Invites... When should you send them?
Are you engaged and wondering when you should be organising your invitations and sending them off to your guests?
We've got you babe 👏🏼
12 Month Wedding Invitation and Stationery Timeline
Your wedding is an event and with any event, there are a few tasks that you will need to think of and ultimately organise.
When it comes to your wedding stationery, I have outlined the ideal timeline for when you need to order, mail your save the dates, invitations & thank you cards and prepare for the other stationery you might require on the day of your wedding.
Lets great straight into it.
Presuming you will be engaged for 12 months, below is a suggested timeline for all of the different wedding stationery items you might have and when you will need to organise and send them.
12 months before
Order and send out your engagement invitations
Congratulations you're engaged!! Enjoy this very special time!
The first thing to do, is to celebrate your engagement!
11 months before
Prepare your wedding guest list
List down everyone you want to invite and finalise when your list meets your family, budget and quantity requirements.
10 months before
Finalise your wedding guest list
Request all of your guest's names and addresses
Order your save the date cards with your stationer (US)
Order wedding invitation samples from us
9 months before
Send your save the date cards
Only send save the dates to your final wedding guest list
6 months before
Order wedding invitations
Confirm the design with your wedding stationer, confirm all details and proof necessary digital artwork.
4 months before
Mail wedding invitations
I always suggest sending out your wedding invitations around 3 - 4 months before your wedding date as I suggest you should have an RSVP return date at 5 - 6 weeks before your wedding date.
This will then give your guests 6 - 10 weeks to receive and respond to your wedding invitation.
Also make sure you have the postage stamps ready for those invitations you plan to mail. Another option is to hand-deliver invitations to guest you will see within the next week or two.
3 months before
Order 'Day Of' Stationery
If you are able to order these with your invitations, then please do so to ensure all items for your wedding match and materials are ordered at the same time.
Other stationery you will need/want for the wedding day are;
-- Place cards
– Menus
– Table numbers
– Guest book
– Ceremony programs
-- Guest favour tags
– Thank you cards
2 months before
Start compiling the details for the 'Day Of' stationery
Such as;
--Place cards
be ready to finalise this list once your RSVP’s have all been received
– Menus
meet with your venue/caterer and decide on your chosen menu
– Table Numbers
confirm how many tables you will have & require
– Ceremony programs
decide on the layout with your celebrant/priest
– Guest favour tags
confirm the quantity you require + Thank you card message
6 weeks before
RSVP return date
Cross off all reply cards that have been returned on your guest list to keep track.
Follow up all reply cards that have not been returned.
Opting for an online RSVP system will save you 30+ hours!!!
5 weeks before
Start organising your seating chart
Decide where your guests will be sitting on the floor plan
4 weeks before
Send all of the information to your stationer for the following items. This will allow for all artwork to be designed and approved by you.
Once approved they will take approx. 1-2 to make.
Place card guest names
Menu for food and beverages
Table Numbers
Guest book wording
Ceremony program order of service
Guest favour tag details
Final seating chart list
Thank you card message (ready to be made after your wedding when your photo is received).
2 weeks before
Prepare your guest favours
Add the tags/cards (if applicable)
Prepare all reception stationery
& double-check everything is in order
Place cards are in table order
Menus are in table order
Guest book is packed and ready
Guest favours are packed in table order
Ceremony programs are packed and ready to go to the church/ceremony location
1 week before
Give your wedding venue or wedding planner the following items in preparation for your wedding day
Place cards in table order
Menus in table order
Table Numbers in table order
Guest book + get a pen
Ceremony programs + something to store them in on the day
Guest favours with tags applied in table order
After the Wedding
Up to 2 months - Thank you cards
Choose a wedding photo from your professional photos and send to your stationer to include in your thank you cards.
Send through your guest list if any names and/or addresses have changed since you created your wedding invitation guest list
Confirm your thank you card wording if you didn't do this before your wedding day.
Up to 3 months
Send your thank you cards
If you have any questions with the timeline above or want further information on a certain point, please don't hesitate to either email me at hello@LUKdesign.com.au or comment below as I am always here to help.
We absolutely love creating Wedding Invitations and Stationary that suite our Couples and their vibe ✨
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