When's the Right Time to Send My Save The Dates and Wedding Invitations?
Updated: Aug 21, 2019
Save the Dates and Wedding Invitations
Another topic that has so much conflicting information out there – when to send your Save the Dates and then when to send your Wedding Invitations?! Some sources say send your Save the Dates as soon as possible, as many of your guests have really busy schedules and will want to start making travel arrangements as soon as possible. Other sources say to send them only 4 months in advance. There are a few factors to consider when trying to figure out when is best for your wedding!
Lock Down Your Wedding Location
Location is the most important factor when considering when to send your stationary. You obviously want to have the venue and date booked before sourcing your Save the Dates so that you know that information is extremely unlikely to change.
Destination Wedding
If you are planning a destination wedding (we define this as a location that you don’t live near and your guests don’t live near), you want to send the Save the Dates at least 8 months in advance. Too much more than this and guests may not address the accommodations because it’s too far away.
I also suggest giving as much information as possible on your Save the Dates (include a little card with the preferred accommodation if you have already selected and negotiated this, as well as if there is a possibility you are hosting other wedding weekend events). Your guests may want to start booking their flights, renting cars, and booking hotels so they can get the best rates.
Send your Wedding Invitations at least 2 months before the wedding with any other specific information needed to finalize bookings and travel accommodations.
Local Wedding
If you are not having a destination wedding, plan on sending your Save The Dates at least 4 months in advance (the sooner the better, especially if you are getting married in the late Spring, Summer, or early Fall as these are the most popular months for travel and events).
For local weddings, it’s customary to put the city and state of the wedding along with the date. If you prefer, you can also include more specific information if it’s set in stone (i.e. venue, hotels), but not required to do so as you will follow up with the Wedding Invitation at least 2 months before the wedding.
Consider the Length of Your Engagement
Another factor to consider is how long you plan on being engaged before the wedding. If you get engaged in December and only plan on a short engagement before the wedding the following Summer, you’ll have to plan the immediate details (i.e. date, venue, and guest list) pretty quickly in order to create or order the Save the Dates.
In this case, you may end up just sending out one piece of stationary (an invitation) that has as much information as you can, and direct guests to a wedding website as other details fall into place.
Digital vs. Print Invitation Suite Stationary
If you plan on sending out Save the Dates and invitations in a more casual but much more eco-friendly way, you can send electronic Save the Dates to your guests. In this case, you can send them anywhere from 4-12 months depending on the factors listed above. If you also send an electronic invitation, it should be 8 weeks before the wedding.
If you plan on having a stationer design your Save the Dates and invitations for you, you will need much more lead time to go back and forth on designs and ideas, and time for them to be produced. Pricier and elegant invitations using embossing, foil, laser cutting, or letterpress will take time as they are likely handmade by the designer you hired!
Here at Luxe Life we provide design and creation services for all types of invitations and invitation suites and can handle all aspects of your guest list! Inquire about our wedding services for more information. And as always if you have questions, such as when to send out your Save the Dates and invitations, or would like help designing them or any other aspect of your wedding, reach out to us today!