Wedding Invitations & Paper

RSVP Cards with Children

The venue I have chosen offers a half rate for children 5-12 for the buffet. Would it be acceptable to ask:
___Adults
___Children 5-12
___Children under 5

Re: RSVP Cards with Children

  • I'm assuming that children under 5 are free? Otherwise, why would you divide it into two age groups for the children. I think it looks fine.

  • Yes, under 5 is free. 
  • The venue I have chosen offers a half rate for children 5-12 for the buffet. Would it be acceptable to ask:
    ___Adults
    ___Children 5-12
    ___Children under 5
    I would probably just have an RSVP card where they write the names of the people attending... then, if you're unsure of the child's age and think they're borderline between the different age groups you can call the parent and ask.  These are the kids of your friends/family so I imagine you know generally how hold most of them are, right? 
    --

  • The venue I have chosen offers a half rate for children 5-12 for the buffet. Would it be acceptable to ask:
    ___Adults
    ___Children 5-12
    ___Children under 5
    I would probably just have an RSVP card where they write the names of the people attending... then, if you're unsure of the child's age and think they're borderline between the different age groups you can call the parent and ask.  These are the kids of your friends/family so I imagine you know generally how hold most of them are, right? 
    OP will still need to know the number of children in total to better plan for seating arrangements.  It is also helpful to know if any of the children are within an age bracket where highchairs or booster seats may be necessary.
  • MobKaz said:
    The venue I have chosen offers a half rate for children 5-12 for the buffet. Would it be acceptable to ask:
    ___Adults
    ___Children 5-12
    ___Children under 5
    I would probably just have an RSVP card where they write the names of the people attending... then, if you're unsure of the child's age and think they're borderline between the different age groups you can call the parent and ask.  These are the kids of your friends/family so I imagine you know generally how hold most of them are, right? 
    OP will still need to know the number of children in total to better plan for seating arrangements.  It is also helpful to know if any of the children are within an age bracket where highchairs or booster seats may be necessary.
    I would only do the bolded if there were a TON of kids coming, and you had no clue how many were attending or how old most of them are. Otherwise, it looks kind of impersonal to me to have people indicate the ages of their kids, like a form you fill out for the doctor or something. 

    If kids under 5 are free, are kids 5-12 a reduced price too? Otherwise, why include that age bracket in the RSVP?

    Also, won't you have a general sense of how old most kids are? I mean, even if you don't know their exact ages, you may know that cousin Susie has a toddler and a kid in elementary school, or that Uncle Sal's wife's kids are around 4' tall and generally grubby (so, probably in third or fourth grade).

    If the number of children invited is relatively small, I would just have people indicate how many people are coming, and then, if you really don't know the ages of the kids or which age bracket they fall in to (or if families RSVP for one kid when two were invited), follow up individually.
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • MobKaz said:
    The venue I have chosen offers a half rate for children 5-12 for the buffet. Would it be acceptable to ask:
    ___Adults
    ___Children 5-12
    ___Children under 5
    I would probably just have an RSVP card where they write the names of the people attending... then, if you're unsure of the child's age and think they're borderline between the different age groups you can call the parent and ask.  These are the kids of your friends/family so I imagine you know generally how hold most of them are, right? 
    OP will still need to know the number of children in total to better plan for seating arrangements.  It is also helpful to know if any of the children are within an age bracket where highchairs or booster seats may be necessary.
    I would only do the bolded if there were a TON of kids coming, and you had no clue how many were attending or how old most of them are. Otherwise, it looks kind of impersonal to me to have people indicate the ages of their kids, like a form you fill out for the doctor or something. 

    If kids under 5 are free, are kids 5-12 a reduced price too? Otherwise, why include that age bracket in the RSVP?

    Also, won't you have a general sense of how old most kids are? I mean, even if you don't know their exact ages, you may know that cousin Susie has a toddler and a kid in elementary school, or that Uncle Sal's wife's kids are around 4' tall and generally grubby (so, probably in third or fourth grade).

    If the number of children invited is relatively small, I would just have people indicate how many people are coming, and then, if you really don't know the ages of the kids or which age bracket they fall in to (or if families RSVP for one kid when two were invited), follow up individually.
    I'm genuinely laughing out loud at what I bolded above.  It's funny because it's true.  

    Also, I agree with everything she said.  Call them to get the ages after RSVPs come in.  No need to print the details on the card.
  • adk19 said:
    I would only do the bolded if there were a TON of kids coming, and you had no clue how many were attending or how old most of them are. Otherwise, it looks kind of impersonal to me to have people indicate the ages of their kids, like a form you fill out for the doctor or something. 

    If kids under 5 are free, are kids 5-12 a reduced price too? Otherwise, why include that age bracket in the RSVP?

    Also, won't you have a general sense of how old most kids are? I mean, even if you don't know their exact ages, you may know that cousin Susie has a toddler and a kid in elementary school, or that Uncle Sal's wife's kids are around 4' tall and generally grubby (so, probably in third or fourth grade).

    If the number of children invited is relatively small, I would just have people indicate how many people are coming, and then, if you really don't know the ages of the kids or which age bracket they fall in to (or if families RSVP for one kid when two were invited), follow up individually.
    I'm genuinely laughing out loud at what I bolded above.  It's funny because it's true.  

    Also, I agree with everything she said.  Call them to get the ages after RSVPs come in.  No need to print the details on the card.
    I was using myself at age nine as an inspiration for that description.
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • So are the portions for a 5 year old the same size as portions for a 12 year old?  I have always thought 12 is far too old to be in the kid meal range.  Hell, both of my bio girls were 5'4" or more at 12 and my son was 5'10'.  none of them were eating 5 year old portions and hadn't for years.
  • We ended up using a different caterer. I'm having people RSVP through my website and indicate whether each person will have the buffet, a child's meal, or no meal. 

    @kmmssg I doubt the portion sizes are different. Kind of like when you buy an entree during lunch, it's the same size as dinner, but a reduced cost. 
  • SP29SP29 member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited June 2016
    I see you switched to a buffet, but just in case anyone else is lurking...

    Our venue offered a kids meal for 12 and under, and any children under 3 were free. Kids between 13-18 received an adult meal, but it was cheaper (no bar cost). We had plated meal options.

    We had few minors in attendance, so it wasn't hard to track. What we did on our RSVP card/ online was:

    ___Chicken
    ___Beef
    ___Vegetarian
    ___Kids Meal (12 and under)

    In the case of my aunt, uncle, and under 18 cousin, they all picked a "full" meal, but I knew to tell the venue my cousin was under 18. With any other kids who picked the kids meal, I knew who was under 3.

    Our venue only cared about total numbers for each (Adults, Minors, Kids, Vendors), so I kept track of that and let them know.

    P.S. Why do you need an option for buffet vs. no meal? Would anyone come to a reception and not eat anything?

  • We ended up using a different caterer. I'm having people RSVP through my website and indicate whether each person will have the buffet, a child's meal, or no meal. 

    @kmmssg I doubt the portion sizes are different. Kind of like when you buy an entree during lunch, it's the same size as dinner, but a reduced cost. 
    Not relevant to the RSVP, but a lunch entree is a smaller portion. That's why it's cheaper. 
  • SP29 said:
    I see you switched to a buffet, but just in case anyone else is lurking...

    Our venue offered a kids meal for 12 and under, and any children under 3 were free. Kids between 13-18 received an adult meal, but it was cheaper (no bar cost). We had plated meal options.

    We had few minors in attendance, so it wasn't hard to track. What we did on our RSVP card/ online was:

    ___Chicken
    ___Beef
    ___Vegetarian
    ___Kids Meal (12 and under)

    In the case of my aunt, uncle, and under 18 cousin, they all picked a "full" meal, but I knew to tell the venue my cousin was under 18. With any other kids who picked the kids meal, I knew who was under 3.

    Our venue only cared about total numbers for each (Adults, Minors, Kids, Vendors), so I kept track of that and let them know.

    P.S. Why do you need an option for buffet vs. no meal? Would anyone come to a reception and not eat anything?

    I was wondering this, too. I would definitely remove the "no meal" option altogether. It could lead to someone saying they don't want a meal (who knows why this would happen, but for the sake of argument), but then, once at the reception, seeing how good the food looks and deciding they're hungry after all.

    There is no reason I can think of to give a "no meal" option.
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • SP29 said:
    I see you switched to a buffet, but just in case anyone else is lurking...

    Our venue offered a kids meal for 12 and under, and any children under 3 were free. Kids between 13-18 received an adult meal, but it was cheaper (no bar cost). We had plated meal options.

    We had few minors in attendance, so it wasn't hard to track. What we did on our RSVP card/ online was:

    ___Chicken
    ___Beef
    ___Vegetarian
    ___Kids Meal (12 and under)

    In the case of my aunt, uncle, and under 18 cousin, they all picked a "full" meal, but I knew to tell the venue my cousin was under 18. With any other kids who picked the kids meal, I knew who was under 3.

    Our venue only cared about total numbers for each (Adults, Minors, Kids, Vendors), so I kept track of that and let them know.

    P.S. Why do you need an option for buffet vs. no meal? Would anyone come to a reception and not eat anything?

    For the babies. There will be several including my own who won't be old enough to eat anything. 
  • labrolabro member
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    I agree with @madamerwin.

    FWIW, we had a buffet but it was still relevant to know the ages of the children and infants attending. Our caterer offered us half price for children in a certain age range and no cost for children under a certain age...regardless of if they were eating off of the buffet or not.

    We just did a traditional RSVP without any special indicators for meal/no meal, age, etc. and it was perfectly fine. My MIL was able to tell me the ages of the children attending from her family (because H was clueless) and I knew the ages of all the children attending from my side.



  • SP29 said:
    I see you switched to a buffet, but just in case anyone else is lurking...

    Our venue offered a kids meal for 12 and under, and any children under 3 were free. Kids between 13-18 received an adult meal, but it was cheaper (no bar cost). We had plated meal options.

    We had few minors in attendance, so it wasn't hard to track. What we did on our RSVP card/ online was:

    ___Chicken
    ___Beef
    ___Vegetarian
    ___Kids Meal (12 and under)

    In the case of my aunt, uncle, and under 18 cousin, they all picked a "full" meal, but I knew to tell the venue my cousin was under 18. With any other kids who picked the kids meal, I knew who was under 3.

    Our venue only cared about total numbers for each (Adults, Minors, Kids, Vendors), so I kept track of that and let them know.

    P.S. Why do you need an option for buffet vs. no meal? Would anyone come to a reception and not eat anything?

    For the babies. There will be several including my own who won't be old enough to eat anything. 
    Yeah, that's still confusing. You should know which guests have babies, and when they RSVP, you can easily figure out which ones are "no meal." And if you cannot, you call the guests to confirm that one of the people from their family attending is indeed a baby and will not require a meal.

    None of your guests will realize "no meal" is meant specifically for babies, and you may find some adults choosing that option. It will add confusion.
    BabyFruit Ticker
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