When to send wedding invitations (and save the dates)
The timings that actually work, why the RSVP deadline matters more than the send date, and what changes when your guests have to fly.
The short version
- Save the dates six to eight months ahead; invitations eight to ten weeks ahead; the RSVP deadline three to four weeks before the day.
- Work the RSVP deadline backwards from the date your caterer needs final numbers.
- For a destination wedding, send everything earlier: save the dates eight to twelve months out, invitations three to four months out.
- Plan for a fifth to a quarter of guests to need a reminder.
The short answer: save the dates six to eight months ahead, invitations eight to ten weeks ahead, RSVP deadline three to four weeks before the day. The rest of this article is what to do when your wedding does not fit that shape, which is most weddings.
Save the dates
Send these six to eight months before, and only to people who are definitely invited. A save the date is a promise; taking it back later is far worse than never sending one.
You do not need one at all if you are sending invitations more than four months ahead, or if your guest list is small enough that everybody already knows.
The invitation itself
Eight to ten weeks before the wedding is the sweet spot. Earlier than three months and people file it away and forget; later than six weeks and you are competing with plans already made.
Digital invitations shift this slightly in your favor, because there is no printing lead time and no post. You can decide on a Tuesday and send on a Tuesday, which means you can wait until the venue and the schedule are genuinely settled instead of sending early to hit a print deadline.
The RSVP deadline is the number that matters
Work backwards from your caterer, not forwards from today. Most venues want final numbers one to two weeks before the day. Give yourself a buffer and set the RSVP deadline three to four weeks before, which leaves you a week to chase the people who have not replied. And there will be people who have not replied.
Put the deadline on the invitation itself, as a date rather than as a number of weeks. Please reply by May 12 reads as a commitment; please reply within four weeks reads as a suggestion.
Destination weddings and guests who fly
- Save the dates eight to twelve months ahead, since flights and leave need booking
- Invitations three to four months ahead, not eight weeks
- RSVP deadline six to eight weeks before, so you can release room blocks
- Say early on roughly what the trip will cost people; it is kinder than letting them find out
What to do about the people who never reply
Assume a fifth to a quarter of your list will need a reminder. This is not rudeness; it is how invitations have always worked. The trick is to make the reminder effortless for you and unembarrassing for them: a short direct message with the link, sent only to the people who have not answered, rather than a general appeal in a group chat that the people who did reply also have to read.
If you are collecting replies online, you already know exactly who is missing. That list is the whole reason chasing stops being a chore.
Common questions
When should wedding invitations be sent?
Eight to ten weeks before the wedding for a local one, and three to four months before if guests are traveling internationally. Set the RSVP deadline three to four weeks before the day, so you have a week to chase anyone who has not replied before the caterer needs final numbers.
Do we need save the dates?
Only if the wedding is more than four months away, or if guests will need to book travel or time off. Send them six to eight months ahead, and only to people who are definitely invited, because a save the date cannot be taken back.
How long should we give guests to reply?
Around four to six weeks between sending the invitation and the RSVP deadline. Any longer and people put it off; any shorter and you catch guests who are away.
Tell them the date today, free
Send a save the date with your names and a countdown. When you are ready, the same link becomes your invitation with an RSVP.
Make your save the date →
