When Should I Mail My Wedding Invitations?

So, you were wondering when you should mail out your lovely wedding invitations? Let’s face it, if you’re a bride, or somewhat “newly-engaged,” you’ve probably already realized that, along with all that excitement has come, well . . . a whole lot of STRESS!

Yep, up ahead looms not only the most exciting day of your life, but also, very possibly, the largest, most important event you may ever plan! And with all that planning comes a slew of deadlines and things you must remember not to forget.

Or in other words, for the next few months your brain might sound something like this:

“WHAT! I was supposed to do What, When??” Or, “ OMG!!! Did I forget to XYZ!!?”

And unfortunately, like everything else on your list, your wedding invitations and your wedding related paper products have their own set of deadlines and “to-do times” that you’ll want to keep up with as well.

So, in order to help you keep track of those wedding paper products (because, after all, we’re all about those wedding invitations, here at AbFab), we thought we’d sum up your wedding-invitation-related deadlines, as simply and clearly as possible.

When it comes to ordering your wedding invitations and other wedding related stationery and papers, here are the most important dates you’ll want to keep in mind to stay on track! We break it all down in this AbFAB post and cute infographic.

Your Invitation & Stationery Timeline

12 Months Before Your Wedding

It’s finally happened! He popped the question and “put a ring on it!”  Congratulations! It’s time to celebrate and let the world know!!!

ENGAGEMENT PARTY & ANNOUNCEMENTS

This is a great time to order, and send out, Engagement Announcements, and/or to celebrate with friends and family at an engagement party.

Make sure you order your party invitations at least two months in advance, and send them out three weeks before your event.

And don’t forget, one of the first things on your to-do list is booking your venue.

12- 6 Months Before Your Wedding

You’ve booked your venue, and know your date! Now’s the time to announce it on your SAVE the DATES.

Your SAVE the DATES should be mailed out at least 6 months before your wedding, and ordered at least a month and a half in advance. Depending on your guest list, and the location of your event, you may want to mail them out even earlier.

Remember, a SAVE the DATE is sent out to give your guests as much time as they might need to make travel arrangements, and/or to make sure they don’t make other plans on your big day. So you will know best how much lead time your guests would require.

For additional information on SAVE the DATES, see our post here.  And if you’re still shopping SAVE the DATES, make sure to visit our fun and beautiful selection of SAVE the Dates here and here!

6-4 Months Before Your Wedding

WEDDING INVITATIONS

Your wedding is getting closer every day. It’s crazy how the time flies! And it’s now time to meet with your invitation consultant and choose & design your wedding invitations.

Wedding invitations should be mailed out at least 2 months in advance, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time to go through the design process necessary for perfecting your  invites. We recommend placing your wedding invitation order 4 months, or even more, before your date. Make sure to shop our beautiful selection of wedding invitations here and here.

And when you order, you may want to add couple’s stationery, as well as order personal stationery with your new make on it. Many of our wedding invitation suites have matching note cards. You can shop those right here.

4-2 Months Before Your Wedding

Now is the time to mail out your wedding invitations!!!

Wedding invitations should be mailed out at least 2 months in advance, but you may mail them out earlier, if desired. This is also a good time to stop back into your invitation shop and place your order for your wedding programs, your dinner menus, place or escort cards, napkins, and also wedding announcements.

Don’t forget those note cards if you hadn’t ordered them previously. You’re going to want some beautiful stationery to thank your guests for their gracious gifts.

After the Honeymoon!

Welcome home and to your new life as husband and wife together! Spend some quality time with each other as you write and mail out your thank you notes. This would also be the time to mail out wedding announcements to those you were not able to invite to the wedding.

There you have it, all the important deadlines to keep in mind for your wedding invitation papers. Please let us know if we answered fully that question about when you should order your wedding invitations, and leave us a note below! We’d love to hear from you.

And feel free to pin our infographic on your wedding inspo board to keep on hand for ready reference. For more in depth information about invitation and stationery terms, make sure you read our post on Wedding Invitation and Stationery Glossary here.