When to Send Digital Wedding Invitations and Set RSVP Dates
Key Takeaway
Plan wedding invitation, RSVP and reminder dates around guests, travel and your venue deadline, with a worked example and sourced timing guidance.
A starting point, not a different clock for digital
Emily Post's one-to-three-month planning guide gives six to eight weeks as the mailing window for wedding invitations. It does not establish a separate later window for digital invitations.
Our recommendation is to choose your reply deadline first, leave room for personal follow-up, then choose a send date that gives guests reasonable notice. Plan earlier if guests need flights, visas, time off or accommodation. Agree contractual cutoffs with your venue; a general article cannot set them for you.
Build your invitation schedule
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Confirm the fixed dates
Ask the venue and caterer when they need final headcounts, meal choices and seating information. Check hotel booking cutoffs too. -
Set a reply deadline with a buffer
Leave time between the guest deadline and the supplier cutoff to follow up and reconcile changes. The buffer depends on your event. -
Give travel notice early
Once the date and location are confirmed, a save-the-date can help guests plan. Make clear that the invitation and RSVP instructions will follow. -
Send the invitation
Check the venue, date, time, named guests and RSVP link. Send individual messages through channels your guests use. -
Review pending replies
Before the deadline, contact guests who have not replied. A reminder is a request for an answer, not confirmation of attendance. -
Reconcile and close
Follow up personally with remaining guests, record confirmed answers and give suppliers the agreed count. Explain how guests should contact you about later changes.
Worked example: a wedding on 19 June 2027
Suppose the caterer requires the final count on 5 June. You might choose 22 May as the guest reply deadline, giving two weeks to resolve outstanding replies and check meal choices. Sending on 24 April gives guests four weeks to answer and eight weeks before the wedding. These are example choices, not a universal rule.
If hotel bookings close on 15 April, send travel information earlier and consider an earlier invitation or a separate accommodation confirmation. A faster delivery channel does not extend the hotel deadline.
Save-the-dates, travel and short engagements
Send a save-the-date once the date and location are firm enough for guests to act on. For a destination celebration, include the travel destination and any important booking cutoff early. Do not ask for a binding meal choice before your menu is settled.
For a short engagement, give confirmed details as soon as practical and acknowledge the shorter notice. Telephone help, printed stationery or digital messages may each suit different guests. See save-the-date examples and wedding invitations.
When Bloomvite sends reminders
Automatic RSVP reminder emails are a Pro and Large event feature. They target eligible pending guests with an email address while the published event is open for replies, subject to sending limits. They are not automatic texts. Follow up manually with guests who have no eligible email address.
The current schedule checks seven days and one day before the configured RSVP deadline, using the event timezone. Keep the deadline accurate and review the pending list yourself. Delivery and a guest's response are not guaranteed. See RSVP features and pricing.
For manual messages, see sending by text or WhatsApp. Read format and etiquette guidance before choosing a channel.
Frequently asked questions
Can digital invitations go out later than paper?
When should the RSVP deadline be?
Are automatic reminders included free?
Build the invitation, then choose dates that fit your guests.
Free for one event and up to 50 people, including plus-ones and children. Paid features require Pro or Large.
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