When Should You Send Out Your Wedding Invitations?

The question has been popped, the location is set, and the visions of wedding florals, cakes, and bubbling champagne are dancing in your head.

Of course, among the excitement and all the planning, there’s always that pesky question of when to send out wedding invitations.

Nailing down the details of your wedding timeline can be anxiety-inducing. Whether you’re hosting a destination wedding, a traditional wedding, or an elopement celebration, each wedding is unique (and so is its guest list).

Perfecting the right time to send out your wedding invite has to do with several factors: the location, the travel and budget requirements, and, the more obvious detail, the date itself. Whatever type of gathering you plan to hold, there’s a lot to consider before you send out your invites or RSVP card. The key is to give your guests enough time and to ensure that the planning process is smooth for everyone.

From last-minute weddings to vow renewals, in this guide we’ll cover the ins and outs of every sort of celebration. Keep in mind, our timeline is meant to be a general guideline. In the end, we’re certain that you and your spouse-to-be will find the perfect time to stick that stamp, pop your invite in the mail, and let the magic of your wedding day begin.

Destination Wedding

A destination wedding often entails some extra planning. There are the plane tickets, the accommodations, and fine-tuning the details (such as florals, the photographer, and the menu) from far away. There’s also the question of when to send out wedding invitations for a destination celebration. Aisle Planner suggests sending out destination wedding invites eight to 10 months in advance. This gives traveling guests enough time to book their hotel room and airfare for your big day. Generally speaking, the closer you get to the big date, the more these things will go up in price and your guests may have trouble with travel arrangements. Keeping your guests’ budget in mind is always a good idea. Plus, this gives you ample time to iron out the details, such as collecting RSVPs and arranging both the seating chart and schedule. If you can’t plan this far out in advance, don’t panic. There are plenty of destination weddings that take place with just a few month's notice. If you’re going this route, just remember that not everyone may be able to attend.

Traditional Wedding

With a traditional wedding—meaning a wedding that’s not a destination wedding, elopement, etc.—it’s a good idea to send the formal invitation out six to eight weeks before the wedding. This gives your guests a good chunk of time to work out their travel arrangements, such as hotels, airfare (if necessary), and a rental car. It also helps them request time off from work and arrange childcare, if needed.

When figuring out when to send out wedding invitations, keep in mind that each situation is unique. You may have lots of friends or family living abroad, or a large percentage of your list who will need to save up money to travel. A good rule of thumb is to go through your guest list and think about each guest individually. Where do they live? Do they have kids or a time-intensive job? Do they have local family members that they’ll stay with or will they need to arrange lodging? Considering these questions will help keep you organized with the needs of your own specific wedding guests.

Photo Credit // Unsplash

Last-Minute Wedding

A last-minute wedding still deserves a last-minute invitation. If you’re wondering when to send out wedding invitations for a last-minute affair, the answer is as soon as possible. Contrary to popular belief, there can actually be something not stressful about a last-minute wedding. Typically, it’s a big party where your friends and family are coming together to celebrate the most important thing: you and your love. When you let go of the strict dates, the timeline, and the “wedding etiquette” it can be an invigorating feeling. Having a last-minute wedding is nothing to be ashamed of or feel guilty about. Couples do it all the time. Of course, in many cases, you may have friends and family who have prior commitments. Hotels may be full and airfare may be pricey. You can send out your wedding invitations as soon as you have them designed, stamped, and ready. You can also skip paper invites and go the way of a wedding evite or a digital wedding invitation. Again, the most important thing is the special day itself. Sometimes, with a last-minute celebration, the details have a way of magically working themselves out.

Elopement Celebration

If you’re eloping, you’re probably not wondering when to send out wedding invitations, but rather, elopement celebration invitations. An elopement tends to be an intimate—and oh-so-romantic—celebration between you and your spouse (and, sometimes, a handful of others). Whether a big wedding just isn’t for you or you’re jet setting off to a private location, an elopement is a wonderful way to celebrate your special day and start the rest of your lives together. But, who says that you can’t have a wild and raucous party after to celebrate? Elopement parties are becoming more and more common. They’re fun, festive, and tend to be less stressful than a traditional wedding. The invitation to elopement celebrations is similar to classic wedding invites. Depending on the date of your elopement, you want to give your guests enough time to go through the same process. Similar to a wedding, they’ll need to book their hotel or airfare, request time off from work, and arrange childcare, if necessary. You may be keeping things local and casual, such as a dinner with your family after you say “I do” at the courthouse. In this case, you can obviously be more mellow with your announcements and/or wedding invite.

Vow Renewal

Vow renewals are their own type of celebration, and, at Zola, we’re all for celebrating your love twice (or three times, four times, as many times as you’d like). A vow renewal is very much like a wedding, with the bells and whistles to match. Some couples opt for intimate affairs with their children and loved ones; others go big with a giant celebration to commemorate their lasting love. The timeline for vow renewals tends to be a bit more flexible than a wedding. Send your invitations out two to four weeks before the event. In some cases, particularly if your family is traveling from far away, you’ll want to give some extra time.

Photo Credit // stocksy leahflores

Save the Dates

Wedding etiquette suggests sending out your save the date card somewhere between four to six months before the wedding date. This gives your guests enough time to mark their calendars and block off the dates. If your wedding falls on a holiday or holiday weekend, such as New Years Day or Fourth of July, or if you’re planning a destination wedding, allow some extra time for your save the dates. It almost goes without saying, but (since we’ve seen it all), make sure to only send out save the dates for guests you are absolutely inviting to the wedding. This will save you from some painfully uncomfortable conversations in the future.

Postponements

While we’re on the topic of when to send out wedding invitations, it’s also good to cover when to send out wedding postponement announcements. Weddings get postponed all the time, for all kinds of reasons. The best advice we can give is to send out your postponements as quickly as possible. Sometimes, this means sending an email announcement, so that guests can change their flights and lodging plans. If your current wedding date is far enough out, you can also opt for a formal postponement announcement. The main thing you want to be aware of is that your guests will likely need to cancel anything that’s already booked. The longer they wait, the harder it can be to do so. If you’re on the hunt for a formal announcement, our botanically-inspired Octavia announcement keeps things flexible.

Change the Dates

Similar to a save the date card, a change the date is sometimes in order. If you’re postponing, but have a future date set, a change the date is a playful way to inform your guests of the plan. We love the Bonnie update, as it’s a save our “new date” announcement. It also features a dramatic handwritten font and plenty of space for a custom photo and all the details. You can also keep things simple with our Terian announcement. With its border of eucalyptus leaves and elegant typography, it’s a card your guests will be excited to receive (even if they’re bummed about the date change). The good news is, there’s always a fun way to announce a date change or a postponement. Weddings require a lot of planning and fine-tuning, so don’t be hard on yourself if life events cause things to change a bit.

Knowing when to send out wedding invitations is a seemingly basic—but often hard to figure out—wedding detail. There’s a lot that goes into play when choosing the right time to seal the envelope on your formal invitation and send it off.

Whether you’re hosting an elopement celebration, a vow renewal, or anything else, we’re wishing you endless happiness and plenty of post-wedding bliss.