When to Send Your Save-the-Dates - UKbride Blog

When to Send Your Save-the-Dates

For brides struggling with wedding dilemmas, UKbride’s Wall is designed for brides to ask and answer ‘Member Requests.’ This can be anything from bridesmaid troubles to centrepiece inspiration. However, our number one query is when to send save-the-dates and invites out, so hopefully this blog post gives you the answer you’re looking for…

It’s no wonder our brides are baffled; there are so many different answers to this question. And truthfully, it doesn’t really matter, as long as you give guests enough time to respond. However, if you want to stick to tradition, here’s a simple rule to follow.

When to Send Save-the-Dates

These should be sent out 4-6 MONTHS before the wedding. This gives your guests plenty of time to arrange for child care or work arrangements, and not too much time for them to ‘forget.’

Exceptions to the Rule 

Send them 6-8 MONTHS before the wedding if you’re getting married abroad. Obviously, there are a lot more commitments involved with this so it’s worth sending them out a little further in advance.

Another part to consider is if your wedding is in the summer holidays. This is the time when parents have children at home and are probably looking to book holidays so you may want to give them a little more notice.

If you’re having a winter wedding, it’s also worth giving 6-8 months, as it’s a busy and expensive time so consider this when sending invites.

Excited Brides

You may be getting married in two or three years time, but can’t wait to tell everyone about it. We recommend holding off for just a little while longer and giving your guests a MAXIMUM of a year’s notice. This is because your invite can get easily misplaced and we understand that relationships with people change all the time. A friend that you would’ve considered inviting two years ago you may not speak to now.

When to Send Wedding Invitations

While your save-the-dates have the date of your wedding on, the wedding invitation has all the information a guest will need; location, timing, dress code, plus-one rules, gift list, RSVP cards etc. These should be sent 2-3 MONTHS before the big day.

 
Exceptions to the Rule 

Like save-the-dates, send them around 3-4 MONTHS in advance if you’re getting married abroad, in summer holidays or during Christmas. Try not to send them any earlier than four months.

Also, we recommend sending evening guest invitations with day guests – they don’t need as much notice, but it makes your life a lot easier sending them all together. Also, an evening guest may hear a day guest has been invited and presume they haven’t been invited thus causing resentment and confusion.

When to Ask for RSVPs

Always make sure you have a cut off point on RSVPs! There are always a handful of guests that will leave it till the very last minute. Ask for two to three weeks notice giving you enough time for a final head count. Don’t be afraid to give them a friendly call or email if they haven’t come back to you after this deadline. If they haven’t come back to you, presume they are not coming; you don’t want to be spending loads of money on someone for them to not even respond to you.

Hopefully that clears up a lot of your wedding invite queries! Let us know if you have anymore in the comments below.

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