When should I send out my wedding invites?

With your big day coming up, it's time to start thinking about your wedding invitations!

It's time to figure out:

• When should I send my save the dates?
• When should I send my wedding invitations?
• What kind of wedding cake do I want? (the only answer here is chocolate, btw).
• When should my RSVP deadline be?
• How should I send my save the dates and wedding invites?

Luckily, we have the answers to all of these questions so let's dive in!

There are multiple factors to consider when choosing a wedding invitation timeline, but if you want a quick answer, here's a table to help you out:

When to Send Save the Dates:

• Destination Wedding: Send out 8+ months in advance, as soon as the date is secured.
• Local Wedding: Send out 4-6 months in advance.
• Less than 4 Months to Wedding: Skip Save the Dates; proceed directly to invitations.

Check out our article on save the dates for a more in-depth look at when to send them and what to include.

When to Send Wedding Invitations

• General Timing: Mail invitations 2-4 months before the wedding.
• Without Save the Dates/Destination Wedding: Preferably send out invitations around the 4-month mark.
• Types of Invitations:
  • Paper Invitations: Send 3-4 months before the wedding.
  • Digital Email Invitations: Allow 8-10 weeks before the wedding.
  • Video/Website Invitations with Online RSVPs: Send between 6-10 weeks before the wedding.
  • Destination Wedding Invitations: Send 8-12 months in advance to allow guests ample time to organize.

You'll need to collect wedding guest addresses before you can send out your invitations.

This can be a time-consuming process (unless you use a wedding communication service like Text My Wedding 😉), so it's best to start early.

When should your RSVP Deadlines be?

• General Deadline: Set the RSVP deadline for 4 weeks before the wedding.
• Destination Wedding: Set the RSVP deadline for 8-12 weeks before the wedding.
• Following Up: If no response is received a few days after the deadline, follow up with guests with a text. Text My Wedding enables you to send a text to all guests who haven't responded with just a few clicks!
• Purpose: Ensuring the final headcount is provided to the venue and caterer (usually requested 1-2 weeks before the wedding) and to finalize the seating chart.

How should I send my save the dates and wedding invites?

Traditional Paper Invitations

You can send traditional paper invitations via the post office. This is the traditional way to send invitations, but it's also the most expensive and time-consuming. The average cost of traditional wedding stationery is approximately $510.

• Pros: Traditional and timeless.
• Cons: Expensive, time-consuming, and not eco-friendly.

Text Invitations and Save the Dates

Text invitations and Save the dates are growing in popularity due to their cost-efficiency and eco-friendliness.

While you could send a text message from your phone, this would be time consuming and difficult to manage. If you made a group message, you'd have issues with people replying to all, and if you sent individual messages, it would take forever.

On top of that, you'd have to manually track RSVPs and other responses. Luckily, we have a solution for you! Text My Wedding is a service that allows you to send text invitations, save the dates, reminders, and more to your guests. All while avoiding the issues mentioned above!

• Pros: Cost-efficient, eco-friendly, and easy to manage.
• Cons: Not traditional (but who cares? it's your wedding!)

Conclusion

See invitations aren't so bad, are they? You have plenty of options and one less thing to worry about for your special day.

Text My Wedding is here to help you with all of your wedding communication needs. We can help you send save the dates, invitations, reminders, and more to your guests. Sign up today and see how we can help you!