Invitations Etiquette
- Question:
- How far in advance should we send out save-the-date cards? How about the invitations?
- Answer:
If you're having a local wedding on a nonholiday weekend, it is not necessary to send out save-the-date cards. Instead, just send the invitations out about six weeks before your wedding date. For a wedding taking place on a long weekend—which is often centered around a holiday—save-the-date cards are a great idea because people tend to make special plans early for these weekends. Drop save-the-dates in the mail about five months before your big day. Invitations for a long-weekend or holiday wedding should be mailed out a little bit earlier, as well. (Aim for about two months in advance.) If you're planning a destination wedding, your save-the-date mailing should go out about 9-12 months prior to the wedding. This gives guests plenty of time to make travel arrangements and to plan to take extra time off from work if they want to stretch your wedding into a vacation of their own. The actual invitations for your far-away fling should be sent 2 ½-3 months prior to saying "I do."
- When do we announce our elopement?
- Should I announce my small second wedding?
- Must we invite my stepmom if my dad can't attend?
- How do I keep my reception adults-only?
- How can I cut guest dates?
- How do I put both sets of parents on the invite?
- How do we request non-black tie attire?
- How do I word ceremony-only invites?
- We're doctors—how do we use our titles?
- Can we specify an end time?
- Is it ok to print envelopes on a computer?
- When should I send out-of-state invites?
- Can I include my deceased father on my invitations?
- Should I leave my father's name off of my invites?
- Must I include my in-laws on the invites?
- How do we explain that there's no dinner?
- Are nuptial newsletters necessary?
- Can invites say "no dinner" for a late ceremony?
- Should my parents get an invite?
- Must invites include groom's parents' names?
- What should go in my wedding programs?
- Must I send rehearsal dinner invites?
- Can registry info go with invites?
Submit Your Own Etiquette Question
Have an etiquette question you'd like our editors to answer?
- Where should RSVPs arrive?
- When do I send invites and save-the-date cards?
- What do I write on invites for a second wedding?
- How early should I send out my invitations?
- Is one invite ok for ceremony and reception?
- How do I phrase my Brady Bunch invites?
- How do I address professional guests' invites?
- If we pay without help, what do invites say?
- How do I word my invitations?
- Can I use printed labels on my invites?
- Must we mail invites for brunch?
- When should we put our engagement announcement in the newspaper?
- How can I turn down my mom's offer to address the invitations?
- How do I refer to the groom's stepfather on the invitation?
- Can we change our embrassing monogram?
- Do I have to provide postage on the RSVP cards?
- Should we put the name of the person who contributes the most money first on the invitations?
- Is it okay to have guests reply by email?
- When writing my thank-you notes, what do I say about the hideous vase my aunt gave me?
- How long do I have to write thank-you notes for my wedding presents?
- My invitations came from the printer and they forgot to list the time, what can I do?
- What should a couple do if their guests aren't sending in their RSVPs on time?
- How do I send a late invitation?
- Are inner envelopes required?
- Is it okay to have a B list if I don't get enough "yes" responses?
