Why Paper Invites and Online Wedding RSVPs are A Perfect Match

While the digital wedding RSVP trend has blown up over the past few years, many people still prefer to send paper invitations. It’s undeniable that there is something nostalgic about the tradition in sending paper wedding invitations. In fact, it’s entirely possible that wedding invitations may be the one area that survives the unprecedented digital revolution we’re experiencing. While wedding invitations appear to be (at least partially) immune to the online transformation, the same cannot be said about RSVPs. A quick look at Google Trends reveals the popular online RSVP websites have experienced 1000% growth in just a few short years, a trend that does not appear to be reversing anytime soon.

Modern Couples Prefer to Send Paper Invitations but Demand a Modern RSVP & Guest List Management Solution

Regardless of whether it’s because you’re a bit of a traditionalist at heart or your mother-in-law just wouldn’t have it any other way, odds are that you, like most of today’s engaged couples, are going to preserve the tradition of sending paper wedding invitations. That said, while you’re happy to pretend that we’re living in simpler times, you’re not happy to actually live in them. Fortunately, sending paper invitations does not preclude you from collecting your RSVPs online and leveraging the suite of guest management tools that exist today:

Still on the fence? Here are Our Thoughts on Common Concerns that Young Couples Have When Contemplating this Option:

I’m worried that some of my less tech-savvy guests will struggle to RSVP online

The #1 thing holding most couples back from collecting RSVPs and managing their events online is that they worry that they’re older and/or less tech savvy guests may struggle with the concept and/or process. While this is always going to be a worthwhile concern, there are a number of tips / tricks that can help mitigate these issues. 

The good news is that your guests will still have your paper invitations with all of the relevant details (one of the benefits of sending mail invitations). You can see our post on tips for helping your less tech-savvy guests navigate the online RSVP process.

What if people forget, or take longer to respond with a digital RSVP?

Unfortunately, there are always going to be those guests that will drag their feet and/or need a reminder to RSVP for your event. That said, those same people would struggle even if you opted to use snail mail RSVP cards. The benefit of collecting the RSVPs online is that you can:

1. send quick reminders via the guest management platform and;
2. collect guests’ RSVPs instantaneously since you won’t have to wait for their RSVP cards to make their way through your country’s postal service
3. See RSVPify’s analysis of the online RSVP submission timeline to see if your event is staying on pace.

Online RSVPs provide all of the efficiencies of the digital age for young couples already overwhelmed with planning their wedding. What we love most about this route is that it enables young couples to preserve an important tradition without sacrificing all of the efficiencies inherent in using a robust guest management platform to ensure their event goes as seamlessly as possible!