when is a reasonable time to send Wedding Invites out?

[RestlessTraveller]

Just that really. Need advice, how long before the event is a good time to send the invites out?

I think 6 weeks is traditionally accepted, but certainly for me and my circle of friends most people would be booked up with so little notice!

We send save the date cards 9 months early (almost all guests will need to travel 2hrs plus and stay over) and invites about 5 months in advance. Even like that we got lots of questions before invites went out asking for details so hotels could be booked!

Personally I think in today's climate people are busy, and more notice is better!!

Jeez, I sent mine out about 4.5 months before (but didn't do save the dates) and still got grief off all parents even though we told them the date as soon as we booked the venue!

In fairness, it gave us plenty of time to move things around as we had quite a few dropouts late on.

8 weeks in the wedding guide bbioks

Depends what time of year the wedding is as well.

6 weeks notice for a wedding at the end of the work holiday year, where guests might have to take a few days of work for travel or whatever, but would most likely have already taken / booked all their holiday, would be more problematic than 6 weeks notice for a similar wedding at the beginning of the work holiday year.

IIRC we gave out invites about 3 months in advance, which was pretty much when we booked the venue, but our nearest family / friends were aware of roughly when we were planning on booking the wedding for before that.

We gave 6 months for family and our closest core of friends. Very few are local. DHs family needed to book flights. Immediate family knew well in advance so that they didn't clash their holidays as it was August. We didn't know how many aunts/ cousins would be prepared to come, and that affected numbers further down the line. Others were sent out about 3 or 4 months to go when numbers were clearer. A small number at 6 weeks of people who may have been evening guests such as colleagues. Clusters of people that knew eachother were sent simultaneously!

6 weeks is pretty archaic for a larger wedding planned in advance where most guests have long distance arrangements to make.

We got married in August, invites went out in June.

Traditionally 6 weeks has been the "correct" notice, but in RL that would make things difficult for lots of people if you hadn't asked them to save the date and told them where it was, etc. months in advance.

The longer the better if:
It's in the main holiday season (lots of people book by October for the following August)
The day is timed so people will quite likely want to find somewhere to stay overnight
People need to book AL from work
People need to book flights or trains

We had one 8 months in advance, but it was for a Christmas wedding where people probably needed quite a lot of notice to book leave. Did mean I wasn't pregnant when I accepted and about ready to pop when we got there

I opted for four months ahead for people I really wanted to attend*, and around 6 weeks ahead for the rest.

*older people who'd need to make travel arrangements, and people travelling long distances that might need to make hotel bookings, etc.

We sent save the dates about 10 months before (I think? ish, anyway), then actual invites about 3 months before.

And everyone in the actual wedding party, parents and bridesmaids and stuff, knew about a year before, as soon as we had the key stuff booked, to prevent accidental holiday booking.

(Though this did not prevent one of my cousins booking a long holiday overseas claiming not to have done it before she got the StD except the whole story did not quite add up. Not that I begrudge her the holiday, it sounded marvellous and for various reasons had to be over that date, it was the dodgy and flimsy excuse that annoyed me.)

I sent my save-the-dates a year before, and my invitations about 2 - 3 months before, with an RSVP date of five weeks.

If people have to travel a long distance/probably book accommodation it really is better to let them know early. We had a lot of people in that category so sent or about 6 months in advance (we didn't have a long engagement so couldn't have given much more notice!).

We sent out save the dates 8 months in advance and invites 3 months before Id have been gutted if close friends had booked holidays or something and weren't there. We only had one decline

6 weeks for the invite but that's why you have save the date cards/fridge magnets etc. Bung them in with xmas cards if you send them.

We sent Save The Day cards around 15 months before the wedding date once our date was booked. Most weddings I've been to have been similar. We were getting married on a popular bank holiday date so wanted to give people as much notice as possible formally if the my wanted to come as we were conscious it's a possible time for weekends away or those working weekends who would need to take annual leave. Personally I work weekends so need as much notice as possible to get time off work

We had also decided on it being adults only so informed of this at that time so that anyone who may have an issue with that has lots of time to decide if they wished to come. Our invites went out 10 or 12 weeks before for day guests. Evening guests were a slightly shorter time.

If you haven't done Save The Dates, I would say at least 6 months. Less than 3 and many people will have made plans or not have spare cash. If I got in invite 6 weeks out I would think it was incredibly disorganised, especially if I was expected to save for a gift, accommodation and travel.
We told people over 1 years out but have family in different countries.

I could only ever see 6 weeks being a viable option, if you'd sent save the date cards.

Let people know the date as soon as- even if it's only by email. I've had a couple of "Save the dates" done as a FB event which wasn't an etiquette problem for me.

If people are aware of the date, then six weeks a formal paper invite is fine.

Summer is a busy time for most people, especially in wedding season. If you want people to come to your wedding day- and I'm sure your guests do- then it seems best all round to let them know once the date is booked.