Everything you need to know for save the dates and invites
You are having a party and the first thing you need to do is invite the crowd! So you head to Facebook and create an event.
But then you remember this is for your wedding and you should MAYBE do something a little more formal. 😂
How are you doing? You’re planning a wedding, that’s a big deal and once you are in it, it really kinda seems like maybe you really don’t know that much about the wedding planning process 🤪
That’s exactly how I felt when I planned my wedding last year. I thought, “I am a wedding photographer no big deal.”
Wrong. 😂
Getting the vendors booked was the EASIEST part! Why was that always what people were struggling with?! Where did I go to get the answers to the questions I didn’t even know were a question until I got married!
Most of my life, I had to learn things on my own. I didn’t really have much support and guidance on HOW to do things. I just knew I HAD to do things. 🤔
So now I share literally all of the information that I get because I have realized that there are LOTS of things that you may know that others don’t. SHARE THAT SHIT! Support each other!! WOO! 🥳
Anyways, one of the things I didn’t know when planning my wedding was when to send save the dates and when to send invitations. I knew that I WANTED to send both of them and I knew my vision for them, but I wasn’t sure and I didn’t feel confident in myself, even when I looked online for help!
So here is what I learned along the way 😁
YOU CAN DO WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU WANT TO DO
And here is some helpful information to help you make those choices. 😊
The mail and the weather are unpredictable
living in Central IL this is something I regularly witness. One week is sunshine and the next week it’s a snow storm. The weather could delay the mail. With mail services taking 1-3 days (normally), there are many things that can impact this, so estimate that it’s going to take your invitation at least a week to get there.
And estimate that you might lose a few in the mail. 😂Be mindful and give people time to be able to make plans to go
Destination weddings are awesome, but if you don’t want people there then just don’t invite them. Sending out save the dates 6 months before your wedding in Jamaica is not SUPER considerate of people’s time. Save the dates for destination weddings should go out at least ONE YEAR in advance to allow your guests time to make the plans.
Like I said, if you don’t want certain people there then don’t invite them 😂 Plus you could always have a reception back at home for everyone to attend.Put an RSVP date of at least ONE MONTH before your wedding
Trust me, you will feel more relieved in knowing your guest count by then and also some vendors request it at this time. Also, there will surely be people who RSVP yes and then have something come up or happen, so if you think of someone later on, you should have some room 😁Know how long your invitations and save the dates will take to get delivered to you.
If you are having hand drawn invitations, they are probably going to take long to make. If you want your picture on the save the dates, make sure you schedule your engagement photos with enough time to get the images back and order them.Don’t forget the stamps!
When planning your budget for invitations and save the dates, remember the cost of stamps. You could end up spending a few hundred dollars on stamps without having that figured into your budget. That could really throw somethings off!
TL:DR
Save the dates should go out:
at least 6 months before the big day for a wedding near home
at least one year for a destination wedding
Invitations should go out:
at least 3 months before the day and should have an RSVP by date of at MINIMUM one month before the day 🥳
Also, you don’t have to send save the dates. If you want to save some money, just send out for invitations when you would send out your save the dates so people have that time.
You might have to send out more reminders because of the gap in time, but also some people want to RSVP yes right away! I had quite a few people asking to RSVP when they received our save the date! 😮
When planning a party, just think (realistically) about when you like to know plans and when you like to start preparing. You’ll have a lot going on the few months before the wedding so the more you have prepped and ready to go (if possible) the better you will feel!
Looking for some more wedding advice, check out these blogs:
