Invitation and RSVP texts
Text invitations one guest at a time, never as one group message, and send them early enough to get replies: 2–3 weeks for a party, 6–8 weeks for a shower, 6–8 months for a wedding save-the-date. Pick the page for your event below; each one writes the text with every guest's name.
- Invitation and RSVP texts
Party, wedding and shower invitation texts with timing, an RSVP tracker, and polite reminder wording for guests who haven't replied, in one place.
- Party invitation textTool
A party invite text needs the host, date with weekday, start and end time, address and a reply-by date. Send it 2–3 weeks ahead, then one reminder.
- Wedding textsTool
Texting a save-the-date is widely accepted; texting the formal invitation is still debated. Timeline from 8 months out to the wedding day, 7 counted texts.
- Baby or bridal shower invitation textTool
A shower invitation text names the guest of honor, date, time, place, host and RSVP date. Send it 6–8 weeks ahead, one text per guest, never a group chat.
- RSVP tracker for text invitesTool
Mark each guest Yes, No, Maybe or No reply, get a live headcount, and write a nudge using {firstName} for the No reply guests only. Saved in this browser.
- RSVP reminder textTool
Nudge only the guests who haven't replied, about a week after the RSVP date, one private text each. Polite wording by tone, counted to fit one SMS.
The short answer
A text invitation works when every guest gets their own message with their own name, sent early enough to collect replies. The pages here write the text, count its SMS length, and keep the guest list private: no group thread, no one seeing who else was invited. Once replies arrive, the RSVP tracker for text invites counts Yes, No, Maybe and No reply in your browser and writes a nudge only for the people who stayed quiet.
When to send each invite
| Text | Send it | Reply-by | One reminder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Party invitation (adult or kids) | 2–3 weeks before | About 1 week before the party | 2–3 days before the reply-by date |
| Baby or bridal shower invitation | 6–8 weeks before | 2–3 weeks before the shower | A week after the reply-by date, to the quiet guests only |
| Wedding save-the-date | 6–8 months before (8–12 for a destination wedding) | None; the invitation carries it | None |
| Wedding RSVP reminder | About a week after the RSVP deadline | A new short deadline | Keep it to one, sent to each late guest on their own |
| RSVP reminder, any event | A few days to a week after the reply-by date | Give a new date and a reason | Two or three nudges at most |
These windows are editorial calls, not rules. Earlier is not better: in one parents' forum thread, invitations sent six weeks ahead drew replies from fewer than a quarter of guests.
Why each guest gets their own text
One message with every guest in the To field starts a group conversation. Apple says that in a group iMessage or group MMS everyone can see all responses, so the first "can't make it" lands on every guest's phone and a surprise shower stops being a surprise. Separate texts keep each reply private and let you put a guest's name in the greeting. The free send list on text many people individually turns a pasted guest list into one Messages link per guest; you tap each link and tap Send.
Sources (3)
- Apple Support, "Send a group message on your iPhone or iPad" (118236) — group types and who sees replies. Checked 4 Nov 2026.
- Mumsnet parents' forum threads on when to send children's party invitations — the 2–3 week window and the six-weeks-ahead cautionary tale. Checked 4 Nov 2026.
- Joy, "Wedding RSVP reminder text examples" (vendor) — one nudge about a week after the deadline. Checked 4 Nov 2026.