When to Send Save-the-Date Cards and Wedding Invitations

One thing is essential at your wedding – you want a great party with your closest friends and family. To give them the greatest chance to join you on your magical day, use this guide to give them lots of notice so they can make arrangements to join you on the biggest day in their social calendar!

Wedding invitations don’t just give your friends the date of your big day, they also have lots of important information like hotels, dress code, local taxi companies and if they need childcare. Everything they need to start planning!

Do you know how to word your wedding invites or how early to send them out? Read on for all you need to know and how do you send lots of invites in the post?

Save the Dates?

As soon as your venue and date are confirmed, give you guests as much notice as possible by sending save the dates and get in people’s diaries as soon as you can. You can do this as part of your wedding stationery package make your own on Canva or you can use a wedding website to manage RSVPs.

That said, you can’t beat good old-fashioned luxury save-the-date cards. You can choose the same design as your future invites and give guests a taste of what to expect from your wedding. Either way, a save-the-date is pretty important if you're marrying at a busy time of year.

When Should You Send Save the Dates Cards?

I’d factor in at least 12 – 18 months for save-the-date cards for the best chance to get your date in guests’ diaries before they make other plans. This is especially true if you are expecting your guests to be having or attending lots of other weddings. It might feel sneaky but get yours in the diary first. If another wedding comes up on that day, your guests are already committed.

Should you send Save the Dates to everyone?

Only send save-the-date cards to day guests. That’s is guests who are invited to your whole wedding day. Don’t send them to evening guests. It can be very misleading and awkward if you send a save-the-date to an evening-only guest.

What about Wedding Invitations?

Choosing when to send your wedding invitations is slightly different depending on whether you sent a save-the-date card.

If you are planning not to send save-the-date cards, you should send your wedding invitations six to twelve months before your wedding date.

If you are/have sent save-the-date cards, you can wait until three to six months before your wedding date.

Don’t leave it too late! Guests need lots of time to make arrangements, get leave from work, accommodation and travel.

Your wedding stationery timeline should look something like this:

12-18 months before - start your wedding website. Finalise your guest list and send out save-the-date cards.

8-12 months before - order your wedding invitations and RSVPs.

6-8 months before - send out your wedding invitations. Order your wedding day stationery (menu cards, place names and your guest book).

8-10 weeks before – finalise your wedding day schedule and print your order of service,

1-2 months after - order and send your thank you cards

Should I send my Wedding Invitations by Post?

It's perfectly fine nowadays to manage your guest list electronically using a wedding website. It's more eco-friendly and it may work out cheaper.

It is traditional to send paper invites by post, so you'll have to decide if tradition outweighs the cost. If you do go down the paper route, make sure to send all your invites by post. Even if it's going to your next-door neighbour or your parents post it. Don’t deliver invites by hand.

Wedding invitation top tips

Take one complete invitation, with everything included as it will be when you send it to your post office to get weighed so that you know how much postage will be required for each invitation.

While you are in the post office, ask them for their opinion if your invitations are flat enough. Bumpy invitations with envelopes filled to bursting may get damaged by the machines at the sorting office. Keep the size of your invitations small and thin so you don’t have to pay for large letters.

Wax seals are accepted by the Royal Mail. You can get great kits from Amazon; however, they may break in transit, put your sealed Wedding invitations inside another envelope to protect them.

Second class is a great way to save a few pennies, but factor in lots of extra time for them to arrive.

Asking your guests to RSVP online saves your guests having to go out and buy a card and it's more eco-friendly as well.

Put your wedding FAQs on a website to save printing and sending extra cards. Your guests will thank you as they will only misplace the card and end up having to ask you anyway!

Don’t stress about wedding invitations. Remember this whole wedding planning journey is fun and enjoyable. If you have any questions, I am only an email away. Drop me a line and I’ll do my best to help.