When is reasonable date to ask for final guest RSVP?

[skp1]

I think if you don’t have a TA with a booking deadline way in advance then 2 months is appropriate.  It will still give you enough time to do all your OOT bags, make final arrangements.  Our wedding is June 2011 - we sent STDs October 2010.  Based on verbal feedback we expected our guest count to be about 50.  We sent invites March 2011 with an RSVP deadline of April 2011 (about 6 weeks from the time they got their invite).  Our core people booked even before they got the invite but I'll tell ya, A LOT of people will wait until the last minute.  So the longer you give them, the longer they will drag out their decision.  But if you make it too early, people are apt to tell youyes, but then back out.  At our RSVP deadline our guest count was about 40 (and that was after chasing down over 50% of the non-responders) and over the next week or so when people actually looked at plane flights, looked at their schedules, etc, we are now down to a final guest count of 31.  I'm glad I didn't make the RSVP any later than 2 months.  My resort requires final payment (on the wedding, not rooms) 30 days out so thank goodness I didn’t make the RSVP around that time otherwise I’d be spending a lot more money than I need to.  Of course, we have up until 72 hours to make changes but I’d rather pay less and owe a little at the wedding than overpay and wait for a refund.  We still have a few guests who are going to "try and make it" but like the other brides here, as far as I'm concerned they are no's.