12+ MONTHS PRIOR TO WEDDING

Around the 12 month mark {after you've booked your wedding venue, planner and photographer} you can start thinking about wedding stationery. If you are doing save the date cards, now is the time to start working with your invitation designer to start those, especially if you already have your engagement photos back and are eager to show them off!

Important disclaimer: if you are less than 12 months out from your wedding, it does not at all mean we cannot work together. We can adjust timelines and make them work in the timeframe you have! My own engagement was only six months long, so I am an expert at tighter timelines.

start save the date designs

9-12 months prior to wedding

Save the Dates should be mailed 9-12 months before your wedding date to give guests plenty of time to plan for your wedding. If you have less than 6 months to go before your wedding, skip the save the dates and move straight to wedding invitations.

MAIL SAVE THE DATE CARDS

6 months prior to wedding

2021 was notorious for shortages and shipping delays, paper and stationery products were not excluded from those problems. This is why I recommend starting sooner rather than later to hire and start design of your wedding invitations. Again, my recommendation is to start as soon as you can if you have a shorter timeframe than 6 months. Or consider a semi-custom invitation design that you can still personalize with your wedding colors and details, but will cut down on the time spent designing a suite from scratch.

start wedding invitation design

4-5 MONTHS PRIOR TO WEDDING

Your invitation suite will be sent to the printer within 24-48 hours of final approvals being submitted, typically at the 4-5 month prior to the wedding. This allows time for receiving the invitations, assembly and stuffing and stamping envelopes before they need to go in the mail.

invitations are put into production

10-12 weeks prior to wedding

I always recommend a minimum of 8 weeks for wedding invitations to be mailed, but more time doesn't hurt, especially if you are mailing during a busy holiday season. It’s is also recommended to mail them sooner if you are having a holiday or destination wedding (to give guests more time to plan for accommodations and time off work) or are sending invitations internationally.

Also, start thinking about any day of wedding signage and stationery you’d like to include on your wedding day. Design can start before you have final guest counts so you are ahead of the game and not stressing about design elements right before your wedding. Most day of stationery can be shipped directly to you or your wedding planner to avoid extra shipping times.

MAIL INVITATIONS, START DESIGNING "DAY OF" STATIONERY

3-4 weeks prior to wedding

This timeframe is when you want to make sure you have received your guests’ response cards back so you can plan for a total number of guests both for your caterer and also get any day of stationery like seating charts or escort cards on order.

recommended return date for response cards

after the wedding

Start thinking about what thank you cards or holiday cards you’d like to send out after your wedding to show off those amazing newlywed photos. These can be designed to match your wedding invitations or be a completely unique design!

order thank you & holiday cards