Tuesday Tip | Volume 23 | Your Vermont Wedding Planner

Our whole family seems to have settled into 2019 nicely. The girls are busy with volleyball, basketball, tennis and piano, as usual. Mid-terms are over for our highschooler :) And thank God for that because she had 5 days off in a row due to exam scheduling. The new year boom for our business is slowing down and we are on-boarding 3 new couples. So excited about that! Personally, I am working on eating healthier by cutting out sugar and processed food. Why do I ever let those items creep back in? I feel so focused and on top of everything without them. Now, if the snow would just melt a little I would be out walking each day too. Thankfully my bike fits on a trainer in my office. I can feel Spring coming. I know it will be here by, oh May, I hope. As we close in on spring and wedding season it’s also a time when a lot of our clients are working on invitation design and with that the question always comes up….

When Should I Send Out My Wedding Invitations

Invitation design by Christa Alexandra Designs

I’m going to start with a similar first line to the one I used in last weeks blog when we discussed your RSVP date. Our full planning brides do not have to ask when they need to send their invitations because it’s always added into their planning checklist but it is something we often discuss. I was just chatting with one of my brides about this topic the other day. I picked the send date for her that seems appropriate for me and her invitation designer had a slightly different one. This happens all the time and that is OK. It gives us the chance to chat about the pros and cons and which date works best. One of the first things I try to avoid when suggesting a send date are holidays and big vacation weeks such as the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas or the week of July 4th. Most invitation designers suggest that you send your invites out about 8 weeks before the wedding. This would be considered proper etiquette in many circles. I like to suggest 10-12 weeks before the wedding. The reason for my send date suggestion is that we like you to have an earlier RSVP date than your invitation designer suggests. And it all comes back around to when your vendors need their numbers by and how many guests you might have to track down when they forget to respond. Also, don’t forget that a lot of your hotel blocks pull the discounted rooms about 60 days before your wedding so if you send them 8 weeks out and your guests haven’t booked a room yet, they may lose their discount. While there is no perfect answer I always suggest that we compromise and fall somewhere in the middle of 8-12 weeks period before your wedding day. The earlier your invitations go out, the earlier you have your RSVP’s and the less stress on you as we get closer to the big day.

Let’s start planning your wedding today! Reach out to me through the button below or feel free to email me directly at randi@silvertoad.com

Tuesday Tip | Volume 22 | Your Vermont Wedding Planner

Greetings! Vermont truly feels like a winter wonderland this week. The trees are still covered in snow and thankfully the roads are once again clear from all that snow. We were hit with quite a few inches, or feet, last week. Our girls and the other kids in the neighborhood are back out sledding after school and sports each day too. I’ve been so thankful for the blue sky and sunshine these last few days. It just brings Vermont to life. And honestly, it brings me to life too. There is something about the winter sun that feels so good. Thinking of all of this sunshine has brought my thoughts right back to summer and wedding season. A lot of clients are getting ready to send out their save the dates and invitations. Let’s break it down to a single tip about invitations today.

How To Choose Your RSVP Date

Design and Image from Christa Alexandra Designs

My full planning brides don’t usually have to ask when to schedule their RSVP date because it’s always added into their planning checklist but it is something we often discuss. Often you’ll be told, or read, that the date should be four weeks from your wedding day but that just doesn’t work for me and here is why… the dreaded “non-replier’s'“ you know, the stragglers. It kills me. The reason others suggest the four week mark is because most of your vendors need your guest count right about that time. As I mentioned though, it’s hard to get that number if you have a dozen or more guests that have not replied. This happens all the time. I would go so far as to say we have never had a wedding where everyone has replied on time. My best tip to you on picking an RSVP date is to make sure you give yourself enough time to contact all of the guests who do not reply on time. Sometimes it’s as easy as a quick text or email but we have seen it take weeks to get those responses. It’s important to have an accurate number for your vendors. More importantly, just imagine how it feels when that guest who forgot to reply shows up on your wedding day and there is no seat for them. Often it’s not a single guest but a couple so now we need to make room at tables that are already full for two guests. Obviously, we would handle this dilemma, and have, on a moments notice but it’s definitely an uncomfortable situation for the guest at that time. Now let’s get back to the date. My suggestion is to have an RSVP date that is at least 6 weeks before your wedding. You will not regret it!

Let’s start planning your wedding today! Reach out to me through the button below.