Let's talk: Wedding Invitation Timelines!
One of the most common questions we get is “When should I order my wedding invitations?” We work with MANY different timelines, many of them depending on what type of ceremony you are having, if your guests are from out of town or you are having a destination wedding, and if you’re having an RSVP. We always recommend getting a head start on your invitations, so even the timelines listed in this post will be a general guideline rather than a rule! This just gives you an idea of what to expect for our experience!
If you are sending out:
Save-The-Dates
Send out your Save-The-Dates as soon as you set your date! Real moment: we actually don’t get a ton of requests from brides for Save-The-Dates because we work with brides who have shorter engagements (typically anywhere from 9-4 months!) That’s not to say we don’t EVER do them, and we can help you design up a consistant look to your entire wedding suite from Save-The-Dates to Thank You cards.
Invitations with RSVP cards
The purpose of sending out RSVP cards is to get a concrete total for who will be attending your wedding. We usually recommend a timeline based on a few factors:
When your caterer needs a total head count. This timeline varies based on how the caterer runs their business and the type of service you are paying for (buffet or servers for example). Ask your caterer what their deadline is. Add a week to their deadline to give you your RSVP date. For example: if your caterer told you June 1st was their deadline, tell your guests to have their RSVPs in by May 25th. That way, if guests send their cards back on May 25th, you still have a week to get a total to your caterer.
Allow your guests 2-3 weeks to make plans, arrange hotels & travel if needed, and send their cards back to you.
Total: Depending on the above factors, you are looking at a timeline of anywhere from 8-10 weeks before your wedding date to send out wedding invitation with RSVP cards.
Invitations with a RSVP on your wedding invitations (via wedding website!)
This is what we recommend for more couples: sign up for a wedding website that has a RSVP feature or have a specialty e-mail address that guests can respond to with their RSVP. It saves you money in print, postage, and time. We like helping our brides make money saving and smart decisions (even if we don’t make money!) We can design up a RSVP to put up on your wedding website if you want everything to be consistent. Check out some amazing wedding websites at The Knot.
To calculate your timeline, check your deadline with your caterer first to see if there is a specific date they want your guest total by. We recommend sending out your invites about 2 weeks before this date. Typically, if your caterer is flexible, a general timeline is sending out invites 6 weeks before your wedding date.
Invitations that invite everyone to a reception (no formal dinner- just cake/treats and dancing)
This is our most common wedding style that we design wedding invitations for. Brides want to invite friends, family, business associates, parent’s friends, etc to a large reception with a buffet style treat or finger food. The more intimate ceremony or sealing that’s reserved for family is designed up on a separate insert card. Typically, we recommend sending out invitations to this type of wedding 3-4 weeks before the wedding. Anything longer than that, guests can lose the card or forget information.
What do you do if you need a rush option?
We can rush print wedding invitations at .5 cents extra per card and will push your invitations through production in 3-5 business days rather than the standard production of 5-7 business days. If you are in need of your cards in a hurry, email us! We’d love to help.
We love working with brides of all timelines and can help with advising you based on your specific timeline- multiple receptions, destination wedding, multiple languages, etc. We’ve done it all! Click the button below to get started either designing online or to schedule a design appointment at our studio!
