This is usually the first question I am asked during a consultation — “is it too early to order my invitations?”  A couple is eager to start planning, but doesn’t want to start too early!

If you order too early there’s a change of things changing, like the ceremony time or the guest list.  While we can work around that, you also don’t want to order too late — you might get hit with a rush charge.  There are so many moving parts to planning a wedding and sometimes, invitations become an after though.  Because they’re typically sent six to eight weeks before your wedding day, it’s important to consider them about eight months before your wedding date.

 

 

After Finalizing Details

I ask a lot of questions during our consultation – your wedding date, venue, and your overall aesthetic for your wedding.  It’s important to have the big logistics and general vision nailed down before ordering wedding invitations.

Along with knowing the when and where, knowing the who will help get the invite process started.  Having a rought estimate of your guest listing is necessary to get your invitation quote.  You don’t have to have every name and address ready when you reach out to me, buit you ought to have a good idea of the total number.  Not sure how many to order?  No problem!  Refer back to this handy post — and remember, it’s one per household, not guest.

 

 

Timeline

The below is a general guide to when you should order and mail wedding invitations if you’re working with me. Different designers and businesses have varied turnaround times. For example, if you’re working with an artist who is hand painting artwork and calligraphy for envelopes you might need to start the process about a year in advance.

After designing invitations for twelve years and working with hundreds of couples, I’ve found these timelines to be spot on.