Wedding invitations are a wonderful, exciting part of the wedding process. They list all of the details about your special day with the people you want to share the occasion with. Picking a wedding invitation that matches your aesthetic and reflects your personality is important for setting the tone for your wedding day. On a more practical level, it provides guests with crucial information and means you can get started with planning the finer details and being more prepared. When you know exactly who will be attending, this helps with things like the number of people to cater for and the size of the venue. Here’s everything you need to know before sending out those all-important wedding invitations.
When to send them
There’s no set time for when to send out wedding invites, but typically they are sent out 6 – 8 weeks before the wedding. This gives your guests a good amount of time to make the necessary plans, like travel arrangements or clearing their schedules, and gives them enough notice to move things around if needed. If you’re doing a destination wedding or having your wedding during a busy period, send them a bit earlier, so 8 – 12 weeks in advance of the wedding date. Your save-the-date cards go out first, usually 6 – 8 months in advance so this gives people the chance to block that date out.
What to include
A traditional wedding invitation includes key information that your guests will need to know about the wedding: your names, date and time, venue (or venues, if your reception and ceremony are in different locations), plus-one rules, whether children are allowed or not, the dress code, RSVP cards and return address, and if you have a wedding website, a link to that! For anything where people need to get back to you like menu options if you have these, and RSVPs, be sure to include a date to get back to you by so you have enough notice. If you’re sending wedding invitations to evening-only guests, just slightly tweak the wording to make it clear that it’s just an invite for the evening reception.
What to say
The choice of wording is totally up to you and each wedding invitation will be different. It depends on personal preference, and whether you want the invitation to be more formal or more fun – there’s no right or wrong way to word it. Examples like: “Naomi Smith and John Richards are getting married and would love to invite *insert name here* to join them on their special day,” or “Katie Williams and Aaron Collins are tying the knot and would love for *insert name here* to celebrate their wedding,” are two simple options. Just make sure to be clear and to cover the main things you want guests to know – write out the names of the people who are invited to avoid any confusion with guests who want to bring children (if it’s an adult-only wedding) or people who want to bring plus ones.
When to set the deadline for RSVPs
This can vary from wedding to wedding but it should be at least 4 weeks before your wedding date. You’ll have to confirm final numbers as close to the date as possible, so you need enough time to let the caterer know, order any final bits of wedding stationery and finalise the seating chart for the day. A good amount of time between sending out the invitation and setting the deadline for RSVPs is at least 4 – 6 weeks. If it gets any closer to the date, give any remaining guests a call to ask for their RSVPs.
Getting your wedding invitations sorted and sent out in enough time is just one more thing for you to check off your wedding to-do list. These invitations will be memorable keepsakes that you (and your guests!) can keep to remember your special day, for life.