Save the Dates and Invitations: When to Send What, and What Belongs in Them

There is a particular feeling that comes with sending your wedding invitations. Suddenly it is no longer something you are planning. It is something that is happening, and everyone knows it.

But before that feeling arrive a few practical questions most couples have: when exactly do we send what? Do we need save the dates as well as invitations? What has to go in them? And how do we get people to actually reply?

Here is all of it in one place, with a timeline you can follow.

The Timeline: When to Send What

Save the dates: six to twelve months before

A save the date is a short advance notice with two pieces of information: the date, and roughly where. Nothing more.

The point is that guests block the day in their calendar long before it fills up with other things, and that traveling guests can start thinking about flights and time off work.

Does everyone need to send them? No. But they are almost always worth it if you are marrying in the high season between May and September, if many guests are traveling a long way, or if your date falls in a holiday period. If you are marrying in summer 2027, this is something you could send now.

The invitation: three to four months before

The invitation is where the details arrive. Three to four months gives guests plenty of time to plan, and gives you time to gather replies before you need them.

If you are marrying abroad, or many of your guests are traveling internationally, send four to six months ahead instead.

The RSVP deadline: six to eight weeks before the wedding

Set the deadline earlier than you actually need the answer. Your caterer will want the final headcount around two to three weeks before, and the seating chart takes time to settle. With a deadline eight weeks out, you have room for latecomers without it becoming stressful.

Practical details and final information: two to three weeks before

A short update to the guests who said yes, with the last practical things: timings, addresses, parking, dress code, the schedule for the day.

What Belongs in a Wedding Invitation?

An invitation does not need to be long. It needs to be clear. This is what has to be there:

Your names, and ideally who is hosting.

The date, the ceremony time, and the reception time if they differ.

The ceremony location and the reception location, with addresses. If they are in different places, make that unmistakable.

The RSVP deadline, and how the guest replies.

Dress code, if you have one. Even a single word helps guests enormously.

Who the invitation is for. This matters more than people realise. Write the names of those invited, so there is no ambiguity about whether children or plus ones are included.

And the thing most often forgotten: where the guest can find more information. A link to your wedding website solves this elegantly, because then the invitation does not need to carry everything about parking, accommodation, and the schedule.

What Does Not Need to Be on the Invitation

A lot of couples try to fit too much onto the invitation. It makes it harder to read, and more expensive to print.

Accommodation, transport, parking, gift preferences, the detailed schedule, and practical logistics all belong on the wedding website, not on paper. The invitation says what, when, and where. The website answers everything else.

On gifts: many couples want to say something but find it awkward. The most common and most graceful approach is a short, warm note on the wedding website rather than in the invitation itself.

Paper, Digital, or Both?

All three work, and the choice comes down to budget, style, and who your guests are.

Paper invitations give a beautiful first impression and something to keep. They cost more, take longer, and cannot be updated when something changes.

Digital invitations are more affordable, faster, easy to update, and simple to follow up. They also make RSVPs far easier, since the guest can reply with a couple of clicks in the same moment they read the invitation. That is the most significant practical advantage.

The combination is what many couples choose: a digital save the date, a printed invitation for the lovely first impression, and digital RSVP through the wedding website. That way you get both the feeling and the ease.

One thing worth considering: if you have older guests who are not comfortable with online forms, it is a kind touch to offer a phone number or email as an alternative way to reply. It costs nothing and means nobody is left out.

How to Actually Get People to Reply

This is the part everyone underestimates. The principle is simple: the easier it is to reply, the more people reply on time.

Have one clear way to respond. Not three. One link, one form, one button.

Ask for everything you need at once. Are they coming? How many? Any dietary requirements? Do it all in the same form, so you avoid a second round of follow up.

Set the deadline with margin, as above.

Send a friendly reminder about a week before the deadline. Most people have simply forgotten.

And hand the follow up job to one person. It does not have to be you. A witness or a parent can make the last few calls, so you are not chasing your own guests.

Fjora and Your Invitations

In Fjora, your invitations, wedding website, and guest list all connect, and that is where the real difference lies.

You build the wedding website with all the practical information, the schedule, and your own note. The invitation, digital or printed, points there. Guests reply directly on the site, and their answers land straight in your guest list, along with dietary requirements. No manual transfer, no replies sitting forgotten in a message thread.

You watch the overview update in real time, see who has not replied yet, and have the final number ready when your caterer asks. And once the replies are in, that same data flows straight through to your seating chart.

Both of you have the same access, so neither of you is left alone keeping track of who has said yes.

The One Thing Worth Remembering

Send save the dates six to twelve months ahead if your date falls in high season or many guests are traveling. Send the invitation three to four months ahead. Set the RSVP deadline six to eight weeks before the wedding, which is earlier than you strictly need it.

Keep the invitation simple and clear, and let the website answer the rest. And make replying as easy as you possibly can, because that single choice gives back more than any other.

Sending invitations soon? In Fjora you build your wedding website, collect RSVPs, and keep your guest list updated in one place. Get started for free.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should you send wedding invitations?
Send the invitation three to four months before the wedding. If you are marrying abroad, or many guests are traveling internationally, send four to six months ahead. Save the dates go out earlier, six to twelve months in advance.

When should you send save the dates?
Six to twelve months before the wedding. They are particularly worthwhile if you are marrying in the high season between May and September, if many guests are traveling a long way, or if your date falls in a holiday period.

What should be included in a wedding invitation?
Your names, the date, the times, the ceremony and reception locations with addresses, the RSVP deadline and how to reply, any dress code, and a clear indication of who the invitation is for. Practical information like parking, accommodation, and the schedule belongs on your wedding website.

When should the RSVP deadline be?
Six to eight weeks before the wedding. That gives you room for latecomers and time to settle the seating chart and give your caterer a final headcount, which they usually want two to three weeks out.

Are digital wedding invitations acceptable?
Yes, and they are increasingly common. They are more affordable, faster, and easy to update, and they make RSVPs considerably simpler since guests can reply in a few clicks. Many couples combine a printed invitation with digital RSVP through their wedding website.

How do we get guests to reply on time?
Make it as easy as possible: one clear way to respond, one form, and all your questions asked at once. Set the deadline with margin, send a friendly reminder about a week before, and give one person responsibility for following up.