When to order & when to send out wedding invitations
Congrats on your engagement! With all the excitement of planning your wedding, it's easy to fall behind on things without even realizing it. Especially since your invitations need to be sent out months ahead of your wedding.
To help you plan a flawless wedding, I'll share with you the best practices for when to order wedding invitations and when to send them out, so you can check this off your list and be one step close to the altar. (Don’t forget to scroll through for my timeline cheat sheet at the bottom of this page.)
Whether you're hosting a small backyard wedding or a luxury country club event, the right timing for sending out wedding invitations is crucial to your big day running smoothly. So here's everything you need to know about the do's and dont's of sending out wedding invitations.
Before you even order your invitations - create a guest list and collect all addresses.
After you've done that, we can move on to the fun stuff, like design and embellishments.
No. 1
Consider your wedding date & type of wedding:
If you're planning a destination wedding or a wedding around a big holiday (like Christmas or New Year's), your guests will need additional notice to make proper travel arrangements. With these events, I always suggest ordering invitations at least 9 months in advance, and mailing your invitations at least six months in advance (or sooner, if it makes you more comfortable).
No. 2
Order at least 6 months before:
If you're not planning a destination wedding or holiday wedding, order your wedding invitations five to six months before your wedding date or two months before you need them in hand. This allows me ample time for design, proofing, and making sure your wedding invitations arrive flawlessly on your doorstep. If you're opting for a custom option like a venue illustration, order a month sooner to build in extra time for design.
No. 3
Mail out invitations 2-3 months before:
Traditionally, couples send wedding invitations two months in advance of their wedding day. However, in the past couple years, that mail-out date has shifted earlier. Most of our couples now mail 3-4 months in advance, and this is an industry-wide standard for wedding stationery. (This gives the USPS extra time to make sure your invitations arrive safe and sound!)
The Wedding Invitation Timeline:
Your cheat sheet for knowing when to send out your wedding invitations!
January wedding: order by August, mail by October
February wedding: order by September, mail by November
March wedding: order by October, mail by December
April wedding: order by November, mail by January
May wedding: order by December, mail by February
June wedding: order by January, mail by March
July wedding: order by February, mail by April
August wedding: order by March, mail by May
September wedding: order by April, mail by June
October wedding: order by May, mail by July
November wedding: order by June, mail by August
December wedding: order by July, mail by September
Tips for ordering your wedding invitations:
- Start early - I mean reallyyyy early to collect all those addresses. People can be tricky to get a hold of!
- Consider your budget - If you're working with a smaller budget, limit the embellishments and stick to the main thing: your invitations.
- Be cohesive - your invitations set the stage for your wedding day, so make sure your color palette & aesthetic are cohesive throughout your paper.
- Order samples - SO so important for making sure you are satisfied with the final product.
- Proofread carefully - veryyyy carefully. There is almost always a spelling mistake somewhere in your text, so make sure you have someone double check everything!
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