When to send save the dates and invitations

Hi,

I sent my save the dates about 8 or 9 months before and I'm about to send my invitations this week (4 months before).

I would send the majority of your save the dates about a year in advance and keep some back as you may change your mind closer to the date.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! As a general rule, it's recommended to send out save the dates 6-8 months before the wedding, especially if it falls on a holiday weekend when people's schedules may fill up quickly. Since your wedding is in August 2024, you could send out your save the dates around February to April 2024. This will give your guests plenty of time to plan and make any necessary arrangements, such as booking accommodation or travel.

As for invitations, they are typically sent out 6-8 weeks before the wedding. You can send them out a bit earlier if you want, especially if you have a lot of out-of-town guests or if your wedding is a destination wedding.

Overall, it's better to give your guests more notice than less, especially for a holiday weekend wedding. Happy planning! Optimum Mail

Hi! I am also getting married the same weekend! We are sending out our save the dates next month as August bank holiday is a really popular time for people to go away. There’s no harm in sending them early xx

Personally I think the timescales above are too short. I am getting married in June this year in the school half term. I sent my save the dates out a year before and my invitations 6 months before.
People tend to sort their holidays and things out very far in advance so if your wedding falls on a bank holiday send them out early. 6-8 weeks is far too short notice. For one thing my venue requires final numbers 8 weeks before, so this wouldn't work for me.

As an August wedding I would suggest send your save the dates a year before, so it's on people's radar and then I would say between 4-6 months for your invites. People plan and book holidays in August a year in advance sometimes so you need to make people aware.

Seeing as it’s peak holiday season in August, we sent our save the dates about a year before the date to our close friends and family only!

Hi!!! I'm getting married this weekend too!!!! 24th Eeeeek!!!

Because i'm getting married abroad i actually have already sent mine out!!!

As you said most people tend to make plans for bank holidays so i would definitely recommend doing it soon,

I plan on sending my invites out 1 year in advance (August this year) again for people to have plenty of notice to book flights, accommodation ect and I just want all my guests to book before the prices rise for the flights and hotels with it being bank holiday ~

I agree with those who have said you should get them out now. You're right that's a really popular weekend for weddings and holidays so people could do with knowing now - at least the ones you actually want to be there! I think if you left it to 9 months before like the online guides say people might already have plans.

I'm getting married on 31st august 2024 and we've just started sending out our save the dates, and a lot of our guests appreciated this. Best to do it soon as parents might be booking holidays whilst kids are off school xxx

I get married this aug and just sent out invites there last week. Didnt do save the dates. We did let family and friends know as soon we booked our date (this time last year) and my bestie gets married the month before, her invites went out end of january.
Im with pp saying send early. August is prime holiday time. Get your speak in early as they say lol. Happy planning!

Send them out now! We are getting married August 24 and have just done so. So many people book summer holidays a year in advance. Also I think it’s pointless sending save the dates only a few months before you’d send invitations!

I'm getting married this summer and I sent my save the dates out over a year and a half in advance, as soon as we booked the venue. People found it hilarious that they received them so early, but as we were just coming out of big COVID disruptions, my family - particularly those who live abroad and those who book holidays around this time - appreciated the warning!

Hello! I’m July 2024 and I’ve just decided I’m sending them out now for the people who need to travel and book accommodation. The rest will be here and there over the next few months. My original plan was I think between August and October, but as I see it, weddings are expensive as it is and gives people more time to save etc. I’ve also said before on a post that I’m not giving any to workmates as they come and go. They’ll only get an invitation nearer the time, not that a save the date guarantees an invitation, but to me it’s pointless sending someone one if you weren’t going to invite them. Hope this helps.

Hi, I am getting married at the end of August 2024 and i am planning on sending my invites out this Easter if this helps. Its worth noting though, my wedding is abroad so i want to give my guests as much time as possible to plan/budget/save for the travel.

I'm getting married this August Bank Holiday and we sent save the dates as soon as we'd booked the important vendors on our chosen date (so November 2021). We've sent our invites out now (everyone will be travelling to where we live which is about an hour from most guests as they're dotted around), but it gives people time to book hotels etc if they need to as there are a lot of events on around us that tends to get the local hotels etc booked up quickly (most hotels open for bookings around a year before...for people you really want / need there, I'd suggest circulating the suggested hotels list around the time booking opens). Hope that helps!

Congrats! I’m getting married the weekend after and was also unsure about when to send save the dates. We booked the venue in February 2022, but I didn’t want to send them too early. We sent them in December 2022/January 2023 because they were ready then. We are only having close family and a few friends to the day though, and we haven’t given them to many friends (only bridal party and friends that are essentially family, if that makes sense), so there was less risk of changing minds etc about the guest list. For invites, I think a lot of it depends on if/when you need to confirm numbers, meal options etc with your venue. I know we need to confirm 12 weeks in advance, and I want people to have a few weeks to RSVP. You also don’t want to send invites last minute and be chasing RSVPs up to the day!