!

Auto Confirmation Email - When your wedding guests choose to enter their email address with their RSVP, a confirmation email will be sent affirming that their RSVP was successfully delivered into your account. Wedding guests tend to appreciate the peace of mind that comes along with this feature.

9) Secure Storage - RSVPs and corresponding information are generally stored in a private online account that can only be accessed with your unique username and password.

10) Password Protection - Some RSVP services offer password protection so only invited wedding guests with the correct password may RSVP.

11) Special Messages - Wedding guests can also submit their well-wishes to you when entering their RSVPs online.

12) Accurate Totals - Put your calculator away! Online wedding RSVP systems pull live totals so you can view accurate summaries and always know what your guest count is for “accept” and “decline” responses.

Top 2 Benefits of Receiving your Wedding RSVPs Online:

1) Eliminate the need to purchase return postage and RSVP cards.

2) No more worries about lost or delayed RSVP cards in the mail.

There’s a variety of online wedding RSVP systems available on the internet, varying in price and features, which gives you a wide selection to choose from! Some companies offer advanced online options, while others provide basic but functional RSVP forms. Take advantage of the flexible and accessible options that online wedding RSVPs offer to directly benefit you and your wedding guests!

About the Author

Jennifer Benson is Vice President and cofounder of WedQuarters.com RSVP Services, a leading online wedding service provider. WedQuarters offers complete personal wedding websites, enhanced with online and toll free wedding RSVP services.

Set the tone by playing music. Promote guest interaction. Steer away from written tests unless you have a special exception. Calling out answers is much more fun and social. Choose games that will not make your guests feel embarrassed. Unless you are assembling an intimate group of people, steer clear of topics that are too personal.

Treat the prospective bride to a martini-themed bridal shower invite with a mix of colors that evoke olives and different pinks. In the lower right hand corner of the invite is a martini glass festooned with olives. A person message from you can be imprinted in a similar type and color if you wish. The card is paired with a matching envelope in your choice of color, although white works quite well. Matching martini-themed napkins can also be added for additional charm and beauty.

There are a lot of online sites that offers a unique, innovative shopping experience that is different from other bridal shower invitations. From exclusive designs, exceptional quality and easy personalization to user friendly ordering and fast turnaround, stationery specialists are passionate about always exceeding your expectations on every wedding invitation and bridal stationery piece.

You can find your bridal shower games by mood or party type.
It is not necessary to have games; however they are an easy
icebreaker.

Visualize weddings as like a jigsaw puzzle of traditions. Everyone has their own customs they bring from their family and culture. When a man and woman decide to marry, they each bring a piece of the puzzle to create a unique tradition of their own. The lighting of unity candles is one of these traditions that have become more popular within the past ten to twenty years.

When referring to unity candles, there are actually three. Two thin tapered candles stand for two individuals who will unite in marriage. There is also a large pillar candle that will be lit which signifies the joining of the two individuals. Depending on the location and preference, sometimes you will have a special candle dish or holder which will house all three unity candles. Other times you will have the large candle in the middle and the other two flanking it. Individual candle holders may be used for the unity candles as well.

The lighting of the unity candles has no religious connotations, but is representative of what a marriage is all about. There are no written rules on how the lighting of the unity candles should be performed. Therefore, you can create your own traditions and tailor this ritual to suit your wedding ceremony.

Typically, though, the unity candles are lit right after the wedding rings are exchanged but before the bride and groom are announced as husband and wife. There are also variations on who originally lights the individual unity candles. Sometimes, the individual tapered unity candles are lit before the ceremony starts and stay lit throughout the entire process. Other times, the parents of the bride and groom step forward after the ring presentation to light the candles.

The practice of the lighting of the unity candles also may have the bride and groom each lighting their own during the ritual. Then they come together and light the larger one in a symbol of unity, of two becoming one. Some debate exists about whether or not to blow out the individual tapered unity candles or leave them lit. One argument for blowing out the individual candles is that it symbolizes your forsaking the single life and committing to one another in marriage. On the flip side, leaving them lit means that while you are committed to one another in marriage, you are not forsaking your own individualism either.

Now that you have an idea about the ritual of lighting the unity candles, did you realize that are so many to choose from too? The unity candles are made in a variety of styles, shapes and sizes. Some are simple and unadorned. Others are elaborate and showy, decorated in a style suited to match your wedding décor.

These unity candles are customizable too. You can make them personal by having your wedding date printed on it along with your names. A special quote or short poem might be appropriate to convey your sentiments about marriage.

Marriage is the biggest commitment a person makes. Lighting of the unity candles as part of your wedding ceremony makes a big impact. Not only are you reciting vows before your loved ones, but you are also symbolizing your union in a very visual way.

So what do you do with the unity candles once the ceremony is over? Keep them to light for special occasions like your anniversary or the birth of a new child. You will be able to enjoy your unity candles for years to come.

Dave Poon is the owner of Go Wedding Gifts. We take the headache out of selecting gifts for your wedding party, whether they are Groomsmen, Best Men or Bridesmaids. Stop by and see our selection of bridesmaid gifts and groomsmen gifts at http://www.GoWeddingGifts.com