We quite often get asked about the timing of invitations and rsvps for weddings, so I thought I’d answer a couple of the most common questions here.
When should we send out our wedding invitations?
Traditionally wedding invitations are sent out 6-8 weeks prior to your wedding. Although some brides and grooms elect to send them out earlier – particularly if they are having a destination wedding or if a lot of their guests will be traveling to attend. Another instance where more time is allowed, is for weddings falling in January, February, and early March, where it is not uncommon to send out the invitations in late November or early December in order to avoid the Christmas mail and holiday season where people are likely to be away.
If you would like to give your guests a lot of notice of your wedding date, Save the Date cards are also popular, this gives the guest notice of when your wedding is, asks them to ‘save the date’ and let’s them know to expect a formal invitation at a later date. These are sent out anywhere from 6-12 months in advance depending on the extent of notice your guests are likely to require.
How much time should I give my guests to RSVP?
This really depends on your wedding vendors and your organisational plans as to what date you will require final numbers by. Some reception venues require final numbers 2 weeks prior to the wedding, whilst some vendors require more. If you are ordering personalised place cards from Alannah Rose for example, we suggest setting your RSVP date about 4-5 weeks prior to the wedding. This then gives you time to gather your final list of names together to send to us for printing, whilst still allowing time for your cards to be delivered before the wedding day!