Welcome to the whirlwind that is wedding planning! From the engagement party, shower, bach parties, rehearsal dinner and wedding reception, there's no shortage of celebrations to send invitations for. BUT, the most important invitation of all is undoubtedly the wedding invitation. Whether you're planning to send a beautiful, professionally designed wedding invitation, design your own wedding invite, or create a wedding invite suite to keep the tone of your big day present throughout the entire process, knowing when to send your wedding invitations is crucial. To help you navigate wedding invitation etiquette and timeline, here's a guide on when to send wedding invitations to all of your lucky guests.
In general, it's recommended to send your wedding invitations approximately six to eight weeks before your wedding day. This timing allows your guests enough time to RSVP and make necessary arrangements, while still keeping the event fresh in their minds. By sending your invitations several weeks in advance, you give your guests ample time to respond and plan accordingly. There are some notable exceptions though. This timeline is usually sufficient for couples who previously sent wedding save-the-dates out to their anticipated guest list. But if you opted to skip the save-the-date step…
If you haven't sent save-the-date cards, it's vital that you send out your wedding invitations earlier to provide your guests with enough notice. Aim to send your wedding invitations to guests three to four months before the wedding date to ensure they have adequate time to adjust their schedules and make arrangements to attend your big day.
If you have out-of-town guests or are planning a destination wedding, send out your wedding invitations earlier than the standard timeline—two to three months in advance of your wedding day should allow your guests plenty of time to make travel arrangements, book accommodations and plan their visit. In addition to the usual wedding invitation details, consider providing additional information, such as recommended hotels or transportation options to help out-of-town guests attending your wedding.
Easy—anyone you want to attend your wedding! This typically includes close family members, friends and possibly colleagues, as well as any plus-ones indicated on the invitation or RSVP cards. If you send save-the-dates beforehand, everyone from that list will require a formal wedding invitation. Ensure that your guest list is finalized before sending out your wedding save-the-dates and wedding invitations to avoid any last-minute additions or omissions.
To allow sufficient time for guests to respond, it's recommended to request RSVPs no later than three to four weeks before the wedding. This gives you time to finalize the guest count, make seating arrangements and communicate with vendors without stressing out over changes to your wedding celebration's headcount.
If you send invitations too far in advance, guests may forget or misplace them, resulting in delayed responses or misunderstandings closer to the wedding day. Therefore, it's best to stick to the suggested timeline of six to eight weeks before the wedding if you've already sent out save-the-dates for local ceremonies.
It's recommended to send save-the-dates about six to eight months before the wedding or event. This timing allows guests to mark their calendars and make any necessary travel arrangements, particularly if they need to plan around work or school schedules. Four to six months before the wedding ceremony is also acceptable, but for destination weddings or events that require more extensive travel plans or take place during peak travel times like the holidays, consider sending save-the-dates up to a year in advance to ensure your family and friends can attend. Our "When to send out your save-the-dates" guide has all the details you need about these marvelous cards. Save-the-dates give your loved ones the opportunity to mark their calendars, while invitations provide the detailed information they need to RSVP and make concrete plans, so we highly recommended using this dynamic wedding stationery duo when planning your special day!
There's no one correct way to write or format a wedding invitation, but there are key components to include:
You can also include reception info, the dress code, an "RSVP by" line, and your wedding website on your invitation. Basically, your wedding invitation should fully inform your guests of what to expect and how to prepare for your day of love. Our complete wedding invitation wording and formatting guide can help you find just the right words for your unique celebration!
Your wedding day may be an occasion you’ve dreamed of your entire life, so make sure your wedding invitation matches the aesthetic of your dreams. The wedding invite design you choose goes a long way toward informing your guests what kind of a wedding to expect, and it’s also an opportunity to show you and your spouse-to-be’s personalities!
Flowers are a perennial favorite for classic wedding invitations.
Be bold and let the main details shine through.
Marriage is serious. Your wedding invitations don’t have to be.
Set the scene for your “I Do’s” in style.
The hard part is deciding which sweet photo to use!
If your faith plays an important role in your life, make it part of your wedding invitation.
Developed hand-in-hand with community organizers, PTA presidents, parents and teachers, Evite's signup sheets are designed to make organizing volunteers a breeze. Here are a few ways SignUp Sheets are different than other signup tools:
Choose Evite SignUp Sheets for the easiest, most streamlined way to get volunteers and signups for your next event!
Signup sheets are the perfect way to streamline scheduling, volunteer recruitment, class parties, snack duty, potluck organization, parent-teacher conferences and more! You can think of them as your digital assistant for coordinating events and tasks and ensuring that your event is a success.
Evite SignUp Sheets offers parents, teachers and event planners customizable online forms that organizers and volunteers can access and update effortlessly. Volunteers can choose their preferred time slots, sign up for tasks or indicate what they'll bring to the event. It only takes organizers a few minutes to create a signup sheet and send it out with a shareable link, so they can get the word out via text, email or social media—whichever way they prefer!
Long story short, SignUp Sheets save everyone involved tons of time, avoid scheduling headaches and ensure everything runs smoothly before and during the event.
Creating a signup sheet has never been easier than with Evite! Here’s how to create a sheet that’s sure to make your event an absolute success:
When it comes to signup sheet information, there are some essentials to include regardless of what you’re organizing:
When adding your slot information, clearly define what people are signing up for, especially for a what-to-bring list or role assignments. If you want someone to bring healthy snacks for kids to enjoy after a game, specify that. You want your volunteers to feel confident in what they’re bringing and to make it easy for them to know what’s expected of them. It will save them time and stress (and you, too!). That being said, if you make your ask too specific (for example, asking for a hard-to-source item or something expensive), you may not end up with a volunteer for it. So be clear about what you expect, but also be reasonable!
Aside from providing the basic signup information, you can also add optional descriptions to both your entire signup sheet and individual slots. While not required, they can help guide your volunteers further and provide more information. You can add information about allergies, preferences and general info about the event. You can also add a wish list to make it easier for your volunteers to bring exactly what you need!
Signup sheet templates offer a ton of advantages for both organizers and volunteers and with Evite SignUp Sheets, you'll enjoy even more benefits than other digital and paper signup sheets! Some benefits our signup sheet templates offer include:
With Evite SignUp Sheets, you can enjoy organizing and coordinating all your events with ease. Signup sheets streamline the signup process for everyone involved, ensuring that everything will go to plan on the day of your event while saving you precious time in the process.