Send wedding save the dates 6 to 8 months before the wedding, send wedding invitations 6 to 8 weeks before, and set the RSVP deadline 3 to 4 weeks before the day. A destination wedding stretches every one of those windows: save the dates 8 to 12 months out, invitations 10 to 12 weeks out, replies due 6 weeks before. Everything else in the wedding stationery calendar, from the engagement party to the rehearsal dinner, hangs off those three dates, and this guide works through all of them backward from the wedding day.
Greenvelope is a digital wedding invitation platform built around exactly this calendar: wedding save the dates collect guest mailing addresses as replies come in, wedding invitations arrive in animated envelopes with built-in RSVP tracking, both can be scheduled to send on the morning you choose, and automatic reminders follow up with anyone who has not replied, so each date below is set once and runs on its own. The platform is rated 4.9 stars across more than 10,000 reviews on Trustpilot.
At a Glance
- Save the dates: 6 to 8 months before the wedding, or 8 to 12 months for a destination wedding
- Wedding invitations: 6 to 8 weeks before, or 10 to 12 weeks for a destination wedding
- RSVP deadline: 3 to 4 weeks before the day, about one week before the caterer’s final count is due
- Two reminders to non-responders: one week before the deadline and one or two days after it
- The rest of the calendar: engagement party, showers, bachelor and bachelorette weekends, rehearsal dinner
The Wedding Sending Timeline at a Glance
| Send |
Standard wedding |
Destination wedding |
| Save the dates | 6 to 8 months before | 8 to 12 months before |
|---|
| Wedding invitations | 6 to 8 weeks before | 10 to 12 weeks before |
|---|
| RSVP deadline | 3 to 4 weeks before | 6 weeks before |
|---|
| First reminder | One week before the RSVP deadline | One week before the RSVP deadline |
|---|
| Final reminder | One or two days after the deadline | One or two days after the deadline |
|---|
| Final count to the caterer | About one week after the deadline | About one week after the deadline |
|---|
These are the windows guests need, and they hold whether the invitation is printed or digital. For every other event type, from baby showers to corporate galas, our invitation timing guide for every event carries the full calendar; this page is the wedding version in depth.
When to Send Save the Dates
Send wedding save the dates 6 to 8 months before the wedding. That is early enough for guests to hold the date and book travel before calendars fill, and late enough that the wedding stays on their radar. Under 6 months, guests with flights or time off to arrange are already cutting it close; more than a year out, dates drift and plans change. For a destination wedding, or a wedding over a holiday weekend when flights and hotels sell out early, move the send to 8 to 12 months before.
The save the date carries four things: your names, the date, the city or destination, and a line saying a formal invitation will follow, with the wedding website as the one optional extra. It goes to every household that will receive an invitation and to no one else, because a save the date is a promise of an invitation. Our save the date wording guide has copy-ready examples for every register, and our guide to how to send save the dates online walks through the send itself once the date is locked.
Do You Need to Send Save the Dates for a Wedding?
For most weddings, yes. The save the date is the only piece of wedding stationery that arrives while guests can still keep the weekend clear, and it matters most when guests will travel, when the date falls on a holiday weekend, or when the guest list is large enough that conflicts are certain. It is safe to skip for a short engagement, a small and local guest list, or a date everyone already knows. If you skip it, send the invitation at the early end of its window, 8 weeks rather than 6, and let it do the whole job; on a Greenvelope invitation the RSVP deadline and scheduled reminders keep the date in front of guests from the day it lands. For what each piece should carry and what it should leave out, our save the date vs invitation guide settles it.
What to Have Ready Before the Save the Date Goes Out
Three things: a signed venue contract with the date locked, a guest list organized by household so nobody receives a save the date without an invitation to follow, and the wedding website link if the site is live. Mailing addresses are the one thing you do not need yet, because the save the date is the tool for collecting them. Send it from Greenvelope and address collection is built into the reply form, so guests add their mailing address when they respond and the list is complete before the invitation goes out; our save the date address collection guide covers how that works and where the addresses land. If the website is not ready in time, the invitation is the second chance to share it, and our guide to how to include your wedding website on your invitation covers the placement on both pieces.
How Far in Advance Should You Send Wedding Invitations?
Send wedding invitations 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding. Eight weeks suits a guest list with travelers or a wedding in a busy season; six weeks is enough for a local guest list that already holds the date from a save the date. Earlier than that and the invitation gets filed away and forgotten; later, and the RSVP deadline arrives before guests have had time to plan. Once the send date is set, our wedding invitation wording guide covers what the invitation should say, line by line, and our guide to how to send wedding invitations online walks through the send itself.
Setting the RSVP Deadline
Set the RSVP deadline 3 to 4 weeks before the wedding, and work backward from the caterer’s real cutoff: the deadline should land about one week before the final count is due, which leaves room to chase the last replies and finish the seating chart. Give guests at least two weeks between receiving the invitation and the deadline; much longer than that and replies stall until the final few days anyway. On a Greenvelope wedding invitation the deadline sits on the reply card, meal choices and any custom questions are collected with the reply, and the headcount updates in real time as guests respond, so the number the caterer needs is always current. Our guide to how to add custom questions to an online RSVP covers the extra questions worth asking at this stage.
Destination Weddings and Holiday Weekends
Destination weddings stretch every window: save the dates 8 to 12 months before, invitations 10 to 12 weeks before, and the RSVP deadline 6 weeks before the day, since flights, room blocks, and the headcount all need longer runways. Treat a wedding over a holiday weekend, or one where most of the guest list is flying in, the same way. A destination invitation also carries more than a local one, with travel details, the room block, and the weekend itinerary, and a Greenvelope invitation holds those on a details panel behind the card and links the wedding website with one button, so the send does not wait on extra inserts.
The Countdown, Working Backward From the Wedding Day
Put the wedding date at the bottom of the calendar and count up from it. The five dates below are the whole wedding sending timeline, with the destination figures in parentheses.
- 6 to 8 months before (8 to 12 months): send the save the dates. Lock the venue first, send to every household on the final guest list, and let the reply collect mailing addresses.
- 6 to 8 weeks before (10 to 12 weeks): send the wedding invitations with the RSVP deadline on them. Send them from Greenvelope and the reply deadline, the two reminders, and the running headcount are all set in the same sitting, with the invitations scheduled to go out on the morning you choose.
- 3 to 4 weeks before (6 weeks): the RSVP deadline, about one week before the caterer’s final count is due.
- One week before the deadline, then one or two days after it: the two reminders, sent only to guests who have not replied.
- About one week after the deadline: final count to the caterer and venue, seating chart finished, and a personal call to anyone still missing.
The Rest of the Wedding Calendar
Every wedding-adjacent event runs on its own send window, measured from that event rather than from the wedding, and each one is its own Greenvelope mailing with its own RSVP tracking:
Reminders and the Final Count
Plan on two nudges: a friendly reminder about one week before the RSVP deadline, and a brief final note one or two days after it passes, both sent only to guests who have not yet replied. Keep them short and warm; our RSVP reminder texts guide has ready-to-send wording for each. Greenvelope lets you schedule both reminders when the invitation goes out and sends them only to non-responders, so the cadence stays polite without a spreadsheet. If replies are still trickling in after the final note, our guide to how to get more guests to RSVP on time covers what actually moves the last few. Then the final count goes to the caterer, and the seating chart starts from a headcount that already lives in the guest list rather than on sticky notes.
Printed, Digital, or Both: How the Timeline Changes
The windows above are about guest planning, so they do not change with the format. What changes is the sender’s side of the calendar. A printed suite needs design proofs, printing, addressing, and postage before it reaches anyone, so the work starts weeks ahead of the send date and the reply cards come back by mail. A digital suite removes all of that: a Greenvelope save the date or invitation is designed from collections by more than 150 designers, sends the moment you choose or on a scheduled morning, and returns replies in real time. Couples who want a printed keepsake can do both. Greenvelope does not print or mail cards, but you can save a high-quality version of any design for your own printer or a local print shop, and every Greenvelope mailing generates a QR code that links guests to the online RSVP, so a printed card can still collect replies without a return envelope. Whichever you choose, the send dates stay where the table puts them. If you are still deciding on format, our guide on whether digital wedding invitations are tacky covers the etiquette, and our comparison of the best digital wedding invitation platforms compares where to send from.
Sending Late? The Wedding Recovery Plan
If the wedding is closer than the table allows, a late invitation still beats no invitation. If there is no longer room for a save the date, skip it and send the invitation at the early end of its window instead. Send today rather than waiting on anything, use text message delivery for the guests who need to hear first, shorten the RSVP window to what you genuinely need, and add one warm line acknowledging the timing. Greenvelope invitations arrive the moment you send them by email, text message, or shareable link, and the reminders can be set to run inside whatever window is left. Guests forgive lateness far more readily than they forgive finding out too late to come.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should you send save the dates for a wedding?
Send wedding save the dates 6 to 8 months before the wedding, or 8 to 12 months before a destination wedding or a wedding on a holiday weekend. Send them to every household that will receive an invitation, and to no one else. A Greenvelope save the date can be scheduled for that window months in advance and collects guest mailing addresses as replies come in.
How far in advance should you send wedding invitations?
Send wedding invitations 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding, or 10 to 12 weeks for a destination wedding, with the RSVP deadline 3 to 4 weeks before the day. Send from Greenvelope and the invitations arrive the moment you choose, with the RSVP deadline on the reply card and reminders scheduled against it.
Do you need to send save the dates for a wedding?
For most weddings, yes. A save the date sent 6 to 8 months ahead holds the date on guest calendars long before the invitation goes out, which matters most when guests will travel. Skipping it is fine for a short engagement, a small and local guest list, or a date everyone already knows; in that case send the invitation at the early end of its window, and on a Greenvelope invitation the RSVP deadline and scheduled reminders keep the date in front of guests instead.
When should the RSVP deadline be for a wedding?
Set the RSVP deadline 3 to 4 weeks before the wedding, about one week before the caterer’s final count is due, and 6 weeks before for a destination wedding. That leaves time to chase the last replies and finish the seating chart. On a Greenvelope invitation the headcount updates in real time as replies come in, so the final count is always current.
How far in advance should you send destination wedding invitations?
Send destination wedding invitations 10 to 12 weeks before the wedding, after save the dates that went out 8 to 12 months ahead, and set the RSVP deadline 6 weeks before the day so flights and room blocks can be settled. A Greenvelope invitation carries the travel details and the wedding website link with the card, so nothing waits on extra inserts.
Is 4 months before the wedding too late to send save the dates?
It is late but not useless. At 4 months out a save the date still helps guests who need to book travel or take time off. Any closer than that, skip it and send the invitation at the early end of its window, about 8 weeks before the wedding, so the invitation does both jobs.
Can you send wedding invitations too early?
Yes. Sent more than 10 to 12 weeks ahead, an invitation tends to get filed away and forgotten, and guests wait until the deadline anyway. Hold it to 6 to 8 weeks for a local wedding and 10 to 12 for a destination one, and let the save the date carry the early notice. If the invitations are ready sooner, a Greenvelope send can be scheduled for the right morning rather than going out the day it is finished.
Do the send dates change for digital wedding invitations?
No. The windows are about how much notice guests need, so they are the same for a printed and a digital invitation. What changes is your side of the calendar: a digital invitation skips proofs, printing, and postage, so a Greenvelope invitation can be finished and sent the same day or scheduled for the exact date the timeline calls for, with replies tracked online from the first one.
Related Resources
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