Guides

When to send your wedding stationery

Wedding stationery goes out in stages over roughly a year, and each stage depends on something being settled first. This is the order most couples work in, and what has to be decided before each piece can be ordered.

Twelve to nine months: save the dates

Save the Dates go out as soon as the date and venue are confirmed. Twelve months or more is sensible for a destination wedding, a bank holiday weekend, or anywhere guests will need to book flights or time off.

They go only to people who are certain to be invited, because everyone who receives one expects an invitation to follow. Wording stays brief: names, the date, the town, and a line saying the invitation will come later.
Six to four months: design everything else

This is when most couples settle the look of the whole suite, even though nothing but the save the dates has been sent. Choosing the paper, typeface and colours once means the Wedding Invitations, RSVP Cards, Menu cards and everything on the day match without further decisions later.

It is also the point to order samples, since paper is difficult to judge on a screen.
Three to two months: invitations

Wedding Invitations are usually sent six to eight weeks before the day, or nearer three months where guests are travelling. Order them a few weeks before you intend to send, so there is room for printing, delivery and addressing envelopes.

RSVP Cards go inside the invitation rather than separately, with a reply-by date set backwards from whenever your caterer needs final numbers.
Six to four weeks: chase the replies

Replies arrive slowly and then stop. Most couples find they are chasing a handful of guests in the fortnight before the deadline, which is worth expecting rather than being surprised by.

Nothing for the day itself can be finalised until this is done, because the table plan and the catering numbers both depend on it.
Three to two weeks: the day itself

Once numbers are settled, the on-the-day stationery can be ordered together: the Table Plan, Menu cards, Place cards, Welcome signs and any other signage.

Menu cards are usually left latest of all, because caterers adjust dishes in the final weeks, and a menu card with the wrong course on it is the mistake guests notice.
After the wedding: thank you cards

Thank you cards are normally sent within two to three months, once photographs are back from the photographer. Counting by gift or household rather than by guest usually means fewer cards than invitations sent.

Many couples use an image from the day, which is the reason to wait rather than ordering them alongside everything else.

Common questions

How far in advance should wedding stationery be ordered?+

Save the dates six to twelve months ahead, invitations around three months, and everything for the day itself two to three weeks before, once numbers are confirmed. Each stage waits on something being settled, which is why they are not all ordered at once.

What order does wedding stationery go out in?+

Save the dates, then invitations with RSVP cards inside, then the on-the-day pieces — table plan, menus, place cards and signs — and finally thank you cards after the wedding.

When is it too late to send wedding invitations?+

Six weeks before the day is the usual minimum, and less than a month leaves guests too little time to arrange travel or time off. Where invitations are running late, many couples send a short message with the date while the printed invitation follows.

Can all wedding stationery be ordered at once?+

The design can be settled in one go, but the printing cannot. The table plan depends on RSVPs, and menu cards depend on the caterer, so both are ordered late. Choosing the design early means the later pieces match without further decisions.

How long does wedding stationery take to print?+

Standard printing takes a few working days plus delivery. It is worth allowing a fortnight between ordering and needing something in hand, which leaves room for addressing envelopes and for anything that needs reprinting.