Response Card and Food Selections

Since you want guests to pick ahead of time, be specific on the reply card listing each of the choices. If you can, list what your vegetarian option is. Definitely have a line mentioning dietary restrictions, which goes beyond basic allergies.

Absolutely try to list a part where they can note dietary restrictions

We're also including a line for food allergies on our RSVP, and for online RSVPs as well. A note about dietary restrictions vs allergies....I had one venue tell me (not the one we chose) that they accommodate allergies but not dietary restrictions. The reason being, food allergies are something specific that can result in the need for medical attention, while dietary restrictions can be interpreted in many ways and are sometimes a preference. Obviously people can have dietary restrictions because of other health issues even though they may not be allergic to the food, or for religious reasons, etc. The list goes on. But you can end up having a lot of people listing their "dietary restrictions" and your venue or cater may not be able to accommodate everyone. Just some food for thought (no pun intended). This is why I chose to stick with just allergies for our RSVPs.

I agree with others in stating what the vegetarian option is. Shellfish is a pretty common allergy, so you may have several people who definitely don't want the lobster lol. Not eating red meat has also become a bit more common, especially due to health restrictions like high blood pressure. I would also definitely put in a line about allergies. For instance, I am allergic to shellfish. If my fileglt was cooked on the same cooktop or handled by the same tongs as a lobster, I would get sick (it's happened before). I would want the kitchen to know and be very mindful of cross contamination (I know this should go without saying, but trust me, it isn't always the case in restaurants). Also, often times, vegetarian dishes may be a pasta dish, so someone with celiac disease, for instance, may prefer to eat the filet this 1 time over the vegetarian dish if it's between a steak they don't normally eat or pasta which is dangerous for their digestive system.

View Quoted Comment I agree that if we list dietary restrictions, we will get a lot more restrictions that may be hard to keep up with. We are doing a seating chart as well as place cards, but I also do not want to fill up our place cards with alerts. I’m so torn. But will definitely list a place for allergies.

View Quoted Comment I can’t eat shrimp but I can have lobster. I know my aunt can’t have lobster but can eat shrimp, so I know there will be shellfish allergies. And I also do not eat a lot of red meat but we are serving a menu we’d love to have on our special day. I’ll have to figure out what we want to do for the vegetarian option but I don’t want our response card looking tacky either. The venue has a fabulous restaurant inside it (we met the chef at our tasting), and they seem to be able to accommodate whatever we may need, but I’m sure at a charge. I just can’t fathom to offer chicken as an option, for us to pay about $2,000 - again for only an option. And honestly, I enjoyed the salmon over the chicken, even though everything was really good. I’m also aware we can’t please everyone.

I would have fillet, option of adding a lobster tail and a listed vegetarian. I would have a line for dietary restrictions (not only allergies). People might, for example be vegan, so if the veggie options contains cheese or cream they would need substitutes. It’s not an allergy per say, but you should respect your guests dietary choices and give them something they are comfortable eating. My husband has a severe shellfish allergy so he would be a fillet only (wouldn’t select added lobster) with a note to the kitchen because of all the lobster around haha.