What is the best mailing date for Wedding Invitations?

Brides often wonder “When should I purchase my invitations and when should they be mailed to our guests?”

Save-the-Date cards ask your guests to set aside that date for your event and are generally sent four or five months before the event. Begin the Save-the-Date process of choosing, ordering, and addressing about six months before the event. “Save-the-Dates” do not take the place of  invitations. The actual invitations are sent at a later date. When launching your formal invitation process, think backwards. There are several things to take into account. Allow plenty of time for the invitations and inserts to be printed, the address list to be finalized, and the envelopes and other cards to be addressed, then add mailing time. Here is our step-by-step guide:

If you are sending Save-the-Date cards to your guests, the mailing date for the formal invitations may be as late as four weeks before the event (not considering RSVPs.) If you are not sending out Save-the-Date cards, formal etiquette suggests that your formal invitations should be mailed at least eight weeks before the event.

Either way, if you are using RSVP cards, be sure to think about when you must have a final count of those attending your event and figure backwards from that date. Here's how to calculate the latest mailing date:

1. From the date you must have a final count, subtract two or three days to be on the safe side.
2. Your guests should have at least two to three weeks to reply before an RSVP card is due back to you; more than eight weeks and they may set the card aside and fail to RSVP. Subtract at least 14 days.
3. Then allow for mailing time ( 3-5 days for the US, depending on Sundays and holidays) both for mailing to the guests and for your RSVPs to be mailed back to you. So, for example, add 5 + 5 = 10. Subtract that many days.

Voila! That is your mailing date. From your Voila! Mailing Date, subtract enough time to get the invitations and inserts designed, printed and assembled, the address list finalized, and the envelopes and cards addressed. That is your invitation process launch date!