RSVP Response Time

Re: RSVP Response Time

• MyNameIsNot member

  

  April 2013

  In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_invites-paper_rsvp-response-time?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:cd062f89-8272-496a-b0ab-225e1f87acecDiscussion:bcefdb7e-5566-420e-939c-6afe6f8ba6d4Post:9aac3a8a-270e-4aa2-b604-cfa860da692d">RSVP Response Time</a>:
  [QUOTE]Okay so I'm finishing up my invites and working on the RSVP response cards. How long should I give guests to RSVP ? "The favor of your response is requested by X"? When? Is there a rule on how long you should give guests to reply by? Also, does the rule change for international guests? Half of my family lives in the Philippines and I am wondering if the same rule would apply? Any advice or direction is greatly apprecieated :) OH! And I should also mentioned I send Save-the-Dates to all my guests. Not sure if that changes things (?)
  Posted by ntursich[/QUOTE]
  
  <div>You back your RSVP date from the wedding, depending on how long you need to give final numbers to your vendors.  It's usuallly 2-3 weeks ahead of the wedding, but should never be more than a month ahead of the wedding.  </div><div>
  </div><div>You mail out your invitations 6-8 weeks ahead.  It doesn't matter when the RSVP date is, but you should make sure there's at least 2-3 weeks for them to turn around.  You wouldn't want to mail them out at 6 weeks if your RSVP date is 4 weeks.  </div><div>
  </div><div>For your international guests, mail the invites as early as you need to to make sure they get there in that 6-8 week range.  It really depends on what country you're looking at.  For Canada, you might need an extra week.  For more remote areas, you may need as long as 12 weeks.  If there's much of a mail delay with the country, I woud also consider including an insert offering them the option to RSVP via phone or email.  </div>

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• HobokensFury member

  

  April 2013

  A week or 2 before your venue needs it's final head count so you have time to track those that didn't RSVP down.

   
   

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• MayberryAfterMidnight member

  

  April 2013 edited April 2013

  Also (something I was not aware of until I started reading threads on TK): some guests may think that the RSVP date is the date by which they should put the RSVP in the mail. I always just assumed that people knew to try to have the RSVPs arrive by the deadline, but I was told that many people may not think that. So, for your international guests, you should probably take this into account when setting the RSVP date, since the mail will take longer to arrive - perhaps their RSVP date could be sooner than those in the US? Another option, as PP suggested, is to give international guests the option of RSVPing via phone or email. FWIW, I am asking my guests to RSVP about 3 weeks before the wedding. My caterer needs the headcount 1 week prior, so this will give me 2 weeks to follow up with any straglers. Also, I'm asking my guests to RSVP by June 1 because I thought that was an easy date to remember! (Wedding is June 23rd.)
  
  ETA: I sent my invites out at about the 9-10 week mark because the wedding will be out of state for most of my guests, so I wanted to give them the opportunity to book flights/make travel arrangements as soon as possible. I didn't send out Save-The-Dates though.

  

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