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RSVP timeline aka help me with my math

bridalmarchbridalmarch member
500 Comments 5 Love Its
in Wedding Invitations & Paper
Our wedding is March 16. The venue and our dessert caterer need a head count two weeks prior (March 2). Our hotel block will also release unsold rooms two week prior. I want to give us a bit of padding in case we need to make phone calls to stragglers after the RSVP date passes. How long is that usually? A week? Two weeks? If it's a week, then that would make the RSVP date Feb. 23 and invites should go out Dec 29 (8 weeks- we have probably 40% OOT guests, but we did do STD) Also, is it ok to make the RSVP date a Saturday? 

Does that seem right? That sounds pretty far away from the actual wedding to me.I'm also a little worried about sending them so close to the holidays. We're using a VP groupon that has an expiration date in December so we'll need to order in November sometime to make sure everything gets to us in time. 
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Re: RSVP timeline aka help me with my math

  • HobokensFuryHobokensFury member
    5000 Comments Sixth Anniversary 500 Love Its First Answer
    We got married on March 17th last year. We had an RSVP date of Feb 17th because we needed to give all of the final numbers 2 weeks before and we gave ourselves 2 weeks to track people down. Also our invites went out a little early, at the 10 week mark.
     
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  • maggieandreymaggieandrey member
    100 Comments First Anniversary
    December 29 seems WAY early to me for a March 16 wedding. The knot says 3 months, but 6-8 weeks before the wedding will suffice. A month to RSVP is more than enough time, IMO.

    How much follow up time you give yourself largely depends on what you perceive to be the reliability of your guests. I have 300 people, and I anticipate only having to follow up with maybe 5% of them, since they are mostly reliable / easy to get a hold of. My RSVP deadline is a week before numbers are due to the venue - so three weeks before the wedding, which is a saturday.)

    You can order your invites whenever you want. Mine have been sitting in a box assembled, addressed and ready to mail for a couple months because it was an easy DIY project to get out of the way.
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  • HobokensFuryHobokensFury member
    5000 Comments Sixth Anniversary 500 Love Its First Answer
    edited October 2012
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_invites-paper_rsvp-timeline-aka-help-me-with-my-math?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:cd062f89-8272-496a-b0ab-225e1f87acecDiscussion:a819d92c-2913-422f-a354-cbdc13f0455ePost:5709b8df-c2f3-4bf9-b152-00ebd57e3d4d">Re: RSVP timeline aka help me with my math</a>:
    [QUOTE]<strong>December 29 seems WAY early to me for a March 16 wedding. The knot says 3 months, </strong>but 6-8 weeks before the wedding will suffice. A month to RSVP is more than enough time, IMO. How much follow up time you give yourself largely depends on what you perceive to be the reliability of your guests. I have 300 people, and I anticipate only having to follow up with maybe 5% of them, since they are mostly reliable / easy to get a hold of. My RSVP deadline is a week before numbers are due to the venue - so three weeks before the wedding, which is a saturday.) You can order your invites whenever you want. Mine have been sitting in a box assembled, addressed and ready to mail for a couple months because it was an easy DIY project to get out of the way.
    Posted by maggieandrey[/QUOTE]

    If you have a lot of OOT or international guests as OP does they need to go out a few weeks earlier so people can make travel arrangements. I sent mine out on Dec. 30th last year.

    I know people say 6-8 weeks but let's be honest 6 weeks is cutting it too close. Etiquette says guests should have 4 weeks to RSVP. That leaves you with 2 weeks before the wedding to track people down.  Often headcounts are due 2 or even 3 weeks beforehand so it's logistically impossible in most cases.
     
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  • bridalmarchbridalmarch member
    500 Comments 5 Love Its
    edited October 2012
    I WAS counting wrong! 

    If our RSVP date is Feb. 23 (three weeks before the wedding) then 8 weeks back from that is Jan 5th. 

    Sometimes you just need to write it out lol. 
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  • MyNameIsNotMyNameIsNot member
    Knottie Warrior 10000 Comments 500 Love Its 5 Answers
    The 6-8 weeks is supposed to count back from the wedding, not the RSVP.  

    I don't have a calendar, but January 5 still seems early for domestic guests.  I would send international ones then, though.
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  • maggieandreymaggieandrey member
    100 Comments First Anniversary
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_invites-paper_rsvp-timeline-aka-help-me-with-my-math?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:cd062f89-8272-496a-b0ab-225e1f87acecDiscussion:a819d92c-2913-422f-a354-cbdc13f0455ePost:a5529497-8643-4bc9-98b9-767bba881ce1">Re: RSVP timeline aka help me with my math</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: RSVP timeline aka help me with my math : If you have a lot of OOT or international guests as OP does they need to go out a few weeks earlier so people can make travel arrangements. I sent mine out on Dec. 30th last year. I know people say 6-8 weeks but let's be honest 6 weeks is cutting it too close. Etiquette says guests should have 4 weeks to RSVP. That leaves you with 2 weeks before the wedding to track people down.  Often headcounts are due 2 or even 3 weeks beforehand so it's logistically impossible in most cases.
    Posted by HobokenBride2012[/QUOTE]

    I think you also have to factor in if you sent STD's. All of my OOT / International guests already know if they're coming or not. I guess if you don't send STD's then I can see your logic with travel arrangements.

    But it doesn't take more than a week for mail to get from one coast to the other; and I'll generously give you 2 weeks for international (I'm judging based on past sending stuff from CT to CA and CT to Japan.)  1-2 weeks of mail time + 4 weeks to RSVP + 3 weeks before the wedding, is still only 8-9 weeks. 
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    image 127 Will be missing out!
    image 3 Are MIA!
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  • andreamarie77andreamarie77
    100 Comments
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_invites-paper_rsvp-timeline-aka-help-me-with-my-math?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:cd062f89-8272-496a-b0ab-225e1f87acecDiscussion:a819d92c-2913-422f-a354-cbdc13f0455ePost:a5529497-8643-4bc9-98b9-767bba881ce1">Re: RSVP timeline aka help me with my math</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: RSVP timeline aka help me with my math : If you have a lot of OOT or international guests as OP does they need to go out a few weeks earlier so people can make travel arrangements. I sent mine out on Dec. 30th last year. I know people say 6-8 weeks but let's be honest 6 weeks is cutting it too close. Etiquette says guests should have 4 weeks to RSVP. That leaves you with 2 weeks before the wedding to track people down.  Often headcounts are due 2 or even 3 weeks beforehand so it's logistically impossible in most cases.
    Posted by HobokenBride2012[/QUOTE]

    Ditto everything Hoboken said. We got married March 10th with an RSVP date of Feb 10th. I sent out the invitations right before New Year's. We had several OOT guests as well as a couple international ones. They actually received their invitations before the people locally did - so I was glad I sent them out a little early.
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