Weddings revolve around timelines before, during, and after your celebration. Nearly all of the most frequently asked questions, especially those asked about wedding stationery, revolve around when.
When should we meet with a stationery designer?
When should we mail our save-the-dates?
When should we finalize and mail our wedding invitations?
When do we need to finalize our day-of wedding stationery?
…and so on.
I love answering these questions for my couples. When I think about information that should be available for everyone, the answers to the above questions all top the list! So, today, I’m diving into all of the when questions, so you feel like you’re in-the-know about each and every wedding stationery step that’s part of your timeline. Let’s dive in!
When should we meet with a stationery designer?
The earlier, the better! Most wedding professionals are all in agreement that the earlier you contact us for any service, the better off you will be. Stationery is a bit different than florals, for example, because I can create stationery for multiple weddings happening on the same day. But, there is a charge for last minute requests. To avoid any additional fees and to have plenty of time to enjoy your stationery design experience, consider sending me a note 10-11 months prior to your wedding day.
When should we mail save-the-dates?
I like to start designing save-the-dates 2-3 months before you plan to send them, so keep this detail in mind! Once you know your wedding venue and wedding date, contact me so we can get started.
The best timeline to stick to when deciding when to mail your save-the-dates is you should plan to send them 6-8 months before your wedding day. You’ll want to mail them closer to the eight-month mark if you’re hosting a destination wedding or if many of your guests will be traveling to your wedding from out of town. The earlier your guests know about your wedding, the earlier they can start looking into and booking their flights and accommodations.
When should we start working on our wedding invitations?
Once your save-the-dates are in the mail, we’ll start working on your wedding invitations. Most often, we dive into this piece up to six months prior to your wedding day, especially if you’re dreaming of a custom invitation suite. If you’re planning to send a semi-custom wedding invitation suite to your guests, the timeline can be shortened to four months, but the rule of “the more time, the better” still applies!
When should we mail our wedding invitations?
Similar to mailing save-the-dates, I always advise couples to keep two separate timelines in mind.
If you’re hosting a destination wedding, the best thing to do is to mail your wedding invitations 10-12 weeks prior to your wedding. Again, this allows your loved ones to make sure their flights, accommodations, and vacation time are all set.
On the flip side, if you’re hosting a local wedding, plan to send your invitations eight weeks prior to your wedding day. This timeline allows the mail enough time to arrive to your guests’ homes, and guests have enough time to confirm they can attend and send back their RSVP to you.
Speaking of RSVPs, guests will want to send them back to you 6-8 weeks before a destination wedding and four weeks prior to a local wedding. The timeline is important because your catering team will need a final guest tally for your event.
When do we need to finalize our day-of wedding stationery?
Just like the timeline in between save-the-dates and wedding invitations, the timeline in between invitations and day-of wedding stationery is also fluid! Before we get too far ahead, I thought I would define day-of wedding stationery. This typically refers to wedding ceremony programs, escort cards or signs, place cards, cocktail signs, welcome signs, favor cards, etc. Any paper details you will would like to have on your wedding day falls into this category!
In terms of timing, I like to start working on day of wedding stationery up to two months prior to your wedding day. This gives us time to review your designs and color palette once more, and there’s plenty of time for me to mock up each piece for you. Once your design is complete, don’t forget it needs to be printed! If you live local to Philadelphia, I’ll invite you (or your planner) to my studio to pick up your pieces, or I can also ship them to you.
If you have any additional questions about wedding stationery timing, please feel free to send me a note. Otherwise, share this post with your friends and family who are planning weddings. I want everyone to be in the know!