When to Send Out Wedding Invitations

When to Send Out Wedding Invitations

I get asked this question probably more than any other question. When to send out wedding invitations is a pretty straight forward answer but we’ll explore some things to consider. Let’s get started!

If you want to skip to the end, we have an infographic to pin to Pinterest!

To figure out when to send out wedding invitations, we have to go to the end and work our way backward.

1. When are your seating arrangements due?

   Typically, your seating arrangements are due to the venue or wedding planner or the person doing your escort cards will be two weeks before the wedding date.  If you are don’t have a due date from anyone, I would still make your due date to yourself of two weeks.  This way you aren’t doing your escort cards or place cards the night before your wedding!

2. Set your rsvp date two weeks before your seating arrangements are due.

   Without even realizing it, you just answered another question: “What date do you put on your response cards?” Two weeks is going to give you the time you need for the response cards to trickle in. You also need to call ALL of the people who didn’t send in their response cards. Finally, you need to make all of your seating arrangements. A response date of four weeks before the wedding might seem like a long time. But trust me, you are going to be so grateful you have the two weeks before your seating arrangements are due to get together your guest list and make the seating arrangements.

3. Mail out your wedding invitations 4 weeks before your rsvp date.

   Four weeks?! I know, that sounds like so much time, doesn’t it? But the post office isn’t called “snail mail” for nothing and in the last few years, the “snail” has gotten slower. So let’s figure a week for the invitations to get to your guests and another week for the response cards to be returned to you. Four weeks now doesn’t seem so long.

4. Should I mail out international invitations earlier?

   Yes – like maybe a week or two earlier. But PLEASE don’t send out your stateside invitations 6 weeks before the RSVP day. If you send out your wedding invitations too early, your response rate is going to go down significantly.  The longer your guests have the invitations, the longer you are giving your guests to forget to return the response cards.

5. What about a destination wedding? Should your invitations be mailed earlier for a destination wedding?

   If you are having a destination wedding, I suggest that you send out save the dates 6 – 8 months before the wedding.  Then send out your invitations 8 weeks before the wedding. If you aren’t sending out save the dates, send your wedding invitations 6 – 8 months before a destination wedding. Everyone who is close enough to you to travel to a destination wedding knows when your wedding is and has already made plans. If your guests don’t know about your wedding, then, in reality, they aren’t going to travel to attend your wedding. So my short answer to this question is, send out something 6-8 months before a destination wedding to let your guests know the date!

If you scrolled to the end for the fast answer, send out wedding invitations 8 weeks before your wedding date!

Here is a pinnable infographic explaining when to send out wedding invitations.