2024 Wedding Invitations | Customizable Designs (2024)

FAQs

How far in advance should I send out wedding invitations? ›

Save the date cards can be sent out as early as a year from your wedding date. Invitations should be sent to your guests six to eight weeks in advance of your wedding. Invitations for destination weddings should be sent to your guests three months in advance of your wedding.

Put simply, you want to give your guests as much notice as possible, especially if it takes them a while to RSVP. As such, it's customary to send out your save the date around 6-12 months before the wedding and your invites at least three to four months before.

A recent study conducted by event management software company RSVPify generally corroborates that 80 percent estimate, finding that, of couples who used their platform to manage RSVPs, an average of 83 percent of invited guests accepted their invitation, while 17 percent declined.

As a rule of thumb, you can usually expect around 75-85 percent of those invited to actually attend the wedding. Sending out save the dates six to eight months in advance will give guests time to prepare for the wedding—ultimately increasing the number of people who will attend.

Wedding invitations should include the full names of the couple getting married, those of the hosts (if they're different), and the place and time of the ceremony—that's it.

Average Wedding Size. According to The Knot Real Weddings Study, the average wedding size in 2023 was 115 guests. 13% of couples invited between 1-50 guests, 30% of couples had 51-100 people in attendance and 57% of marriers invited 101+ guests to the big day.

Deciding on your guest list and sending Save the Dates only to those you want to attend can allow you to avoid these situations to create a better experience for everyone on your special day. The experts at EmilyPost.com emphasize that you must send invitations to everyone who receives a Save the Date.

Sending your invites out too early might mean that your wedding isn't at the top of guests' minds as the day draws closer.

Emailed invitations can be an acceptable alternative, however, particularly if you are planning an informal affair or the people on your guest list all use email regularly. This is not the time for a group email – each email should begin with an individual salutation to the intended recipient.

Depending on when your wedding is, its location and other guest-influencing factors, what percentage of guests will say they'll attend a wedding varies widely, with some studies drilling down that 83% are likely to confirm their attendance, while others say it could dip to 60% and go as high as 85%.

How many guests don't come to a wedding? ›

The rule of thumb is that 10 to 20% of guests invited will not attend, Rhee says . That number varies depending on factors including the season, the location of the wedding and how far out you're getting information to your guests, Rhee explains. Hill confirms that about 80 to 85% of invitees will attend.

The Results. On average, 83 percent of guests indicated that they were coming to our users' weddings while 17 percent of invitees declined their invitation. In other words, if you have a 100-person guest list, you can expect 83 guests on your big day and 17 people to decline.

Don't Invite Anyone to the Bridal Shower If They're Not Also Invited to the Wedding. This may seem obvious, but inviting people to the bridal shower if they are not invited to the wedding is inappropriate. It will likely offend them, and it looks very much so like you're pandering for gifts.

There's no “one size fits all” scale when it comes to a wedding guest list—different amounts of attendees will feel right to different people based on family makeup, friend groups, culture, religion, etc. Mason considers 75 to 150 guests to be an “average” size wedding, and anything over 150 to be a “large” wedding.

They Make You and Others Uncomfortable

Sometimes, there are family members that tend to go overboard with everything. If having them at the wedding will make you or your guests uncomfortable, cutting them from your invite list is perfectly okay.

But if you haven't sent save the date cards, simply send out your invitations as soon as possible – ideally at least 3-4 months before your wedding. You can include a link to your wedding website that you can update with extra bits of information if you haven't got it all sorted out yet.

The general rule of thumb is to send them approximately 8 weeks in advance. This gives guests enough time to clear their schedules and make travel arrangements if necessary. It's important to strike a balance between sending invitations too early and too late.

Wedding invitations should go out around 6–8 weeks in advance of the wedding date. Destination wedding invitations need to go out around 12 weeks before the event.

To give guests ample time to plan and respond, you'll want to send your invitations out at least eight weeks before your big day. RSVP etiquette dictates that it's ideal for guests to reply at least four weeks before your ceremony, allowing you time to confirm the numbers with your caterer and venue.