When to send wedding invitations: the UK timeline

The timeline at a glance

Plan the timeline backwards from your caterer's deadline, not forwards from today. The date that cannot move is the day final numbers are due.

When should you send save the dates?

Six to eight months ahead suits most UK weddings. Go to nine to twelve months for a destination wedding, a wedding near Christmas or a bank holiday, or one where many guests travel from abroad, because they need to book flights and leave before they need to know the dress code.

A save the date only needs the names, the date, the town and "invitation to follow". Don't promise anything you might change, like the venue or who is invited to which event.

Only send a save the date to people who will definitely get an invitation. Taking someone off the list after a save the date is much harder than never adding them.

When should you send wedding invitations?

Six to eight weeks before was the traditional advice. Guests' diaries fill up earlier now, so eight to twelve weeks is a better window. It gives guests time to arrange things, and you time to chase, without the wedding feeling so far off that the invitation is forgotten.

• Earlier, ten to twelve weeks: destination weddings, weddings in August or December, and large weddings with many guests travelling.
• The usual, eight to ten weeks: most UK weddings.
• Later, six weeks: a small or short-notice wedding. Ring the people who matter most first.
• Evening guests at the same time as day guests. Sending them later tells them they were an afterthought.

If your wedding has several events, send everything at once. One invitation per guest, showing only the events they are invited to, avoids a second round of messages and a second round of chasing. See our multi-day guest list guide.

When should the RSVP deadline be?

Usually four to six weeks before the wedding. Work back from the day your caterer and venue need final numbers, then add a week to chase the people who haven't replied. If numbers are due three weeks out, ask for replies four weeks out.

Our guide to RSVP wording has the lines to put on the invitation, and our RSVP reminder messages are ready to copy for the people who miss the date.

What if something changes after the invitations go out?

Tell everyone who has an invitation, in one short message, as soon as you know. Don't send the whole invitation again: a second invitation makes people wonder which one is right.

How Our Guest List keeps the timeline for you

On Our Guest List, each guest's invitation is a link that stays live, so the dates in it are never stale.

1. Add your events with their dates. An invitation can't be sent until at least one of a guest's events has a date, so nobody gets an invitation they can't act on.
2. Set your reply-by date. On the Celebration step, under your running order, fill in Reply by. Guests see it on their invitation.
3. Send when you're ready. Each guest gets their own message on WhatsApp or iMessage, from your own phone, one tap at a time. Guests with an email address can be sent theirs by email in one press.
4. Reminders come due on their own. Once your reply-by date has passed, or two weeks after sending if you didn't set one, we email you and the Guests step offers the reminders that are due.
5. Post an update if anything moves. Change a time or a venue and every invitation already sent shows it. Post an update on the Celebration step and it heads each guest's invitation; you send a short message to point them at it.
6. Send your thank yous. On the Thank yous step, choose the day you mean to send them, and work through your guests one by one.

The free plan covers 50 guests and two events. Bigger weddings need a package, from £65 as a one-off payment. See the wedding page or the FAQ.

Questions people ask

How many weeks before a wedding do you send invitations in the UK?

Usually eight to twelve weeks before. Go to the earlier end for destination weddings, summer and Christmas weddings, and large weddings with guests travelling, and the later end for small local weddings.

When should save the dates go out?

Six to eight months before a UK wedding, and nine to twelve months before a destination wedding or one near a holiday. Only send them to people who will definitely be invited.

Is three months too early to send wedding invitations?

No. Ten to twelve weeks is a sensible time for a destination wedding or a busy time of year. Any earlier and some guests forget to reply, so set a clear reply-by date and send one reminder.

When do caterers need final wedding numbers?

Usually two to three weeks before the wedding, but contracts differ, so check yours. Set your RSVP deadline about a week before that date.

Do you need save the dates if you send invitations early?

Not always. For a small UK wedding, invitations sent ten to twelve weeks ahead can do both jobs. For a destination wedding or one with many guests travelling, a save the date gives them time to book.