When to Send Wedding Invitations

Getting married is an exciting, happy time filled with romance and endless possibilities. Planning your wedding can be just as exciting, as you’re gathering all your friends and family into one place to celebrate together. It will also come with some must-do tasks as you keep track of food, guests, the venue and more. There’s usually one common question everyone comes to during the planning process — when should I send out wedding invitations?

This is a great question, and usually, you don’t think about when to send out wedding invitations until it’s time to consider it. With a bit of help from this guide, you can get simple answers to these questions and enjoy the time spent planning your wedding.

WHEN SHOULD YOU SEND OUT WEDDING INVITATIONS?

Typically, you should send out your wedding invitations six to eight weeks before the ceremony. If you’re inviting guests from out of the country or planning a destination wedding, you might want to give them some extra time, such as 12 weeks.

The right timeline will be a little different for each situation, so if you think your guests might have to make more travel arrangements to get to your wedding, err on the side of caution and send your invites earlier.

You might want to include some essential information on your wedding invitations, such as:

• Plus-ones: You can specify whether you want specific guests to bring plus-ones to the wedding. Adding “and guest” to the invitation lets someone know they can bring along a date. Remember, there’s no need to add a “plus-one” for every guest. If you’re looking to keep the headcount down, there’s no harm in inviting someone solo.
• Dress code: The wedding invitation is also a great way to let people know about the dress code. You can include the attire in the bottom corner of the invitation — “black tie,” “casual,” etc. This will give guests some detail so they’re not panicking or calling you about what to wear. You can also make the invitation’s design fit the wedding’s atmosphere — a neat, black and white card with fancy writing could suggest a more formal event.
• Website: If you have a wedding website, you can include it on the card. This platform is a great way to point people toward more information if you don’t want to clutter the card with too many words.

READ: 8 Tips for Creating Social Media Buzz for Your Wedding

WHO SHOULD RECEIVE A WEDDING INVITATION?

Everyone on your guest list should receive a wedding invitation. If you’re hosting a big wedding, make sure you have an organized, systematic way of sending out invitations. You don’t want to forget someone or accidentally send a duplicate invitation.

Putting together your guest list can require a little more thought than other steps of planning your wedding. Remember that it’s your wedding and your day, so you deserve to choose who you want to celebrate with. Once you’ve compiled a guest list, send out your invitations and exhale — the hard part is over.

WHEN SHOULD THE RSVP DATE BE?

It’s a good idea to have RSVPs due one month before the wedding. This deadline will give you adequate time to set the seating chart and get a final headcount for catering. It will also give you time to contact those you haven’t heard from. A quick call to those who haven’t responded will ensure you’re getting the right number of guests.

Again, it’s better to be cautious and put dates earlier so you’ll have more room to plan. Anything that prevents scrambling in the days leading up to your wedding will be helpful.

WHAT TIME SHOULD YOU PUT ON YOUR INVITATION?

Set your wedding time for 30 to 45 minutes before you actually want the ceremony to begin. Establishing an early time will make sure guests won’t run too late to the ceremony, and you won’t force people to wait in their seats for hours on end, either.

Your guests will be waiting for a bit if they show up early, so it’s good to have some activity planned to keep them occupied before the ceremony begins. This activity could be something as simple as serving drinks or hors d’oeuvres or having everyone sign your guestbook. Having something going on will put parameters around that waiting time so you don’t have people aimlessly milling about for too long.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

If you have been through the wedding process before or have done some research, you’ll know that wedding invitations aren’t the only invites you’ll be sending out. With all the activities surrounding weddings, you’ll likely send out at least a few different cards to your guests. Here are several you might want to keep in mind.

READ: How to Choose a Wedding Catering Service

SAVE THE DATES

Save the date cards should be sent out six to eight months before your wedding day. Sometimes they can be sent as early as a year — it depends on how much notice you want to give your guests.

Save the dates might seem tedious to some, but they help prepare your guests and allow them more than enough time to reserve a day on their schedule for your wedding.

BRIDAL SHOWERS

After you narrow down a date for the shower, you can start thinking about when to send out bridal invitations.

Send bridal shower invitations six to eight weeks beforehand. Usually, the maid of honor or the bridesmaids will host the bridal shower, and it can include a tight-knit group or a large get-together with friends and family. Whatever you decide, make sure whoever you invite to the bridal shower is also invited to the wedding.

REHEARSAL DINNERS

Send rehearsal dinner invitations three to six weeks before the event. These should go to close family and friends who are in the ceremony. During the rehearsal, you can have a walkthrough and smooth over any lingering questions before the big day.

THANK-YOU CARDS

Thank-you cards are a simple and kind way to show your appreciation for those who were generous on those long days during the wedding planning and on the wedding day itself. It’s a good idea to send thank-you cards to anyone who gave you a gift either leading up to the wedding or during. When you send these will depend on when you received the gift. For gifts received during the wedding, send a thank-you note within three months.