Paper vs. Online RSVP??

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This is what I plan on doing. I will have only have about 25 paper RSVPs and the rest there will be a small note to RSVP online our wedding website.

We opted for paper invitations, but RSVP via either my email or the website or by phone. I think it depends on the age of your guests on what would work best. Do whatever works the best for you and your guests.

We’ve opted for online and understanding that some are not tech savvy, we also included the bride and groom cell number on the RSVP card for those who would like to RSVP directly.

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THIS EXACTLY!

You are correct in that people who are not tech savvy will have difficulty with the wedding website. So, that's one con of online RSVPs. I think also, another thing (at least for me), I am more likely to forget about an online invite than I am a paper one.

As far as online invites go they are definitely cheaper, and although I am not familiar with the websites - they may be more customizable? I also get really scared with online stuff - what if the site crashes? Can you receive all the data again?

I am doing paper invites because lots of people (especially close family/friends) will keep the invites afterwards. I also get one to keep to put in our wedding album. My parents framed theirs - which I thought was a neat idea.

Of course, the con with paper invites is they are expensive. However, there are great options like vista print, that can help you save! They often have 40-50% sales.

I think you should look at your guest list and determine whether most of your guests are internet savvy. If so, maybe you could meet in the middle if you are set on online invites and send those that are not tech savvy a paper invite, and the remainder of guests have them RSVP online? It could be a good compromise!

Let us know what you decide!

Paper is great for the elder couples to know they have something to read and to keep in a safe place. They can phone you to give an answer easily or on the reply card provided in the envelope. Online is a great way for the young to techy savvy people to easily save time to see the information online or phone making it simple.

Paper invites are only good to know what date, time and location(s) to be at for the functions. Once your day is done, the invites are no good anymore and recycled since its nothing to save after. Online makes it harder for the elderly to understand technology since its changing and if they have a hard time where to go or replying back.

We sent out our invitations with the RSVP date and my phone number at the bottom. It read "Please RSVP by May 3rd, 2019 on our website or please call Allison at 705.555.5555"

Then we included a 4.25x5.5" RSVP instruction card that read "How to RSVP"
1) Go to www.ourwebsite.com
2) Enter Password
3) Click RSVP Here
4) Enter Name
5) Answer the questions and done!
and then at the base of that card we had tips that said to use the name they use on facebook if they were having troubles, how to rsvp for more than yourself (if you had a family of 2+) and if all else failed to contact Allison (the bride) lol

It worked out really well, we had a guest list of 150 - I think maybe 10 non-family members verbally told me and I RSVP'd for them. Most of our guests are over the age of 40 as well.

Hope this helps (:

I feel like the pros and cons have been covered well by the previous ladies.

My suggestion if you are worried about less tech savvy people, is have a few paper RSVP's printed. For most just send out your normal invitation with instructions to RSVP online. And for the older generation or etc, also throw in a paper RSVP with postage. That way you have covered your bases, and still get to cut the cost of printing and postage for the majority of the invitations.

Personally, I have done paper invites and RSVP. My immediate family that I see all the time, I just handed them their invites this week, and many filled out the RSVP and gave them back before they left. This saved quite a bit on postage. Other than that I will be sending out the rest, but we do not have many invites to go out.

Like the other ladies have mentioned, there are many Pros and Cons, whichever route you go. There will always be a couple people who will not RSVP. If you do online, there are people (grandparents, or very traditional people) that may not be very tech savvy and unsure how to do the RSVP. If you do the online, I would follow up with these individuals with a phone call.

There is nothing more exciting than getting RSVP's in the mail!

Valérie had some great points along with the other ladies, one note from someone who has done the online rsvp- the people who refuse to actually use it just call us or our parents to tell us they are coming.

We used RSVPify for our RSVP/Guestlist management and it's been super easy to use so far! I paid $40 to get their premium access for a year, which was more than enough time for us! We also created our own wedding website using wix.com, so being able to embed RSVPify in the website was important...and it turned out great!

Pros of online RSVP:
- No need to buy double/triple the amount of postage and envelopes.
- Easy to set up and can add as many add'l questions for your guests;
- Easy to update, if you forgot to add or remove a guest a +1 you can do so right away;
- Can usually create seating charts from the RSVP tool;
- Can easily track who has allergies, who's using the shuttle or what type of meal they picked;
- Environmentally friendly;
- Live updates via the website or the App!

Cons:
- Though super easy to use, some people might not feel comfortable going online

Also, we sent paper invitations and asked our guests to RSVP online. So people were still getting the paper/mail experience, but we weren't shelling out more money for extra postage/stationary/envelopes.

Hi Caitlin! we are doing the website RSVPs, we decided that it was less wasteful and more convenient for most people! We definitely had the same concerns though, but luckily with the WeddingWire RSVP system, you are able to go in and manually RSVP! so if you have someone who you know will not RSVP on the website, you are able to adjust the RSVP yourself once you speak to them!

Pros of paper invites:

-You get to design them to your liking

-It's so rewarding and exciting when you get them in the mail!

-You get to keep it forever!

Cons:

-They can get lost in the mail

-They are more expensive than online

-You can't go back and change anything if there are mistakes

Pros of online invites:

-They are either free or really cheap

-You can change them if you mess something up

-environmentally friendly

Cons:

-Some people just DON'T RSVP to online things

-They aren't as fun/rewarding as paper invites

I personally did paper invites from VistaPrint. They are AMAZING! I have been using them for many years. The prices are so good and they almost always have sales. If they get lost in the mail, they will replace for free. If you mess them up, sometimes they will resend for free. They're seriously the best company to work with.