When is the right time to set your wedding RSVP deadline?
Setting an RSVP deadline too early backfires because guests' plans inevitably shift a long way out, resulting in inaccurate headcounts and constant changes. To get reliable numbers, RSVPs need to be collected as late as possible so you can avoid tracking down shifting commitments and dealing with outdated information.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Setting the RSVP deadline 4 to 6 weeks before the wedding
- 2Sending save-the-dates 6 to 12 months ahead for travel planning
- 3Building in a one-week buffer to chase down stragglers before vendor headcounts are due
- 4Sending save-the-dates and website information now but holding back the RSVP option until formal invitations are sent closer to the event
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Even if people say yes now, things could change and then they have to go back and change it or reach out to you and have you do it.”source ↗
“Plus, the further in advance you let people RSVP, the less accurate they will be.”source ↗
“Since inaccurate RSVPs are completely useless, there is a reason RSVPs are collected as late as you can possibly take them, even for international events.”source ↗
“People's plans can change a lot a year out, a lot of life happens.”source ↗
“Hi everyone, asking for help with picking a reasonable RSVP deadline for our wedding next year.”source ↗
“Of course we would like to get a sense of numbers as early as possible, but we don’t want to set the deadline so early, that life will inevitably get in the way and guests will be changing their RSVPs well after the deadline.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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