When to send out all those damn wedding cards and invitations

Save the Dates, shower and bachelor/ette parties, wedding invitations, Thank You cards… when do you need to send out all those damn wedding things? Well, first of all, you don’t NEED to send anything (except Thank You notes), and every wedding works differently. But here’s a super-helpful guide for when to send out wedding info for maximum efficiency purposes…

Save the Dates

We’ve talked about Save the Dates a lot, but when exactly should they be sent out? I say, as early as possible. If you really want a hard number: six months prior to the wedding date. You want to send these out as early as possible — especially if you’re having a destination or holiday wedding — so that people can plan accordingly, save up money, get the time off work, start crafting your wedding gifts, etc.

For more information on Save the Dates, check out these posts:

• Save the Dates: why, when, and how it’s done
• 3 things to be sure to include in your Save the Dates
• Bride spins out of control selecting Save the Date photos
• 5 ways you can rock your engagement photos AND save the dates
• Or check out our entire archive of awesome Save the Date ideas

Shower and bachelor/ette party invitations

Obviously this is going to depend on if you even want to have these extra parties. If so, you might want to send your shower or bachelorette invites about four weeks before the date of the party.

For more information on showers and bachelor/ette parties, check out these posts:

• Torture-free wedding showers
• Should we still have a wedding shower if we’re an eloping military couple?
• Can we talk about consensual bridal showers?
• Offbeat bachelorette party ideas
• Or check out our entire archive devoted to wedding parties and showers.

Wedding Invitations

The BIG BOYS of the wedding suite — the invite, the response card, and any other info you need to send your guests. Send these out between eight and twelve weeks prior to your wedding date. Of course, you have a little more wiggle room on the timing if you’ve already sent out Save the Dates.

For more information on wedding invitations, check out these posts:

• Wedding invitation wording that won’t make you barf
• Casual wedding invitations and the insanity of writing out “Two Thousand and Fourteen”
• Reception-only wedding invitations that won’t make your guests feel excluded
• What software should I use to design my DIY wedding invitations?
• Or check out our entire wedding invitation and invitation wording sections.

Thank You cards

To quote Ariel on this one: “You really should send thank you cards for all gifts received during the course of planning your wedding within two months of the wedding itself.” Even if you’re a year out from your wedding, start your thank you list now because people will be lending you helping hands from the moment you get engaged.

For more information on Thank Yous, check out these posts:

• Why you should start thinking about thank you cards before the wedding
• Write thank-you notes as you open your shower gifts
• I don’t know if someone got us a wedding gift… should I send a thank you card?
• Copy ‘n’ paste thank yous to make your friends & family feel all glowy & special-like
• Or check out our Thank You card archive with tons of advice!

Of course, dates and times vary with every single wedding and event. These are just guidelines to help get your brains around where to start with all these damn wedding things! Now feel free to leave your own advice as far as timing and sending.