RSVP question

FutureMrsL.R.Allen

My wedding is on APril 17 and the venue needs the final count by April 9.  Do you think asking for RSVPs by March 26 (two weeks prior to the date the venue needs the count) is enough time?  I do not want to ask for it to far in advance, but I have also read all of you say that you had to call people and track down RSVPs, so I want to give myself enough time to do that as well.

1104*Celsius

I'm a firm believer in giving yourself PLENTY of time to track people down, do your seating chart, place cards, favors, programs - all the last minute things that hinge on your final count. We had our RSVPs due back to us a month out from the wedding, and there was no problem. Guests don't know when your venue or caterer need their counts, so you can always use that as a reason when you call the delinquent responders. Assuming you send the invitations out the standard 8 weeks/2 months ahead of the wedding date, your guests still have the invite in their hot little hands for the better part of a month. That's plenty of time to decide if they're coming, check a box, write their name and put the darn thing in the mail, especially if you sent STDs.

FutureMrsL.R.Allen

Good point about the seating chart and all that other stuff!  Thank you!  So for an April 17 wedding you think I should put a March 17 RSVP date? 

1104*Celsius

Well, I think you have a couple of options.1) Set it for April 17th, exactly a month before your wedding. OR2) Set it for April 15th, as it's a memorable date because of taxes being due, so coinciding with another deadline may help it stick out in someone's mind. 15 is also somehow a more round number than 17 and the mid-point in the month, but that might be in my own mind. (We went with October 1, because it was easier to remember than the 8th, and gave us and our stationer an extra week.)

1104*Celsius

And never mind about the tax deadline, because we're talking about March, not April. Der. The Knot needs an "edit" function. But the other points I made still stand. One month out or middle of the month.

FutureMrsL.R.Allen

Awesome, thank you for the advice! 

vmilesic

Agree with Celsius. Our day is 11/14 and requested the RSVPs by 10/25. Also, I have a suggestion (I did this and it helped alot), number all of your rsvps. FI placed a small number on the back of rsvp in the right corner with a pencil, so in case someone does not write their name on the RSVP you will be able to look up the name by the number.  I had three returned with no names on them and I was so glad I did the extra step of numbering all of them. Good luck

FutureMrsL.R.Allen

What is wrong with people?!  They dont RSVP and when they actually do they do not put their names on it?  Haha, thank you for the advice, I will most certainly do that!

[Deleted User]

I agree with pp. I am sending invites out two months in advance and requesting RSVP by 1 month before the wedding.