Your big day is fast approaching. You’ve taken your engagement photos and set a date. Now you just want everyone you love to block that day off on their calendar. But how soon should you send out save the date cards? What about invitations to your bridal shower? And what about the actual invites — do you know when to send wedding invitations?

All these questions (and more) are about to be answered. We’ll help you construct the perfect wedding day timeline to give your guests enough notice with save the dates, wedding invites, and RSVP deadlines. You’ll also learn suggested time frames on when to send out invitations to bachelor and bachelorette parties, and the rehearsal dinner, and we’ll cover what deadline to set for RSVPs.

So grab your white wedding planner or open up your Google calendar because we have a special timeline to construct. At the end of this virtual wedding planning session, you’ll know exactly when to notify your guests about your big day.
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It’s just two months until the big day. The bridal party is chosen, the menu selected, and the cake taste-tested. Now is the time to send out the invitations — but how does one address wedding invitations? Don’t worry — this is our territory.

There is a formal way to address wedding invitations, and we’re happy to walk you through it. The questions may already be bubbling up in your own mind: Whose name should you write first? How do you tell single guests whether they’re welcome to bring a plus one? How do you invite a whole family?

All of these questions — and probably a few others — are about to be answered. But before you write the addresses for each person on your guest list, let’s talk about envelopes.
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Getting engaged and planning a wedding is an exciting time in your life. You’ve done all the fun stuff — shared the news with loved ones, taken engagement photos, and put together your dream wedding Pinterest board. Once you set the wedding date, though, the real work begins. It’s time to dive into the logistics of wedding planning, including sending save the dates. Picking the right design for your wedding save the date is enough of a task. But you also need to figure out when to send save the dates.

Wedding etiquette changes as the times change, and the rules are not the same as when your grandparents were getting married. These days, wedding invitations are becoming more informal, online invitations are more common, and even save the dates are a fairly recent addition to the wedding suite. So it’s only natural to have a lot of questions. We’re going to get into the nitty-gritty of when to send your save the dates and other save the date etiquette.
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Photo by Julia Kinnunen Photography

They asked; you said “yes!”—and once you’ve called loved ones and spread the news on social media, the planning process can officially begin! Deciding when to send your wedding invitations or begin communicating with guests can be intimidating, especially when you consider all of the different stationery components. From engagement party invitations to save-the-dates, we’ve compiled a recommended timeline of when to send your wedding invitations and all of your other wedding-related events. Check out the infographic below (or in plain-text for easy copy/pasting if you prefer!) to find out where to start when considering a timeline for your wedding mailings:

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Newly engaged couples often have questions when it comes to their save the dates (and rightfully so—there’s a lot to it!) With digital save the dates, you can make life a little easier. The best part? You don’t have to sacrifice style in the process!

Below are some common questions that we hear about sending wedding save the dates, that will hopefully make the process that much smoother.

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Wedding planning is all about the details, so we’re thrilled to share some expert advice from Megan Clark, the owner of Clutch Events here in Seattle! One of her top tips is all about timing. While it certainly won’t be the most fun aspect of wedding planning (hello, cake tasting!), it very well could be the most important. According to Megan, “Your ceremony start time is a key decision that will impact timing for the rest your wedding.”

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Someone once said to me that the main reason why a couple chooses to have a destination wedding is to keep the wedding small without having to compromise on the guest list. Whether or not you agree with that, here are six things not to do when planning a destination wedding:

1. Inviting people you dislike: Since your guests will be spending money and time to fly to your wedding, they will most likely also turn the trip into their own personal vacation and stay longer than the actual wedding.  So before you send your ex an invite, ask yourself if you really want to see him for more than a day.

2. Sending invitations at the last minute: If you want anyone to show up, you need to send out invitations, or at least save the dates, as soon as possible so your guests can plan ahead. Digital invitations can save you a lot of time!

3. Forgetting to the check the weather: The last thing you want is a hurricane to ruin your wedding day.

4. Forgetting to take care of your guests: Did Sally fly to the wrong airport or Marcus get a sunburn because he forgot to pack sunscreen?  Remember to provide important transportation information on Greenvelope’s details page and welcome baskets with essentials for your guests.

5. Not asking for help:  Planning a wedding at a distance can become overwhelming. Hire a destination wedding planner to help shoulder some of the burden.

6. Underestimating costs: It’s easy to forget to factor in expenses such as welcome bags, unexpected activities, and travel costs.

Did we forget something? Comment below!

One day you will have children of your own, perhaps even a daughter. You’re going to love and provide for her during her formative years. But you know that the day will come, when a strapping young man whisks her away from you. That’s definitely a big deal, and you wouldn’t want to mess it up for any father in the world. So without further ado, Greenvelope gives you 5 tips to asking the father for his daughters hand in marriage. (And yes, you definitely have to ask.)

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Love makes anything and everything suddenly possible. When a woman is truly in love, the thought of marrying and spending the rest of her life with her significant other is only a kneel away. Ideas of when and how he will propose starts flashing inside her mind.  This means that she is ready and waiting to see how you will pop the question.

1. Down Memory lane

As Cliff mentioned in Part One, waiting for the right time and finding the right place is very important.  A time and place with sentimental value is much more important than the size of the rock (for most women).  Find out ahead of time if her schedule is free or wait till your next anniversary and propose at the place where you first met or shared your first kiss. If you met in a city different than the one you are currently residing in, surprise her with plane tickets! Or if there was another moment in time that both of you are very fond of, take her there and recreate the experience. read more…

If you’re reading this, congratulations, it seems like you have found the one! While ultimately we do believe that your significant other already has his or her mind made up, we here at Greenvelope are here to offer some advice to make sure your proposal goes smoothly!

1. Be as sure as you can that she’ll say yes!

Nothings more awkward than a proposal gone wrong, for the proposer or the proposee. Make sure you bring it up in conversation beforehand, when you propose it’s not only about knowing that you want to spend the rest of your life with her, but also knowing that she would like to spend it with you.

2. Talking to the Parents.

As old fashioned as it seems, it is crucial to ask the father for his daughter’s hand in marriage, or at least inform him of it. The reality is, your future wife was their little girl for a large part of her life, and the least you can do is state your intention to them. After all, eventually you’re going to want to be given the same courtesy when it comes to your future daughter.
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