When Should You Date Your Rsvps
- 4 weeks before your wedding
- If you dont hear from guests a few days after that date, feel free to call/email them for a response
A general rule of thumb is to make your rsvp deadline should be about 4 weeks before your wedding. This will allow you to get the final headcount to your venue and caterer in time . It will also give you time to put together an accurate seating chart with your updated guest list.
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You can also choose to have digital RSVPs only. If you do this, you should still consider an insert card with instructions on how to RSVP. For example, for a formal wedding you can use:
How Early Is Too Early To Send Out Save The Dates
Unlike wedding invitations, you cant send out wedding dates too early. You can send them 18-24 months advance if you have your venue booked and want to make sure your guests reserve the day or make travel arrangements.
Because youre not asking for a response from your guests about attendance, and you are planning to send a follow up invitation with more details, you can send out a save the date as soon as you know the date and location. This is especially useful for international destination weddings where you know guest may need to book a flight or accommodations 9-12 months in advance.
While you do need to send an invitation to everyone you send a save the date to, you dont need to send every guest a save the date. Ill put that in another way you can send a save the date to a select number of guests. Why would you do this? If only a small number of people need to travel internationally for example, you can send a save the date just to them. That way they can still have the advanced notice they need but you can save yourself some time and money.
For example, if youre a bi-cultural couple inviting 300 people to your wedding and 50 of them are from another country, you can send 50 save the dates and follow up with invitations a few months later. Then you would send 300 invitations out and ask for RSVPs.
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 .
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Your Designs Will Flow
With online invitations, it’s incredibly easy to make your save-the-dates, invites, wedding website, and even thank-you cards all part of the same design suite.
Incorporate your wedding colors and the general vibe of your wedding into the details of your invitation, just as you would with a traditional invitation.
How Early To Send Wedding Invites
Hey,
Is there a such thing as sending invitations too early? We have the venue booked and the times set. We don’t really see the benefit of sending save the dates, but we have out of town guests we’d like to invite asap so they can make travel plans. Our wedding is 2/2/2020. How early can we send the invitations?
on February 14, 2019 at 11:39 AM
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When To Send Wedding Invitations To Out
If you’re inviting out-of-town or out-of-state guests, it’s customary to send out wedding invitations around eight weeks before the big day. We advise sending all of your invites at the same time, regardless of how many guests live out of town. Eight weeks before the wedding is still typical timing when it comes to mailing wedding invites, so it makes sense to keep things simple and send them all at once.
One exception to the rule: How long before a wedding should invitations be sent to guests from outside the US? Around 9 to 10 weeks in advance is a good time to mail those particular invitations if possible, while the rest of your stack should still go out 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding. The extra week or two will allow for the extended shipping and delivery time needed to get those invites safely into your loved ones’ hands. Pro tip: Give international guests the option to RSVP digitally so you’re not waiting for their responses to travel through the mail.
When To Book An Invitation Designer
You will need some information about your wedding before beginning the invitation design process, so we do recommend booking your venue, deciding on your date, and going through at least one design meeting with your planner before starting on your invitations. However, as soon as you have an idea of what you like, we can get you on the calendar.
You will also need to take some time to create at least a preliminary guest list. If you want to save some time on the back end, type your guests in exactly as you would mail them a letter Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Snow for instance, instead of just writing Jon and Dany. Most calligraphers or designers require addresses in a spreadsheet with each piece of information in a separate column, as in the example belowexcuse the corny puns please. If you want formal addressing, you will eventually have to make the St. and Rd. into Street and Road as well as expanding state names, apartments, etc., so starting off on the right track can save you a huge formatting headache in the future. If you have any trouble with formatting names, check out our post on correct addressing etiquette.
You can also download our free Address Template to get started.
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Who Is Responsible For Sending Out Wedding Invitations
The parents of the bride issue wedding invites. The tradition goes back to the days when the brides father made the marriage arrangements. However, in recent years, more and more couples are choosing to get married without the help of their parents.
In fact, according to a recent survey conducted by the National Association of Realtors , more than half of all newlyweds in the U.S. are opting for a non-traditional wedding ceremony. The survey also found that the average cost of a traditional wedding is about $50,000, while the cost for an alternative ceremony is around $10,500.
What To Include With Your Wedding Invitations
When sending wedding invitations, including guest information cards is a great way of sharing important details with your guests. They will also free up space on your invitations allowing you to focus on the wording and appearance its a shame to spoil invitations with an overload of text. Information cards can also save you from getting swamped with questions from your guests.
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When Should You Send Invitations If Guests Need Extra Time To Save
If youre having a destination wedding and asking guests to travel, its understandable that some of your guests will need time to save up for their flights and other expenses. Dont assume that everyone has cash on hand. A save the date will come in handy to give your loved ones a heads up to start putting money away for your wedding. You can send this out as soon as you know dates and location. You dont need every detail finalised, just let them know June 15-18 2019, Bali or similar so they can do some research on ticket costs and plan things ahead.
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A Guide To Sending Wedding Invitations
The days of sending wedding invitations four weeks ahead of your big day are over! Its no longer a necessity to marry on a Saturday the demand for Thursday, Friday and Sunday weddings are up. If you are getting married on a weekday guests will require plenty of time to request holiday from work. If you are getting married on a Sunday its best to ensure they dont plan a big Saturday night before!
You should let your guests know your wedding date as soon as you can. Save the date cards serve to let your guests know your wedding date and rough location well in advance, but they are not essential. If you would rather not go to the expense of sending save the date cards, a simple solution is to send an email or, if the timing suits, an enclosure with a Christmas card.
Most importantly, ensure you send your invites out in good time. You should post wedding invitations eight to 12 weeks before the big day, and at least four months in advance if you are getting married abroad.
Here are some helpful tips on things to consider before sending wedding invitations and the information you should include with your invites
When To Send Out Wedding Invitations If No Save The Dates
When are you supposed to mail invitations to wedding guests if youre not sending save the dates?
If youre not sending save the dates, the best time to send out wedding invitations is 9 to 10 weeks before the wedding. Just two weeks more gives a little more of an indication. If you prefer to stick with the 6- to 8-week timeline, that is still acceptable per etiquette, but save the dates are very encouraged for destination weddings.
TIP: You should send out save the date cards no later than 6 months before the wedding. For destination weddings, you can send them out 6 to 8 months before the big day.
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Wedding Invitations : When To Send Out Wedding Invites And Save The Dates
Its a question that pops up not too long after the ring does when do I send out my wedding invitations and save the dates?
After an engagement, word of mouth and perhaps a shiny new rock helps spread the word of you and your fiancés upcoming nuptials. However, when it comes to formally getting the word out, there is proper protocol to follow to ensure your guest list is well-informed about your big day while giving yourself and your partner enough time to expect the RSVPs back to plan your wedding accordingly.
When it comes to sending out your save the dates and wedding invitations its all about timing there is such a thing as sending them too early.
Our Melbourne Save the Date in Black on White colourway paired with a Seedling envelope.
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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When To Order Wedding Invitations
This totally depends on what kind of invitations youre having, and when youre planning to post your wedding invitations.
If youre making your own invitations or putting them together from a kit that youve purchased then Id recommend ordering your invitations AT LEAST 3 monthsbefore you plan to put them in the mail. That gives you plenty of time to actually make them.
If youre ordering them from a wedding stationer, then youd generally need to allow up to 8 weeks from ordering to receiving them and getting them in the mail.
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There you go all the questions you had about when to send wedding invites, answered!
Check out all my other wedding stationery etiquette guides:
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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.
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When To Order Stationery Sample Packs
When should you mail your invitations? Before you even get to that question you have go right back to the beginning of the timeline and ask: when do I order a stationery sample pack? . Paperlust recommends ordering samples 9-12 months before the wedding or, if you have a short engagement, ASAP! You want to allow for shipping times , so always check how long it will take to get to you.
Once your sample pack arrives, you can narrow down your choice of paper and print type, as well as format, and get to picking your dream design online.
When Should You Send Save The Dates
Save the dates are typically sent out six to 12 months before your wedding day. The top end of this is preferable as it gives your guests the most time to prepare and change their plans if necessary. Once your venue and wedding date are confirmed, there’s no reason to delay sending out save the dates. Anytime from eight months to a year before your wedding is ideal.
It can feel sneaky, but if you’re at the age where there are lots of weddings each summer, you want to get yours in the diary first. This means if another wedding comes up on that day, your friends are committed to yours first.
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How Do We Let Guests Know Our Dress Code
The easiest way to get your point across is to include a dress code in the lower right-hand corner of the invite or on a reception card. âBlack tie,ââcocktail attireâ or âcasual attireâ are all acceptable wordings. . Your invitation design can also clue guests in. An ultra-formal, traditional invite with letterpress and calligraphy will give guests a hint to the formal nature of the event, whereas an invite with a playful font and bright colors would fit a much more casual style. Browse the different options on The Knot Invitations to find a design that reflects your weddingâs style. Another option is to direct guests to your wedding website, where you can go into more detail about the weekend events and dress code in a more informal forum.
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When To Send Wedding Invites
Finding the right time to send out wedding invitations can be a difficult balancing act. The general rule of thumb is to send invitations 8 to 12 weeks before the date . You can set a date on the card for guests to RSVP by so that you can get a headcount, but prepare for some guests to fail to meet that deadline. If youre concerned that you need more time, send out your invitations 16 weeks before the wedding at the earliest.
Wedding invitations and RSVPs are important for a number of reasons. Not only do you want your closest guests to make it to the wedding, you also need a guest count to tell the venue for tables, chairs, and seating arrangements, and to tell caterers and other vendors so that you have the right amount of food, drinks, and so on.
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