Wedding
When to send wedding invitations, save the dates and everything after
The complete stationery timeline, worked backwards from your wedding date, with the printing and mailing time most couples forget to add.
The timeline at a glance
| Piece | Order by | Send | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Save the dates | 9 months before | 6–8 months before (9–12 for destination) | Guests book flights and request time off. |
| Invitations + RSVP | 3–4 months before | 6–8 weeks before (3 months for destination) | Enough time to reply, not so much that it is forgotten. |
| Details / enclosure cards | With the invitation | With the invitation | Hotel block, directions, dress code, website. |
| RSVP deadline | — | 3–4 weeks before | Two weeks to chase replies and give the caterer final numbers. |
| Rehearsal dinner invitations | 6 weeks before | 3–4 weeks before | Only for the wedding party and family. |
| Programs, menus, place cards, signs | 4–6 weeks before | Day of | Printed after the final headcount. |
| Thank-you cards | With the suite | Within 3 months after | One per gift; shower gifts within 2 weeks. |
Work backwards from the wedding date
Print and mail times are what catch couples out. A printed suite takes 1–2 weeks to arrive, addressing 100 envelopes takes an evening or two, and first-class mail takes 3–5 days. So an invitation that must land 8 weeks before the wedding is ordered 12–13 weeks before. The wedding planner does this arithmetic from your date.
Save the dates
Send them as soon as the venue and date are fixed, 6–8 months ahead. Include names, the date, the city and the website; no venue or times are needed yet. Destination and holiday-weekend weddings go 9–12 months ahead. Save-the-dates go only to people who will be invited; you cannot un-invite later.
Invitations
Mail 6–8 weeks before a local wedding and 10–12 weeks before a destination wedding. Add a week if many guests are abroad. Mail everything on the same day so nobody feels like an afterthought. Hand-cancelling at the post office avoids machine marks on thick or square envelopes (which also need extra postage).
RSVP deadline
Set it 3–4 weeks before the wedding. Caterers usually want final numbers 10–14 days out and you need time to call the people who have not replied, usually 20–30% of the list. Write the deadline on the RSVP card and the website, and pre-stamp the return envelope.
Day-of stationery
Programs, menus, place and escort cards, table numbers and signs are the last things to print because they depend on the final guest list. Order 4–6 weeks before the wedding, after the RSVP deadline, and keep 10% spare place cards for last-minute changes.
Thank-you cards
Etiquette gives you three months after the wedding, but order the cards with the invitation suite so they match and you are not designing while unpacking gifts. Gifts received before the wedding are thanked within two weeks.
Quantities
- Invitations: one per household (couples and families share one), plus 10–15% extra for keepsakes, late additions and addressing mistakes.
- Save-the-dates: same count as invitations.
- Programs: one per guest, or one per couple to save paper.
- Menus: one per guest, or one per table for family-style service.
- Thank-you cards: one per gift, which is usually close to the number of invitations.
Start with the save the date
Frequently asked questions
Is 6 weeks too late to send invitations?
Six weeks is the minimum for a local wedding. If you are at six weeks now, mail this week and set the RSVP deadline three weeks before the wedding.
Do save the dates need an RSVP?
No. They only announce the date and city; the invitation collects replies.
When do destination wedding invitations go out?
Three months before the wedding, with travel details, after a save-the-date 9–12 months ahead.
How long do thank-you cards take?
Writing 80 cards takes about six evenings at 15 cards each. Order them with the invitations so the design matches.
What if guests do not RSVP?
Expect 20–30% silence. Two days after the deadline, text or call each one; never assume a no.