One of the biggest questions I’m asked by wedding planning couples is “when to send wedding invitations” to ensure we don’t insult anyone?
It definitely helps to know when to send your invites so you’re not leaving it too late for guests. But, also, knowing when to mail your wedding invites helps you to plan when to order them (or when to start the crafting process if you’re making them yourself.)
So, I’ve rounded up all your burning questions about the best time to send wedding invites…
When to send wedding invitations? The “etiquette”…
The generally accepted ‘correct’ time to send out wedding invitations to your guests is 6-8 weeks before your wedding date.
However, there are a few things you may need to consider to determine when wedding invitations should be sent out for YOUR particular wedding.
Read on to find out more…
When to mail Save the Dates?
Save the Dates can be sent to your guests about 6 months before your wedding date. This could be earlier for a destination wedding (up to 12 months if it’s REALLY far away and people need to save up), or later for a local wedding (no later than 4 months before your wedding).
I’ve answered all your Save the Date FAQs here.
When to send wedding invitations WITHOUT Save the Dates?
If you’re not intending to send Save the Dates then you could send out your wedding invitations a bit earlier – particularly if you’re planning a wedding where people need to travel. I’d suggest up to 4 months before the wedding.
When to send wedding invitations for a destination wedding?
If you have sent out Save the Dates in advance, then your wedding invitations should go out as soon as you have more information on the venue and travel requirements for your guests. I’d suggest 4-6 months in advance to allow your guests to make their travel and accommodation arrangements.
The easiest way to communicate your wedding travel details is to set up a wedding website or to include an information card in the wedding invitation envelope.
When is too early to send wedding invitations?
One question I see a lot is “can I send wedding invitations early?“… So, how early can wedding invitations go out? I say this a lot, but it’s true – there are NO wedding police.
Yes, there is generally accepted etiquette around when to mail wedding invitations, but nobody is going to arrest you if you go against this! So, go on, send out those wedding invitations whenever you feel like it.
When is the correct time to send wedding invitations during Covid?
Another question I’m getting more these days is “when is the best time to send wedding invitations during Covid?”. My best advice is to get your wedding invitations out sooner rather than later – I’d say 3-6 months in advance, where possible.
My reasoning for this is, because of changing Covid restrictions, you may not be clear how many people you can have in attendance on the day. For that reason, start with the ‘core’ people that you know you want to share your day with and send the invitations to them.
Once they reply (and some may decline as they’re uncomfortable attending a wedding in these times, which is understandable), you can expand the in-person invitations to the ‘next round’ of guests.
The fact is when planning a Covid wedding you need to be aware that until the very day of your wedding, restrictions can change on a whim. Your guests will understand this, so they’ll be very understanding no matter how many weeks before wedding invitations are received.
When to order wedding invitations?
This totally depends on (i) what kind of invitations you’re having, and (ii) when you’re planning to post your wedding invitations.
If you’re making your own invitations or putting them together from a kit that you’ve purchased then I’d recommend ordering your invitations AT LEAST 3 months before you plan to put them in the mail. That gives you plenty of time to actually make them.
If you’re ordering them from a wedding stationer, then you’d generally need to allow up to 8 weeks from ordering to receiving them and getting them in the mail.
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There you go – all the questions you had about when to send wedding invites, answered!
Check out all my other wedding stationery etiquette guides:
- Everything you need to know about Save The Dates
- RSVP wording examples for you to steal
- How to choose a wedding theme (without getting too matchy matchy!)
- How to print wedding invitations at home