Invitation Etiquette

I get asked on the regular: "When should I send out my invitations & save the dates?" This is a bit of a loaded question as there are a lot of to-do's before you actually send them out. I usually ask the following questions:

Are you planning on sending Save the Dates?

If so, plan your engagement photos 6-8 weeks before to add them to your save the dates. Give yourself a week or two to order and another week or two to receive them! If you are doing it electronically, have your guest list ready to go ASAP with addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. This can be the trickiest part-- narrowing it down!

If you can, finish the wedding website BEFORE you send out save the dates. You can get early RSVPs which helps your planning process with catering, venue, food, florals for your table and more.

When you should send invitations:

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Customarily, you want to give your guests about 90 days prior to the wedding to mark their calendars, arrange flights (if need be), and block hotel rooms. Your RSVP date should be 45 DAYS prior to your wedding date. (You don't need to know your final guest count until about 15-30 days before your wedding day but this gives you a couple weeks to contact any slackers. ;-) )⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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To help, here is an example:

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Wedding Day: May 25th⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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30 days prior: April 26th⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

[[2-4 weeks prior: final guest count needed for venue, catering, planning, florals (# of tables)- final payments]]⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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RSVP Date (45 days prior): April 10th⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Send out invitations (90 days prior): February 24th⠀⠀

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Order invitations & complete wedding website: January 25th- February 8th⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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I know it can be a little stressful but don't worry. You got this! And we are always here to help remind you, too!

Photo: Meredith Soy Photography

Invitation Artist: Scarlet Gilia Creative