So you’re getting married. Pop that champagne and cheers! 🍾

Now what? Once you’ve sent out your save-the-dates, it’s time to send your formal wedding invites. Truthfully, there’s a ton of conflicting advice out there on when to send wedding invitations. In general, everyone agrees on the fact that timing is important so guests can RSVP in enough time for couples like you to finalize all of their wedding day details. Luckily, you’re in the right place to nail your wedding etiquette!

After reading this, you’ll know exactly when to send your wedding invitations, whether you’re planning a destination wedding or a celebration close to home.

 

When You’re Planning Close To Home (Domestic Weddings)

Here’s the deal: it’s best practice to send out your wedding invitations 6-8 weeks before the wedding so guests have time to decide if they are attending and formally RSVP to your event. Make sure to add the date you’d like to hear from your guests (generally, 3-4 weeks out from the wedding). That way, everyone’s most likely to make it and you’ll round up all the RSVP cards on time without dialing everyone to see if they’re showing up the week before. I promise you won’t enjoy the numerous phone calls!

Now that you know when to send your wedding invitations, you may also be wondering what about save-the-dates? Ah, yes. The invitation type so iconic it has a name that instantly tells us what they do: save. that. date.

While save-the-dates aren’t exactly a must, you may consider sending them anyway 6-10 months out to make sure that your favorite people can, ya know, save the date. The last thing you want is family and friends who decline to show up for this momentous day in your life because you didn’t send one out, right?

Keep in mind that invitation elements like vintage stamps and envelopes that require custom calligraphy will influence your invitation timeline. In other words, don’t seek out an invitation designer at the last minute and definitely don’t order those stamps the week before you’re planning on sending out your invites. That would be a wedding planning vibe killer if I’ve ever seen one.

Photography: Mariel Hannah | Stationery: Matinae Design Studio

 

When To Send Wedding Invitations for Destination Weddings

Destination weddings are seriously so much fun. Who doesn’t have the fantasy of celebrating their wedding on a clifftop, on the beach, in a big city, or in the rolling green hills of their favorite place in the entire world?

For destination weddings, when to send wedding invitations gets a little interesting. The advice above stands for destination weddings… with a slight lemon-twist. If you’re planning a destination wedding that will require most, or all, of your guests to travel out of state or country, you’ll need to send those invites 3-4 months prior, at least. That way, your guests can secure accommodation, plan their wardrobe, and prep for time off from work to travel to your wedding destination.

And if you were questioning sending out those save-the-dates, the answer for a destination wedding is always YES! These little pieces of snail mail may be more important to send out than the actual wedding invitation for destination weddings. A year in advance is never too soon if you want your guests to travel far for your special day!

Photography: Mariel Hannah | Stationery: Matinae Design Studio

 

Sending Wedding Invitations During COVID

The wedding industry is undoubtedly affected by the pandemic we’re all tired of hearing about. So the big question is… when to send wedding invitations during COVID?

Because of supply chain issues, printers and paper suppliers have been experiencing major delays. Even when they get back up and running, a backlog of orders means processing times on invitations can be significantly longer than expected.

Still, you can send out wedding invitations you’re in love with. So when should you send invitations in 2021 and 2022? I’d recommend sending them 3 months in advance just to be on the safe side. That means getting your stationer onboard earlier within your timeline or simply shifting the order of events to ensure they go out on time.

Photography: Mariel Hannah | Stationery: Matinae Design Studio

 

Getting invitations out on time is a must, my friend. Planning accordingly is key! Now that you know when to send wedding invitations, don’t wait around. Start the search for your wedding invitation designer so you can send those shiny packets of goodness out to your favorite people, stat.

Need a little extra help in the wedding invitations department? Check out our post on custom vs. customizable wedding invitations.