How many weeks before the wedding should you send invitations?

Aim to post your invitations between 8 and 12 weeks before the wedding. This is the sweet spot: guests have plenty of notice to book time off, arrange childcare and sort out travel, but the date and venue are still firmly in their minds. If many guests are travelling from overseas, or your wedding falls on a bank holiday weekend, lean towards 12 weeks. If your guest list is mostly local and simple, 8 weeks is fine.

Before you send anything, make sure your venue, caterer and key suppliers are confirmed, and that you have your final guest list checked for names and addresses. Send save the dates earlier, around 6 to 9 months ahead, for destination weddings or very popular dates. Your invitation should include the date, time, venue address, dress code and your wedding website address if you have one. It should also state the RSVP deadline clearly, so guests know when to reply.

If you are using online invitations, you can send them a little later, but the same 8 to 12 week rule still works well. For a second wave of invitations to people on a reserve list, send them as soon as you know you have space, usually about 6 weeks before.