TLDR
- For many weddings, save-the-dates go out about six to eight months before the wedding.
- Destination weddings and events requiring substantial travel may justify sending save-the-dates nine to twelve months ahead.
- Wedding invitations commonly go out about six to eight weeks before the wedding.
- Do not send invitations so early that guests set them aside and forget to respond.
- Set the RSVP deadline far enough ahead to give your caterer, venue, and planner the final headcount they require.
- Build printing, proofing, addressing, and mailing time into the schedule.
Wedding stationery has an awkward timing problem.
Send it too late and guests may already have plans.
Send it much too early and your carefully addressed invitation can spend four months stuck to somebody’s refrigerator while the RSVP card quietly disappears behind a grocery list.
The answer is not sending everything as soon as you get engaged.
A wedding invitation timeline works better when each piece of stationery has a specific job.
Save-the-Dates: Usually Six to Eight Months Ahead
For a standard local wedding, sending save-the-dates about six to eight months before the event gives guests time to reserve the date and begin making travel arrangements.
Zola currently recommends roughly six to eight months for local weddings, with earlier notice for destination events.
Save-the-dates do not need every wedding detail.
They usually need:
- couple’s names
- wedding date
- general location
- wedding website, if available
- a note that a formal invitation will follow
You do not need to know the final dinner menu.
You do need to be confident about the date.
Once a save-the-date is sent, the recipient should generally be considered invited.
Destination Weddings Need More Notice
A destination wedding asks more of guests.
They may need to:
- request vacation time
- book flights
- reserve a hotel
- arrange childcare
- obtain travel documents
- save money for the trip
For that reason, sending save-the-dates around nine to twelve months ahead can make sense for weddings that involve substantial travel.
You can also include the wedding website early if it contains useful lodging or travel information.
Do not wait until the formal invitation to tell guests that the wedding requires an international flight.
That is not the kind of surprise most people appreciate.
Wedding Invitations: About Six to Eight Weeks Ahead
Formal wedding invitations are typically mailed closer to the event.
Six to eight weeks before the wedding remains a common guideline.
At this point, the invitation should contain the confirmed information guests need to attend.
That usually includes:
- names
- date
- ceremony time
- ceremony location
- reception information
- RSVP instructions
Additional details such as accommodations, transportation, dress code, directions, and registry information can often live on an enclosure card or wedding website.
Why Not Send Invitations Six Months Early?
Earlier is not always better.
A formal invitation requires an action.
The guest needs to RSVP.
Send it too early and many people cannot answer yet.
Travel schedules change.
Work schedules are unknown.
Childcare has not been arranged.
The invitation gets set aside until later.
Then later becomes very late.
Save-the-dates solve this problem by separating the two jobs.
The save-the-date says:
Keep this date open.
The invitation says:
Here are the final details. Please tell us whether you are coming.
Work Backward From Your RSVP Deadline
The caterer or venue may need a final guest count before the wedding.
Ask them for that date.
Then set your RSVP deadline earlier so you have time to follow up with guests who do not respond.
For example, suppose the caterer needs the final count three weeks before the wedding.
You might set the guest RSVP deadline four weeks before the wedding.
That gives you a little time to chase down missing responses.
And there will probably be missing responses.
Someone will receive a beautifully printed card, put it on the counter, and somehow forget that the letters “RSVP” apply to them personally.
Build a little room into the schedule.
Do Not Forget Production Time
The mailing date is not the date you should begin thinking about invitations.
Custom stationery takes time.
A realistic schedule may include:
- Choose the design.
- Confirm wording.
- Proof the names, dates, and locations.
- Print the invitations.
- Receive the finished pieces.
- Assemble invitation suites.
- Address envelopes.
- Add postage.
- Mail them.
If you are using calligraphy, custom printing, specialty paper, letterpress, foil, or other production options, leave additional time.
Ask the printer about current turnaround rather than assuming every invitation project takes the same number of days.
Check the Proof Carefully
Invitation timing does not help much if the ceremony time is wrong.
Before approving the final proof, check:
- spelling of every name
- wedding date
- day of the week
- ceremony time
- venue name
- street address
- city and state
- website address
- RSVP date
- response information
Read it once silently.
Then read it aloud.
Have another person check it too.
You already know what the invitation is supposed to say, which makes your brain surprisingly good at seeing the correct word instead of the incorrect one that is actually printed.
What About a Short Engagement?
Sometimes you do not have eight months.
That is fine.
For a wedding planned on a short timeline, notify important guests as soon as the date is confirmed.
A digital save-the-date, phone call, or message can provide immediate notice while the formal invitations are being prepared.
Zola specifically notes that digital save-the-dates can help when a wedding is being planned on an accelerated timeline.
Do not delay useful communication because the printed suite is not finished.
FAQs
Do You Need Save-the-Dates?
Not every wedding does. They are especially helpful when guests will travel, the wedding occurs during a busy season, or the date is many months away.
Can You Send Save-the-Dates Too Early?
Yes. Sending them before the guest list and wedding date are firm can create problems. For most local weddings, six to eight months is enough notice.
When Should Destination Wedding Save-the-Dates Go Out?
Around nine to twelve months ahead is a useful guideline when guests need significant travel planning.
When Should Wedding Invitations Be Mailed?
About six to eight weeks before the wedding is common for many standard weddings.
Final Thoughts
Wedding stationery works best when you do not ask one card to do everything.
Send the save-the-date early enough for guests to plan.
Send the formal invitation close enough to the wedding that guests can give you a reliable answer.
And leave time for printing and mailing.
The goal is simple.
Nobody important should discover your wedding date after they have already booked a cruise that weekend.