How Early Is Too Early to Send Wedding Invitations?

Your guide to following wedding etiquette and giving your guests plenty of time to RSVP

Written by Hovik Harutyunyan | Edited by Hannah Madden

Last Updated: February 13, 2023

When to Send In-Town Wedding Invitations

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Destination Wedding Invites

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Invites without Save-the-Dates

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When to Send Save-the-Dates

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What to Include in a Wedding Invitation

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Tips

Your venue is booked, your caterers are hired, and you’re well on your way to getting all your wedding plans set in stone. But as your wedding date gets closer, figuring out the right timing for your wedding invitations can be a little tricky. While there aren’t any rules you absolutely have to follow, there are some general guidelines that your guests will appreciate you sticking to. Keep reading to learn all about wedding invitation etiquette and when, exactly, those invites should go out in the mail.

This article is based on an interview with our event and wedding planner, Hovik Harutyunyan, owner of Hovik Harutyunyan Events. Check out the full interview here.

Things You Should Know

For in-town weddings, send invites 2 to 3 months in advance. For destination weddings, send invites 4 to 5 months in advance.
If you’re not doing save-the-date cards, get your invitations out 6 to 8 months before the wedding.
If you are doing save-the-date cards, send those out 6 to 8 months ahead of time.

Section 1 of 5:

When to Send In-Town Wedding Invitations

Send wedding invites 2 to 3 months before the wedding. This will give your guests plenty of time to figure out travel plans, hotel accommodations, and time off from work. Plus, it gives them time to RSVP so you have an accurate head-count on the day of.
- For out-of-town guests, the timeline is basically the same. Give them 2 to 3 months to plan how they’re going to travel and where they’ll be staying for your wedding.
- It might sound like a great idea to get your invites out early, but actually, this could backfire. Sending out wedding invitations way in advance could lead to your guests forgetting to RSVP (or even misplacing your invitation).
- The one time it is a good idea to send out invitations early is if you’re inviting any guests that live overseas. Send their invitations out around 6 to 8 months in advance so they have plenty of time to set up travel accommodations.

Section 2 of 5:

Destination Wedding Invites

Send destination wedding invites 4 or 5 months before the wedding. Destination weddings take a lot more planning than in-town weddings do. If you want your guests to travel out of state or out of the country, get your invites out early so they have plenty of time to plan.
- Keep in mind that destination weddings are typically smaller than in-town weddings, because not everyone can afford to travel or take time off of work.

Section 3 of 5:

Invites without Save-the-Dates

Mail invitations 6 to 8 months ahead if you don’t do save-the-dates. Technically speaking, save-the-dates aren’t mandatory, so you don’t have to send them out before your wedding. However, you still want to give your guests plenty of time to make plans for your wedding, so get your invites out early. In general, stick to the timeline that you’d normally use for save-the-dates, but send out your invitations instead.^{[1]
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Section 4 of 5:

When to Send Save-the-Dates

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Get save-the-dates out 6 to 8 months before the wedding. A save-the-date is more of a “heads up” about your upcoming wedding. It’s a good idea to give people about half of a year to think about whether or not they’ll be able to make it, especially if your guests are going to have to travel to get to your wedding.^{[2]
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- Address your save-the-date cards to everyone in the household that you plan on inviting to the wedding.
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Send save-the-dates 8 months ahead for destination weddings. Just like your invitations for a destination wedding, your save-the-dates will need to go out a little earlier, too. Give your guests at least 8 months (if not 10 to 12 months) to start thinking about whether or not they’ll be able to attend your destination wedding.

Section 5 of 5:

What to Include in a Wedding Invitation

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RSVP card The main goal of sending wedding invitations is to get a head-count for your guests. You can include a physical RSVP card that your guests can mail back, or you can instruct your guests to RSVP online.
- Using snail mail to get RSVPs is becoming a thing of the past, but it’s still nice to include RSVP cards for your guests who may not be as tech-savvy.
- Ask your guests to RSVP at least 2 weeks before the wedding.
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Dress code How formal is your wedding going to be? Do you want your guests to wear specific colors (or not wear specific colors)? Include your dress code on the invitation in case any of your guests need to buy a new outfit.
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Wedding website Wedding websites tell a guest everything they need to know: where the wedding is, what to wear, and what to get you for a gift. Set up a wedding website and include all your relevant info, then put the URL on your invitation. That way, even if a guest loses your invite, they still know where and when to go.
- It’s considered a little tacky to put info about your gift registry on your wedding invitation. Instead, create a registry and include it in your wedding website so guests can buy you a gift online.
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Special instructions Is your wedding child-free? Do your guests need to pick a meal option? Make sure that if you’re doing anything out of the ordinary at your wedding, you include it on your invite. That way, your guests won’t be surprised by anything on the day of.^{[3]
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