With much excitement about starting the wedding planning, the first question most couples ask after getting engaged is, “When should I order my invitations”?
There is a chance something could change with your ceremony time, reception time, or guest list, so you may not want to order too early. However, if you order too late, you could get hit with a rush charge. Some so many pieces and parts go into planning a wedding, and invitations often become an afterthought. Because they are sent out 6-10 weeks before the big day, it’s essential to start considering them about six months before the wedding.
Invitations can roughly take approximately 3-12 weeks after final approval of the proof, depending on the degree of customization, not including shipping time.
Ordering them far enough out will allow sufficient time to proofread, and make any necessary changes before going to print, production, shipping, assembly (if available), and addressing (if you use a calligraphy service, allow one to three weeks minimally for this service), assess postage, stamp, and mail all with enough time for your guests to receive them six to eight weeks before the event date (ten weeks if guests are coming from out of the country.
Wedding invitations are typically mailed 6-8 weeks (10 weeks for out of the country) before the wedding date. I recommend sending an additional four weeks earlier for destination and holiday weekend weddings.
Stay tuned for Part II – How many invitations should you order?