Wedding Invitations

Invitations typically go out 6-8 weeks before the wedding. Based on when your venue needs a final count, I would recommend sending the invites out around 7-8 weeks in advance and setting your RSVP deadline one week before your venue needs a final headcount. This gives your guests 2-3 weeks to respond, and gives you a week to track down anyone who doesn't reply by the deadline.

I agree with Lisa! Giving your guests a few weeks to respond after the receipt of their invitation is a great timeline. Also, I have found that having the RSVP option on our website has made ours come in super fast! We had 20 people RSVP the day they received their invitation with their meal choice and it's been a breeze! We did send physical response cards to our elderly guests though so hopefully snail mail works just as smoothly haha.

Another HUGE tip is to list your RSVP deadline as 4-5 days before the day you actually need to submit final numbers! Maybe Oct 28 since it is the start of the week you need final guest count.. Those extra 4-5 days will give you/your fiance/anyone helping you plenty of time to reach out to people who have yet to respond without the stress of having to get in touch with them on that day. Some people procrastinate, some people forget, and life just happens and gets busy so giving yourself a few days of buffer will help you avoid unnecessary stress

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I was thinking about sending out Invites in late May (Would that be too early?), and having the RSVP deadline August 18th and then using that coming week as a buffer for any late replies so that I would have the correct headcount on September 1st. Im worried about sending them out too early

View Quoted Comment I think late May would be a bit too early to send invites for a September wedding. Are you sending Save The Dates? If so, May would be a good time to save those! I would instead plan to send invitations around mid to late July, and list your RSVP deadline as somewhere around August 25. If you send invitations too early, people will either intentionally wait to RSVP since they might not know their schedule yet (and then many of them might either lose their invitations or completely forget to RSVP later), or people will RSVP and then need to change their reply later on when their schedule changes. Save The Dates are a good way to get your date on everyone's calendars, and then you can send the formal invite closer to the wedding. Setting your RSVP deadline for around August 25 will give you some time to track down those who don't reply, so that you can still give your final count to the venue by September 1.

If your caterer needs a final headcount on September 1st, I'd set your RSVP deadline no earlier than August 25th - it won't take longer than a couple of days to reach out to those who haven't RSVP'd yet (divide and conquer the list!). Working backwards from there, I'd send the invites out around the last weekend of July - that gives the post office enough time to deliver the invites (and RSVP cards back to you) and time for guests to decide.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! Typically, wedding invitations are sent out 6-8 weeks before the wedding date. However, as you mentioned, your venue needs the final headcount a month before the wedding, which means you may want to consider sending out your invitations a little earlier.

Given that your wedding is on September 30th and you need to provide the final headcount by September 1st, I would suggest sending out your invitations around mid to late July. This will give your guests plenty of time to RSVP and provide you with the information you need to finalize the headcount for your wedding.

In terms of design and wording of your invitations, there are many resources available online that can guide you through the process. You can also consult with a wedding planner or stationery designer to help you create the perfect invitation that reflects your style and personality as a couple.

Wishing you all the best for your upcoming wedding!

Save the dates are sent by phone call or word of mouth 6-12 months before the wedding as soon as the venue is secured and the guest list is finalized. Invitations are sent at 6-8 weeks before the wedding so that the information is not lost or forgotten when sent too early or the guests made to feel like seat fillers when they are sent too late or when other guests decline.

Guaranteed minimums are not uncommon, but I've never dealt with a venue that required an actual final headcount that far ahead or a caterer that could not accomodate closer to the date, even allowing a handful of last minute additions. RSVP deadlines are generally a month ahead and invitations are most properly sent no earlier than 6-8 weeks beforehand. In your place I'd try to push back on the venue coordinator a bit since it puts you under unnecessary pressure.