The short answer
Send your wedding invitations six to eight weeks before the wedding. That window is long enough for guests to plan and reply, but not so early that the invitation gets set aside and forgotten. Save-the-dates go out much earlier, six to eight months ahead, to lock in the date before anything else lands on the calendar.
The full stationery timeline
Working backward from the wedding, the pieces fall into a clear order:
- 8–12 months out: book your stationer or start designing, especially for custom or letterpress work that takes weeks to produce.
- 6–8 months out: send save-the-dates (8+ months for a destination or holiday-weekend wedding).
- 6–8 weeks out: send the invitations.
- 3–4 weeks out: the RSVP deadline falls here.
- 2 weeks out: chase anyone who has not replied, and give your final headcount to the caterer and venue.
Setting the RSVP deadline
Put the RSVP deadline about three to four weeks before the wedding. That leaves time to chase the stragglers (there are always stragglers), finalize the seating chart, and give the venue and caterer an accurate headcount, which most need seven to ten days out. Printing the deadline clearly on the reply card matters more than the exact date; a deadline that feels real gets more on-time replies.
Destination weddings need more runway
If guests have to travel far or book flights and hotels, add time to every step. Send save-the-dates eight to ten months ahead so people can plan and budget, and send the invitations ten to twelve weeks out rather than six to eight. The extra runway is the single kindest thing you can do for guests who are spending real money to be there.
A few timing traps
- Holidays and long weekends fill calendars early — send save-the-dates sooner if your date is near one.
- Ordering late is the usual reason invitations go out behind schedule; custom printing and calligraphy take longer than people expect, so build in a buffer.
- Addressing a few hundred envelopes takes real time — start before the invitations arrive if you can.
Design ahead of the deadline
Because ordering is the step most likely to run late, settle your palette and style early so the design is ready when it needs to be. The color palette generator and the wedding invitations guide are the place to start.