George Boyle
Sending out wedding save-the-dates at the right time is crucial to ensure your guests can make necessary arrangements and reflects your consideration and etiquette. The timing depends on factors like the wedding's location, formality, and whether it's during a busy holiday season. For local weddings, sending save-the-dates three to six months in advance is generally sufficient, while for destination weddings, it's courteous to give guests more time, aiming for nine to twelve months before the big day.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Minimum time before the wedding | 3 months |
| Maximum time before the wedding | 18 months |
| Average time before the wedding | 6-12 months |
| Time before the wedding for destination weddings | 9-12 months |
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Destination weddings
Planning a destination wedding? It's customary for these weddings to last longer than just the day itself, so guests can make the most of their journey. This means there's a lot more planning involved, and you'll want to give your guests plenty of notice.
As a general rule, save-the-date cards should be sent out about six to eight months before the wedding. However, for a destination wedding, it is recommended to give your guests more time to make travel arrangements, so aim to send them out nine to twelve months in advance. This is especially important if your wedding is during a busy holiday season. The more time your guests have to plan and budget for travel, the better. You might also want to include travel details and links to places to stay with your save-the-date cards, rather than waiting until the official invitations.
If you haven't already, now is the time to create your wedding website and add the link to your save-the-date cards. This can be a great way to keep your guests informed and up-to-date on all the details of your wedding. You can also use your website to provide guests with tips on places to visit and eat in the area, as well as information on the weather, to help them plan what to pack and wear.
After sending save-the-dates, the next step is to send out your official wedding invitations. For a destination wedding, it is recommended to send these out three to four months before the wedding, giving your guests the information they need to prepare for travel and accommodation. This is in contrast to local weddings, where invitations are typically sent out six to eight weeks in advance.
Finally, don't forget to give your guests enough time to RSVP. It's recommended to set the RSVP deadline to four weeks before the wedding, giving you enough time to finalise numbers with vendors without feeling rushed.
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Local weddings
For local weddings, it is recommended to send out save-the-dates around six months in advance. This gives your guests enough time to prepare and change their plans if needed. Sending save-the-dates is an essential step to ensure your guests can attend your wedding, as it lets them know that they are invited and provides them with information about the date and location.
While it is not necessary to send out save-the-dates more than a year in advance, it is generally recommended to provide guests with at least six months' notice. This is especially important if your wedding is during a busy season or holiday period, as people will need time to make travel arrangements, book time off work, and plan other details.
In addition to sending save-the-dates, it is also a good idea to set up a wedding website that guests can refer to for more information. This can include details such as accommodation options, the dress code, venue address, and timings. The website can be a useful tool to keep guests updated and excited about your upcoming nuptials.
After sending out save-the-dates, the next step is to send out the official wedding invitations. Typically, invitations are sent out eight to twelve weeks before the wedding, with the RSVP deadline set a week or two before you need to provide final numbers to your vendors. This gives guests a few weeks to respond and allows time for any mail delays.
Overall, for local weddings, sending out save-the-dates six months in advance is a good rule of thumb to ensure your guests have enough notice and can plan accordingly.
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Wedding website
Before sending out your save-the-dates, it is recommended to have your wedding website up and running. This website can be a great way to convey all the necessary information in one place and can be updated as and when required. It can also be used to keep your guests engaged and excited in the run-up to the big day.
Your wedding website should ideally include the following:
- Accommodation information: Details of hotel blocks or other accommodation options for guests.
- Wedding registry: This is especially useful if guests want to send gifts early.
- Other helpful information: This may include the "How We Met" story, wedding party bios, venue address, dress code, and timings.
Save-the-Dates
Save-the-dates are typically sent out six to twelve months before the wedding, especially if it is a destination wedding or falls on a major holiday. This gives your guests ample time to make travel arrangements and request time off work. It is also essential to ensure your guests can attend your wedding, especially if you have chosen a date close to another holiday or event.
If you are sending paper invitations, you will need to collect the current mailing addresses of your guests. Digital invites are a convenient alternative, in which case you will need to collect email addresses.
It is recommended to send save-the-dates no earlier than a year in advance to ensure your wedding stays on your guests' radar. Sending them too early may result in guests forgetting or putting off making travel plans.
Wedding Invitations
Wedding invitations are usually sent out three to six months in advance, with the RSVP deadline about four to six weeks before the wedding. This gives you enough time to provide final numbers to your vendors without feeling rushed.
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Invitations
If you're sending out save-the-date cards, you should send your wedding invitations three to six months in advance of the wedding. If you're not sending save-the-dates, it's best to send invitations four to six months in advance, or three months at the earliest. This gives your guests plenty of time to RSVP and make travel arrangements if necessary.
The timing of your wedding may also affect when you send out your invites. If your wedding falls near a major holiday, you should send out invites earlier than usual—around six to eight weeks in advance. This is because people are more likely to have prior plans or be going away during this time.
If you're having a destination wedding, where all guests will need to travel, it's recommended to send out invitations even earlier. In this case, sending invitations six to eight months in advance is considered good etiquette. This gives guests ample time to book travel and accommodation and request time off work.
For local weddings, where most guests live nearby and won't need to travel, you can afford to send invites slightly later. In this case, sending invitations six to eight weeks in advance is generally considered acceptable.
If you're having a mix of local and out-of-town guests, it's customary to send all your invites at the same time, around eight weeks before the wedding. This is to avoid any confusion and keep things simple.
It's important to consider the formality of your wedding when deciding when to send invites. More formal weddings may require earlier invitations, giving guests more time to prepare.
The type of invitation you choose may also affect your timeline. Paper invitations require guest mailing addresses, so you'll need to allow time to collect this information. Digital invitations only require email addresses, which may be quicker to gather.
Ultimately, there is no exact science to sending wedding invitations, and the timing will depend on the unique circumstances of your wedding. However, the key is to give your guests enough notice so they can plan and ensure they're able to attend your special day.
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RSVP deadlines
The general consensus is that you should set your RSVP deadline for around four weeks before the wedding. This gives you enough time to finalise numbers with your vendors and send out any last-minute invitations without feeling rushed. It's also a good idea to include a clear deadline on your invitations and wedding website so that your guests don't overlook the date. If you're using snail mail, be sure to give yourself a buffer for delivery times.
If you're having a destination wedding or most of your guests are travelling, you may want to give your guests a little more time to respond. In this case, you could set your RSVP deadline for five to six weeks before the wedding. This will give your guests ample time to book flights, accommodation, and request leave from work.
It's worth noting that even with an early RSVP deadline, you may still need to follow up with some guests. It's a good idea to start following up with non-responders about a week after your deadline. You can also send a friendly reminder to all guests about a week before the deadline to increase your chances of getting timely responses.
To maximise your chances of getting RSVPs on time, consider giving your guests multiple ways to respond. For example, you could include a paper RSVP card with your invitations, as well as an option to RSVP through your wedding website or via email or text.
Remember, while you want to give your guests enough time to respond, you don't want to set your deadline too early, as this may increase the chances of guests changing their minds or forgetting to attend.
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Frequently asked questions
Traditionally, save-the-dates are sent out six to 12 months before the wedding. However, some people prefer to send them out three months in advance. Sending them out too early might cause your guests to forget about your wedding, so eight to 12 months is preferable as it gives your guests time to prepare and change their plans if necessary.
The RSVP deadline is usually set for four to five weeks before the wedding. This gives you enough time to give vendors like caterers a final headcount without feeling rushed.
Wedding invitations are typically sent out six to eight weeks before the wedding. However, for destination weddings or weddings during busy holiday seasons, it is recommended to send them out 10 to 12 weeks in advance.
