When to send out invitations for a holiday weekend wedding

chrisig8

I am getting married on September 6, 2015 which is the Sunday before Labor Day. The wedding is taking place at a golf resort at a local resort.

The resort has 3 properties, a waterpark, mountain biking course, multiple golf courses, etc.  So it's a very busy place, especially on a holiday weekend.

We have blocked off rooms at one of the hotel properties for the wedding with a discount (a very slight discount, but still a discount considering its a holiday weekend )  However the hotel will release these rooms to the public 45 days before the wedding, which is about 7 weeks prior to the wedding. 

Based on this information, when should I sent out the invitations to the wedding and give the guests enough time to respond and book a room if they need to?  I feel like sending them out 10 weeks before the wedding is way too early? 

Is sending out invitations on July 1st with a RSVP date of July 17th too early for a September 6th wedding?

Maggie0829

Yes, that is too early.

How many guests will need to book a room?  I would also suggest making another room block at a near by hotel just in case your current room block fills up.  I would also talk to the resort to see if they can push the release date up to 30 days out.

Do you have a wedding website?  If not, make one.  Not everyone will look at it but it would be a good way to spread information.  Did you send STDs?  If not, then send them ASAP with the website information.

Also, spread the release day by word of mouth.  Let some key VIP guests know and hopefully they will let others know as well.

Cookie Pusher

What @Maggie0829 said. I got married over July 4th weekend, and the rooms from our block were being released a month before our wedding. We made sure to include hotel information on our website and added the URL to our STDates. Our invitations went out 8.5 weeks before the wedding, again with hotel information and the date the rooms were being released. 

DaniBites

I have nothing constructive to add, but whoohoo date twins!

KatWAG

I get why you want to send your invites early. But why on earth would they need to RSVP by July 17th? Change that to late August.

MairePoppy

Are you sending STDs? Put your wedding website on the STDs, put all info on the hotel blocks on the website.

Maggie0829

KatWAG said:

I get why you want to send your invites early. But why on earth would they need to RSVP by July 17th? Change that to late August.

And even if you did send your invites out on July 1st then that would only give your guests 16 days to get the RSVP back to you.  Actually more like 10 days to allow for invite delivery and RSVP return.

lyndausvi

chrisig8 said:

I am getting married on September 6, 2015 which is the Sunday before Labor Day. The wedding is taking place at a golf resort at a local resort.

The resort has 3 properties, a waterpark, mountain biking course, multiple golf courses, etc.  So it's a very busy place, especially on a holiday weekend.

We have blocked off rooms at one of the hotel properties for the wedding with a discount (a very slight discount, but still a discount considering its a holiday weekend )  However the hotel will release these rooms to the public 45 days before the wedding, which is about 7 weeks prior to the wedding. 

Based on this information, when should I sent out the invitations to the wedding and give the guests enough time to respond and book a room if they need to?  I feel like sending them out 10 weeks before the wedding is way too early? 

Is sending out invitations on July 1st with a RSVP date of July 17th too early for a September 6th wedding?

July 1st isn't horrible.  I had a Sept 6th wedding and we sent out our invites the first week of July.   Our RSVP date wasn't until Aug 26th.  We also sent out  STD with hotel information.  I think our block was released a month out.

Are you paying for the rooms?  Because I do not understand what the room block being released has to do with your RSVP date.   Just because the block is released doesn't mean they can't get a room, nor does having a room block mean they have to even stay there.

Unless you are paying for the room block the RSVP and room block are mutually exclusive.

mlg78

I think 7/1 is fine...7/17 for RSVPs is nuts.  You should sent STDs now if it's in the budget.

hpubride

I got married the Labor Day Sunday of this past year. We sent out our STDs 8 months before. Although any guests on FB knew about our wedding date a year in advance. The invitations were sent out about 3 months before our wedding, but I would allow guests at least one month to send back their response card. Good luck!

[Deleted User]

What about sending out invites early but still have an RSVP date in August? The main reason to get the invites out early is so that people book their hotels in plenty of time. Like a PP recommended, have a website with the hotel details on it & include website info on STD

chrisig8

I guess I had no idea what the timeline should be for the RSVP date.
I do have a wedding website and the hotel information was included on there.  But I know that probably half the people won;t actually visit it.  I know I have already received 2 STD's and I haven't checked their websites.
I think I am going to send out the invites still on July 1st and have the RSVP date a month later.

Thanks!

Maggie0829

@chrisig8 - when does your venue need a final headcount?  Two weeks before your wedding date?  Three weeks?  Whatever their deadline is add a week to that and that is how you get your RSVP date.  Getting RSVPs a month in advance is too early.  Some people may need some time to see if they can get off work or make babysitting arrangements of what not.  So don't rush getting RSVPs back.

phillybride9615

I'm in the same boat as you! My wedding is also 9/6 and our block of rooms release 45 days before the wedding as well. We were told by most of our vendors that invitations should be mailed about 10 weeks before the wedding because of the hotel block AND the fact that it's a holiday weekend. The RSVPs probably don't need to be back that soon, I would give people until about 2 or 3 weeks before the wedding to send them back.

Viczaesar

Erikan73 said:

What about sending out invites early but still have an RSVP date in August? The main reason to get the invites out early is so that people book their hotels in plenty of time. Like a PP recommended, have a website with the hotel details on it & include website info on STD

No.  That's what the STDs are for.

torimack1

I'm getting married that day too!!