When Should We Finalize Our Wedding Invitation Order?

A stationer weighs in on the ideal timeline.

A custom wedding invitation is a beautiful, meaningful way to give your guests a taste of what's to come on the big day. That's why it's so important to start this process early: Even if you're not creating a brand-new invitation suite from scratch, customizing the wording and details takes time. And, depending on your chosen method, printing requires time, too. So when should the final wedding invitation order be placed in order to receive them with enough time to get them sent out to guests? We spoke with Laney Hall of Platypus Papers on when and how soon you should be placing your invite order.

black, green, and white wedding invitation suite
Lisa Ziesing (Abby Jiu Photography)

Figure Out Your Ideal Send Date

Wedding invitations should be sent to guests anywhere from six to eight weeks before the big day, but it's important to also factor in the time it will take for them to be assembled. Are you working with a calligrapher on custom addressing? Are you responsible for packing and sealing each envelope? These tasks take time, so it's important to give yourself some wiggle room. "We like to have final proofs for our invitation suites six to eight weeks in advance of the mailing date for the invitations," advises Hall. "This allows us to have time for specialty print services such as foil and letterpress; it allows us time for laser cutting which we do in house; it allows time for any unforeseen delays in print or production; it also allows us time for assembly and any other special treatments we may adding to the suite."

Crunch Time

Planning a wedding with a quick turnaround? It's possible, but you'll probably have to pay a bit more to get your invitations in time. "We have turned around complete invitation suites in two weeks, with letterpress, lined envelopes, and laser cutting—so you can do things more quickly, it will just cost extra for rush on everything," says Hall.

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