Wedding Invitation Timing: Sending Out The Perfect Template

Wedding planning involves taking care of a lot of details, and one of the most significant ones is the wedding invitation. It not only announces the upcoming nuptials but also sets the tone for the entire event. While the design and wording of the invitation are important, knowing when to send it out is crucial.

The general consensus is that wedding invitations should be sent out six to eight weeks before the wedding. This gives guests ample time to clear their schedules and make any necessary travel arrangements. It also allows the couple to receive RSVPs sooner, making it easier to finalise the head count, seating charts, and other details.

For destination weddings, it is recommended to send invitations three months in advance. Save-the-date cards can be sent earlier, usually four to six months before the wedding, to give guests a timely heads-up, especially if they need to plan extensive travel.

Invites for destination weddings

Destination weddings are anything but traditional, so the invitations should reflect the romance, fun and uniqueness of the celebration while setting the tone for the level of formality.

It's best to keep destination wedding invitations simple, with the following essential details: the wedding date and time; the venue location; the RSVP date and method; and the wedding website link. On your wedding website, you can include travel and accommodation tips, additional events, and a local map/itinerary.

• Send Save the Date cards early: Allow additional time if your wedding is a destination wedding. It's recommended to send Save the Date cards around 9-12 months in advance, with formal invitations to follow around 4-6 months before the wedding.
• Send invitations early: Invitations for destination weddings should be sent to guests three months in advance.
• Be creative: Include a hand-painted illustration of your venue, a map of the area, bold colours and leaves depicting your destination, or a drawing of the landscape.
• Keep it simple: Avoid overwhelming guests with too much information. Send multi-card invitation suites or a multi-page booklet-style invitation to break up all the details.
• Excite your guests: Include a few words to excite your guests about the location, such as mentions of the ocean, sea, sun, sunsets or travel.
• Inspire them to come: Emphasise why their presence is important to you.
• Provide a clear call to action: Tell guests what to do next, such as calling your travel agent or RSVPing via your wedding website.
• Be mindful of costs: Due to the costs involved in attending a destination wedding, it's considered poor etiquette to include gift registry details on your invitations or wedding website.
• Be generous with plus ones: When it comes to a destination wedding, it's a big ask for guests to travel without their partner, so consider offering plus ones to all significant others.
• Consider inviting kids: Asking parents to attend without their children can put them in a tough position, especially if it's an overseas trip. If you really want the parents there, consider extending an invitation to their kids, too.

Save-the-date cards

Timing is crucial:

As a general rule, it is recommended to send save-the-date cards four to six months before the wedding. However, if you are planning a destination wedding or getting married over a holiday weekend, it is advisable to send them out six to eight months, or even up to a year, in advance. This will give your guests ample time to make travel arrangements and save money, especially if they have to plan for extensive travel. Sending them too early, more than a year in advance, may be too soon as your guests may not keep the date in mind, and you also risk having to change it.

Who to send them to:

What to include:

The primary purpose of save-the-date cards is to announce your wedding date and location. You don't need to include the exact venue, but the city and state or destination are essential. You can also include your wedding website URL, where guests can find more information. Other details such as your names, the wedding date(s), and a brief glimpse of the wedding theme or tone may be included, but they are not necessary.

Delivery method:

You can send save-the-date cards via email or traditional mail. Emails are convenient and budget-friendly, but there is a risk of them ending up in spam folders, and delivery is not 100% guaranteed. Mailing physical cards is a more formal approach, and you can include embellishments or magnets for a personal touch, but this may increase postage costs.

RSVP deadline

The RSVP deadline is an important aspect of wedding planning, as it helps you finalise the guest list and plan other details such as seating arrangements and food choices. It is recommended to set the RSVP deadline around three to four weeks before the wedding. This gives you enough time to organise the final details and follow up with any guests who have not yet responded.

• Send out the wedding invitations six to eight weeks before the wedding. For destination weddings, send the invites three months in advance.
• Set the RSVP deadline to be around three to four weeks before the wedding. This allows you to confirm the final guest list and plan accordingly.
• Begin following up with guests who have not responded about one week after the RSVP deadline. You can send a friendly reminder via phone call, text, or email.
• Two weeks before the wedding, connect with your caterer, planner, venue coordinator, and other vendors to finalise the details such as table settings, food choices, and wedding favours.
• One week before the wedding, make a final push to get responses from any outstanding guests. Let them know that their response is needed to finalise seating arrangements and food choices.

It is important to give your guests enough time to make travel arrangements if necessary, but not too much time that they forget to RSVP. Additionally, consider any deadlines required by your venue or caterer when setting the RSVP deadline.

Invitations for out-of-town guests

If you're inviting guests from out of town or out of state, it's customary to send out invitations around eight weeks before the wedding. This gives your guests ample time to clear their schedules, make travel arrangements, and book accommodations. Sending invitations in advance also means that you can request RSVPs sooner and get a final headcount before the week of the wedding.

It's a good idea to include additional details in your invitation suite, such as a map to the event location, accommodation suggestions, and information about any wedding-related activities. This will make it easier for your out-of-town guests to plan their trip.

If you have guests coming from outside the US, consider sending their invitations nine to ten weeks in advance to account for extended shipping and delivery times. You may even send them up to a year in advance. Giving international guests the option to RSVP digitally can also be helpful, as you won't have to wait for their responses to arrive by mail.

For destination weddings, it is recommended to send invitations to all guests, regardless of location, three months in advance. This gives everyone enough time to make the necessary arrangements and allows you to include all the relevant travel information in one invitation mailing.

If you're concerned about giving your out-of-town guests enough notice, you can always send out "save the date" cards in advance. These are typically sent four to six months before the wedding, or earlier if your wedding is a destination wedding. This will give your guests a heads-up to start planning their travel and accommodations.

Keep in mind that the invitation timeline may vary depending on the formality of your wedding. Formal weddings typically follow traditional etiquette, with invitations sent six to eight weeks in advance. More casual weddings may have a slightly different timeline, but it's still important to give your guests enough notice, especially if they are travelling from out of town.

Digital invites

Timing

It is recommended that wedding invitations be sent out 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding. This gives your guests enough time to make plans. However, if you are planning a destination wedding or a celebration that requires significant travel, it is best to send out your invitations 4 to 6 months in advance.

Design

Digital wedding invitations can be as lovely and elegant as their physical counterparts. Use virtual design features such as colour palettes, signatures, patterns, and fonts to create a digital suite that connects to your in-real-life wedding details. Incorporate your wedding colours and themes into the digital invitation, just as you would with a traditional invite. You can also add virtual envelopes, wax seals, and stamps.

Cost

Digital wedding invitations typically cost less than paper invitations, with prices ranging from free to under $2 per invite. Some sites offer monthly or yearly subscriptions, while others charge a flat fee for a digital download or use a coin system.

RSVP

Pros and Cons

Digital wedding invitations are a great option for couples on a budget, environmentally conscious couples, or those who want to save time. They are also perfect for last-minute weddings, as they can be sent out instantly. However, digital invites may not be as formal as paper invitations and may not be accessible to less tech-savvy guests. Additionally, you will need to put in extra work to collect each guest's email address.

Frequently asked questions