When When Should You Send Wedding Invitations
Wedding invitations should be sent six to eight weeks before the wedding date. Ideally, you would have also sent out Save the Dates 4-6 Months before the Date as well. The proper time to request RSVPs is 1 month from the Wedding Date.
There are, of course, caveats to each of these timeline recommendations. In this article, well break down everything you need to consider for your wedding invitation timeline.
When To Send Out Save
The general etiquette rule is that you should send the save-to-dates invitations around four to six months before your wedding date. You should allow a reasonable time to reach them if they have made other commitments and encourage them to clear their schedules from the date. It is also necessary to allow a few months of preparation for guests who need to book travel or hotels.
However, if your wedding date falls on a holiday weekend or takes place in a far-off destination, it is strongly recommended to give you save the dates much earlier, such as 6 to 12 months before your wedding date.
When To Send Out Invitations
The best time to send out wedding invitations is six to eight weeks before the wedding date. The invitations should not only invite guests to the wedding but also provide information about the venue. If a large percentage of the guests are living abroad or you are planning a destination wedding, it would help if you added a few weeks to the timeline. Plan to send out the invitations 12 weeks before the date to allow adequate time for guests to reply yes or no to the invitation.
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The Best Hacks To Cut The Hassle
Luckily, in an uncertain era, digital invites are more acceptable than ever. Guests are also dealing with this weird new world, so they understand that there may not be formal save-the-dates, and there may be last-minute invites. That said, if youve got a family that has thoughts on etiquette, then you may have heard a lot of unsolicited advice on the where, when, and how of sending invites.
If thats the case, consider hybrid-style invites.There is something beautiful about opening a wedding invitation in the mail, and many of my clients still go that route, however sometimes printed invitations can be costly and time-consuming. Even collecting mailing addresses can feel like a full-time job! notes Heather Odendaal, owner and principal of Weddings by Bluebird in Whistler, British Columbia. Her solution: Ive seen couples choose a hybrid model of mailing invites to key guests and sending out digital invites to the large majority of the guests.
And even if you do go 100% snail mail on invites, you can embrace tech. Consider sending your guests a meeting invite with guests hidden, of course to ensure that they are aware of the deadline to RSVP to your wedding, says Odendaal.
According to Brownstein, one of the easiest ways to manage a guest list is to use a digital tool. Joy, The Knot, Zola, and others allow couples to collect addresses, track when save-the-dates and invitations were sent, manage RSVPs, and gather meal choices.
Additional reporting by Anna Davies.
Send Out Wedding Invitations Early Enough
Be sure to give your guests enough time to plan around the wedding day. Some will need to make travel arrangements, while others may need to find a babysitter or a date. In order to make sure your guests can make the proper accommodations, plan on sending out your wedding invitations anywhere from 6-8 weeks prior to the wedding date. If, however, you are having a destination wedding, it is proper etiquette to send your wedding invitations out 12 weeks prior.
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When Should You Send Your Wedding Invitations
While save-the-dates basically say were getting married on this date, your formal wedding invitations should give people all the essential details of the day itself. This includes the theme of your wedding, a line of text which actually invites the recipients, and the date, time and location of the proceedings.
You’ll probably need an exact head count for the sake of seating arrangements and caterers if so then you may want to include an RSVP date on your invitation to get your final numbers for the wedding itself. Set your RSVP date two or three weeks before the wedding date itself, and you’ll give the venue and its staff plenty of advanced notice as to your exact number of guests.
Your wedding invitation is also an opportunity to tell people whether youd like to invite them to the wedding ceremony itself, or whether theyre exclusively a guest for your reception/celebration. Its common to create two slightly different versions of your wedding invitation to cover this distinction, perhaps with one arrival time for ceremony guests and a different arrival time for your reception guests. Providing just one time on each wedding invitation, and having two versions of your invitation printed, can help to avoid any confusion about who should turn up and when.
A Note On Destination Wedding Invitations
If youre planning a destination wedding, give guests more time to clear their schedules and send your invitations out three months before the wedding. With everyone traveling for the big day, its a good idea to stick to the notion of the sooner the better. For more help, visit our resource on how to plan a destination wedding.
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Why It’s Important To Send Your Invitations At The Right Time
Knowing when to send wedding invites is a lot more important than you might think. If you mail them too late, you run the risk of not giving your loved ones enough notice to take time off work, book accommodations or make travel arrangements. Sending your invites out too early might mean that your wedding isn’t at the top of guests’ minds as the day draws closer. You want to hit that sweet spot in between that gives everyone plenty of time to make plans .
Include Themes Attire Location Map Accommodations
The concept of the invitation itself would be truly up to you to select. At the same time, try to think how far in advance to send wedding invitations to your guests. Experienced wedding planners frequently suggest that you connect it in some way by colors or design adornments into your wedding theme.
Wedding protocol specifies that only the above main event information be included in the invitation. The invitation suite will, however, include other significant details:
- the appropriate attire for the event
- a map to the event location
- accommodation details
- any wedding-related activities
You may also include an RSVP card that is approximately four weeks before your big day, with a please respond by date note. Dont forget a signed, self-addressed envelope. Wedding etiquette often requires that you leave your invitation suite with gift or registry information. Family members will help distribute this knowledge if you have planned a wedding registry for your guests convenience. Also, you can provide registry details, with easy references to follow, on your wedding registry.
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What About Rehearsal Dinner Invitations When Should We Send Those Out
After your guests have received your wedding invitation, they might be wondering if theres a rehearsal dinner and if theyre invited. We recommend sending out your rehearsal dinner invitations a week or two after sending out your main wedding invitations. That way, your guests will have enough time to adjust travel plans if needed. Rehearsal dinner invitations should be sent separately from your wedding invitations, even if the guest list is generally the same.
What Time Should We Put On Our Wedding Invitations
A good rule of thumb is to call the wedding for at least half an hour to 45 minutes before you want the ceremony to begin, and state that time on your invitation. Its also important to be very intentional with what you plan to have guests do for that window of time before your ceremony starts. Its important to make this very purposeful. You dont want your guests sitting in their seats waiting or thinking that youre running late, says etiquette expert Elaine Swann. Have something ready for your guests to do. It doesnt take much, but you want to create a moment that allows your guests to arrive at that time and be involved.
According to Swann, something as simple as serving spa water, setting up a photo area, or the signing of the guest book is a great way to fill this time intentionally and to be sure guests aren’t sitting down and waiting for too long. Listing this activity on a handheld program or large sign is another great way to make it clear that the start time was intentional.
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The Best Time To Ask For Rsvp
The best time to send out RSVPs is one month before the wedding. It helps guests respond on time while providing some timeline padding for those likely to respond late. Be sure to include different ways for guests to respond. Provide an email address, phone number, or wedding website to boost the response rate. Also, indicate a deadline, so guests know when to respond to the invitation. Some guests are likely to ignore the RSVP and need a little nudge. Heres how to do it:
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Express excitement: You dont have to bring up the RSVP deadline instead, mention it casually. Theyll be flattered further reminding them to respond to the invitation
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Ask guests to participate: You are more likely to get responses when theres a call to action. It can be in the form of songs or a memory about the bride and groom
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Make the date clear: Ensure the RSVP date is clear on the card. It would help if you used a larger font or a different color
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Choose the right wording: Some guests might not know what RSVP means. Using alternative wording like the favor of your reply makes it clearer
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Allow more time for destination weddings: It would help if you added another month for such RSVPs as they need to make travel plans
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When To Send Invitations For Out
You may be wondering when to send out wedding invitations for out-of-town guests.
If you have out-of-town guests, this 6 to 8-week timeline still works perfectly. What youll want to do, though, is make sure you send save the date cards well ahead of time. This is really the best way to let guests know youre planning a destination wedding.
This brings us to our last question:
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This Is When You Need To Send Your Wedding Invitations By
If theres any wedding timeline you need to pay attention to, its when to send out wedding invitations! Because unless youre eloping, youll want to let your guests know about your wedding day with enough time to make plans to attend.
Sticking to a wedding invitation timeline is important not only because it lets guests put it on their calendars, but in gives YOU a firm date for when you need to make those other important wedding decisions by.
Once you have your date and venue, youll be able to start searching for your wedding vendors, attire, and even book your honeymoon. But first, you have to get those invites out!
Use the timeline below to help you figure out when to send your save the dates, invites, as well as when to plan on getting your RSVPs back.
WGM SAYS: Not sure about the wording for your invites? Simply enter your details into this wedding invitation wording tool and it will tell you what to do!
How Big Is Your Guest List Do All Your Guests Know About The Wedding Are The Invitations Just A Formality
You might not have sent formal save the dates, but theres a good chance that your A list family and friends will know about your wedding and will have marked the date on their calendars already.
If you have a relatively small guest list and you are confident that this is the case, again, you dont need to go too early with your wedding invitations.
If you have a bigger guest list, where you are not in regular contact with many of them, it might be harder to communicate with them via word of mouth. In this case you could send wedding invitations a little earlier to ensure everybody is aware.
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Choosing Your Invitations Can Affect When To Send Out Your Wedding Invitations
The next step is actually choosing your wedding invitations and RSVPs.
There are a number of options available to you, but you want your invites to reflect your wedding, style and who you are as a couple. Even better if theyre beautifully unique invitations that are designed just for you! So you have two options available to you, custom designed or ready -made invitations. They each take a different amount of time to order, so make sure that you are well informed before going down either route.
How much time for ready-made invitations?
This is something that is critical for timings related to when to send out your wedding invitations. Ready-made wedding invites are the designs that are displayed upon my Portfolio page. These designs are all set and ready to go. You can simply supply your personal information or wording and you are ready to start your order.
If you opt for ready-made invitations, you will be limited with the size of your invites. Typically these are the same size as a photograph, usually around 5 x 7 inches. That said, ready-made designs tend to be cheaper as less work is required to prepare them, so it also depends on your wedding stationery budget. But whatever you choose, look for a style that reflect your personalities and your big day.
You just add your details without changing the core design, or colours too much.
Bespoke wedding stationery these take of lot of time, so reach out early
Are You Wondering About When To Send Out Your Wedding Invitations
To give you a fast and precise answer, for when to send out your wedding invitations, here is a quick answer. For people that live in the the US and U.K, it is quite normal to send out your wedding invitations, at least 2 months before the wedding. However, sometimes if its possible people send out their invitations anywhere from 3-6 months before the wedding as well. It all depends on your personal circumstances and whats right for your wedding. Yet people that live in Sweden send out their wedding invitations 1 year in advance! It all depends on your culture and where you live!
With so many details to arrange, planning a wedding and knowing when to send out your wedding invitations can be a busy time!
Once youve settled on a date and a venue, you need to make sure you let your guests know as soon as possible. If youre getting married abroad, it makes sense that you need to give your guests time to save and book the trip, but it can be difficult to know when to send out your wedding invitations whether your guests live in the states or in the UK.
Put simply, you want to give your guests as much notice as possible, especially if it takes them a while to RSVP. As such, its customary to send out your save the date around 6-12 months before the wedding and your invites at least three to four months before.
View the above collection here. Photography above by Auras Studios
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Is It Rude To Leave Wedding Reception Early
According to wedding etiquette rules, its acceptable for a guest to exit a reception once the wedding cake is cutsaying hasta la vista before then is considered rude. With the sheer number of guests at most receptions, it would be impractical to expect that each one of them will tell the bride and groom goodbye.
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Date And Time Of Ceremony
Of course, confirming the date of your wedding is an absolute must. Avoid latecomers by communicating the time of the ceremony on your invitations. Stating the start time will let guests know how early they need to arrive. Ensure you provide the hour and the time of day so there’s no confusion. On formal invitations, write out the time rather than using numerals .
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Do Your Guests Need To Travel Or Book Accommodation
If you are planning a destination wedding then you might want to send your wedding invitations earlier. Particularly if your guests need to plan flights, accommodation and time off work. This also applies to UK weddings if your family and friends are scattered across the country and need to travel.
Top tip for city weddings: always check for sports, music or other big events that fall on the same day as your wedding. It can drastically affect the availability of local accommodation for your guests. Again, a scenario where sending wedding invitations earlier would be helpful.
What Should Your Save The Date Include
In addition to the date, youll also want your Save the Dates to include:
- Wedding website url and password if using
Wedding websites have become a must-have for couples, as they allow you to keep guests updated on event details or changes, as well as travel arrangements and accommodations. This is also where youll put your wedding registry information. Read our review of the best wedding websites here.
You can also indicate to guests WHO is invited by how you address the envelopes. If children are not invited, you would simply address the envelopes to the parents. However if they are invited, you would address the envelopes The Smith Family. Learn more about how to address wedding invitations here.
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