How long is long enough for rsvp?

[boscobel]

I am getting my invitations ready to be printed since I finally booked our AHR and I am wondering what to use as my RSVP by date. My wedding is May 17th and my AHR is July 12th. I am sending boarding pass invitations with the RSVP referencing both dates. I need to give myself enough time to plan the wedding, but I don't want to be crazy requesting rsvp's for July in February. Any advice? I don't want to send out separate invitations for both, cuz I just don't feel like having to deal with it! I wanted to use Feb 28th as my rsvp date...

[Lorilou]

Quote:

Originally Posted by carlymcmullen I am getting my invitations ready to be printed since I finally booked our AHR and I am wondering what to use as my RSVP by date. My wedding is May 17th and my AHR is July 12th. I am sending boarding pass invitations with the RSVP referencing both dates. I need to give myself enough time to plan the wedding, but I don't want to be crazy requesting rsvp's for July in February. Any advice? I don't want to send out separate invitations for both, cuz I just don't feel like having to deal with it! I wanted to use Feb 28th as my rsvp date...

I'm in the same boat. My wedding is the same day as yours in Puerto Vallarta, May 17, 2008 and my AHR is June 21, 2008. We also have an added stresser, my FI is from New Zealand with friends and family all over the world. So invitations have to be mailed extra early due to the international snail mail factor. I was thinking of sending them in February then requesting them to be returned by mid March 2008...what do people think??

[fogdog]

I hate to say it, but these days, people are comfortable booking travel right up until the last minute! My wedding is 11/17 and I used Oct. 1 as my RSVP and I have several guests who either just booked flights or haven't even yet. Those who book early will do so well in advance, but the others...they'll book when they want regardless of your rsvp date (we still have about 20 outstanding invites).

 

One thing I did do with all my procrastinator friends is ask them to at least book their hotel so I could get the room block sorted out. I don't care when they book their flights - it's their $.

[boscobel]

But SO much depends on how many people go!! Ugh. So far, not even our entire wedding party has booked and I doubt everyone that says theya re going will go. We have probably like 60-70 peeps that say they are going. If we have that many as opposed to 20-30 I need to know with enough time to make sure we can afford the choices that we choose to do in Jamaica and also to make sure I have enough OOT bags and crap like that.

 

I am pretty sure that I am supposed to tell Beaches with 60 days ahead of time with my choices and whatnot...

[Can'tHardlyWait]

I gave my guests an October 31st RSVP deadline for my May wedding. Since we are paying for 2 nights of our guest's stay, it was VITAL for us to know how many people were going to be there in advance (our wedding contract required we set our room block 6 months before the wedding to maintain the rate we were getting). Our guests received our save the dates with the rsvp request in early september, and so far 70 people have booked their rooms... I will probably have to make some phone calls in the next couple of weeks.

 

The point of my (very long) story is, almost all of our guests knew whether they were going or not going even before they got the STD

[jak27]

I'm going to agree with Bridget on this one. My wedding is 20 days away (WOW!) and I have three couples who still haven't booked their flights, and one guest whose plans just changed, so she's attending now. I would say that there are always those guests who are ready to go and book early, and there are those that keep waiting, hoping to find the best deal, yada yada and end up booking three weeks out.

 

My RSVP date was October 1, 2007 by the way, and I had 75 people who didn't make that deadline. You have to be really proactive with your guests, depending on the number of guests you invite. I definitely have sent "friendly reminders" to our guests about needing an RSVP count, and still have some people who just never respond. Frankly, it drives me crazy and I find it rude that someone can't take two minutes out of their day to check Yes or No and stick something in the mail, but that's just me venting.

 

When in doubt, make the deadline early but not so early people forget about it.

[boscobel]

I think I will go with my gut on this then. Make the deadline Feb 28th, then perhaps after that, I can send a postcard reminder or something. Or start stalking people, whatever works!

[Chiquita]

I concur with that!

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by carlymcmullen I think I will go with my gut on this then. Make the deadline Feb 28th, then perhaps after that, I can send a postcard reminder or something. Or start stalking people, whatever works!

[Lorilou]

Quote:

Originally Posted by carlymcmullen I think I will go with my gut on this then. Make the deadline Feb 28th, then perhaps after that, I can send a postcard reminder or something. Or start stalking people, whatever works!

I'm sending mine out early too.. have to for planning reasons OOT, venue, welcome dinner, etc. that way I'll know and MAKE people book. only one of our wedding party out of 8 have booked so far too...you're not alone.

[foxytv]

We have to give the resort final numbers January 15 -- so our invites went out last week for the DW (4/19) and AHR (5/17) ... and our RSVP is November 30th.

 

I know people won't send back the RSVP's by then, but it gives me time after the holidays tofollow-up before having to give the resort final numbers. Our payments are due 60-days prior for all guests rooms (which will be 2/19) -- so I don't think it's too much to ask that they RSVP early.

 

I realize for the AHR that it's really early -- but I will send out reminder invites closer to that date and don't care about those RSVP's until we get back from the DW.

 

We'velready started getting lots of RSVP's back, though, so I'm pleased with that -- so far. :-)