Timeline for wedding invitations

Wedding Invitations are one of those items that must be on the check list!

The Invitation is what sets the tone and feel for the whole wedding. You don't want to leave these to last minute! The invitations are one of the most important things, and not just because if you don't send them no one will come, but this is your first impression of what your wedding will be like!

You can only make a good first impression Once!

Browsing different style invitations can also help with what style wedding you want, yes everything needs to have the same style so don't try to save money buy using a cheap style wedding invitation that your guest will bring to the wedding and then realize you bought your invitations at an office supply store and used stock images because none of the styles correlate.

Start browsing invitations about 9-11 months before the big day. Check out different styles, and designers. It may seem more expensive these days to have a designer rather than just buying an "off the rack" invitation but its really not! Designers, like me, will usually bundle items together and work one-on-one with you to give you exactly the style you want!

This will guarantee that the invitations will match your wedding!! 

....and they will match your save-the-dates!

Once you've narrowed your search of styles let, your designer know so that she, I (wink, wink) can start designing your save-the-dates. These are usually sent out about 6-8 months before. This gives out-of-town-ers enough time to start saving money to be able to make it to your wonderful event!

After the save-the-dates you want to start the design process: what style, how many people, how many inserts would you like, a standard invitation card and rsvp? Or do you need an accommodations card and directions also? Make sure you get all this done and finalized for the designer by about 4-5 months before.

4-5 months you should be done with your invitation designs, this gives enough time for the designer to get  a sample to you, and make changes if need be. By 2-3 months before the big day you should have your invitations in hand with your bridesmaids stuffing and mailing them!

Finally about 2 weeks before the Wedding you should be receiving the RSVP cards so you have time to plan your table seating!

The invitations can be the most fun process! Remember it is what sets the tone for the whole wedding! You don't want your guests to open your invitation and feel the cheap paper and be able to notice that these were clearly a template you picked up from an office supply store and you ran through the computer! You want them to see how nice and fancy they are and have your guest get excited about going to your wedding! 

*Thank you to theknot.com for providing a checklist and information*