After choosing the perfect design for your wedding invitations, an inevitable question arises: when to send wedding invitations?
The timing of when you send them will determine whether your guests can organize themselves in advance, save the date, and confirm their attendance without stress.
At UAUU, we have been organizing weddings in Barcelona and Catalonia for years, and we’ve found that getting the timing right makes the difference between smooth organization and a last-minute race against the clock.
Standard timeframe: how far in advance should wedding invitations be sent?
The general rule is clear: wedding invitations should be sent 2 to 3 months in advance of the wedding date. This timeframe allows guests to mark the day on their calendars, organize to attend, and most importantly, confirm whether they will be present.
Two months is enough time for most people to manage their work commitments, coordinate childcare if necessary, and plan what to wear. It’s also not so far in advance that the invitation gets forgotten or lost among mail and bills.
However, this timeframe works when most guests live in the same city where the wedding is being held or in nearby locations. If your situation is different, the timeframes change.
Weddings with guests who need to travel
When you’re organizing a wedding in Barcelona and some of your guests live in other regions or abroad, you need to extend the timeframe. In these cases, it’s recommended to send invitations 4 to 6 months in advance of the celebration.
Why so much time? Your guests will need to search for flights or train tickets, book accommodation, and likely request time off work. The sooner they receive the invitation, the more options they’ll have to find reasonable prices and available dates.
For destination weddings—those where both you and most guests need to travel to a special location—the ideal timeframe extends even further. In these cases, 6 months is the minimum recommendation.
A useful resource in these situations is the save the date, which you can send 8 to 10 months in advance. This way you notify guests of the date well ahead of time, and later send the formal invitation with all the details.
Weddings in peak season: summer and Christmas
If you’re celebrating your wedding in July, August, or during the December holidays, keep in mind that many of your guests already have vacation plans or family commitments. In peak season, the advice is to send invitations at least one month earlier than usual.
A wedding in the middle of summer requires invitations to be sent 3 to 4 months in advance, so guests can fit your wedding into their vacation calendar. The same applies to Christmas weddings or dates close to major holidays.
In our experience at UAUU, couples who organize summer weddings and send invitations in March or April get a much higher confirmation rate than those who wait until May or June.
Difference between save the date and formal invitation
Many couples confuse these two elements or think they only need one. In reality, they serve different functions and are sent at different times.
The save the date is an informal advance notice that simply communicates the date and approximate location of the wedding. It’s usually sent 6 to 10 months in advance, especially when many guests need to travel or when the wedding falls in peak season. It doesn’t need to include all the details or have as elaborate a design as the formal invitation.
The formal invitation, on the other hand, arrives later and contains all necessary information: exact time, complete address of the venue, dress code if applicable, and RSVP card. This is what gets sent within the standard 2 to 3 month timeframe.
Using both elements is especially useful when organizing a large wedding with guests from different locations. The save the date allows them to reserve the date well in advance, and the formal invitation arrives when you already have all the details finalized.
When to order invitations: production and delivery
Deciding when to send wedding invitations also means calculating production time. It’s not enough to know when you want them to reach your guests’ hands; you need to count backwards from that date to order them on time.
The invitation production process typically takes 2 to 4 weeks, depending on the design, paper type, and whether you include elements like embossing, wax seals, or lined envelopes. If you opt for custom invitations or special finishes, the timeframe can extend up to 6 weeks.
To this you must add shipping time if you’re mailing invitations by post. In Spain, regular mail can take 3 to 7 business days, though during vacation periods or holidays these timeframes extend.
The calculation is simple: if you want invitations to arrive 3 months before the wedding, you should order them at least 4 months in advance. This gives you margin to review the design, approve the layout, and handle any unforeseen issues in production or delivery.
How to deliver them: postal mail vs. hand delivery
Once you have the invitations ready, you need to decide how to get them to your guests. Here are two main options, each with its advantages.
Postal mail delivery
This is the most practical option when you have many guests or when they live in different cities. Regular mail works well for most cases, but if you want to ensure they arrive in perfect condition and have delivery confirmation, you can opt for certified mail.
Keep in mind that postal delivery has a cost you must include in your budget. If you have 100 guests and send invitations by regular mail, budget between €70 and €150 just for postage, depending on the weight and size of the envelopes.
Hand delivery
Delivering invitations personally is more emotional and allows you to share a special moment with your loved ones. It’s the ideal option for close family and friends who live in the same city.
You can take advantage of family gatherings, meals with friends, or even organize a small specific get-together to distribute invitations. Besides being more personal, you ensure they reach their destination.
In our experience at UAUU, many couples combine both methods: they hand-deliver invitations to close family and friends, and mail the rest.
Timeframes for RSVP confirmation
As important as knowing when to send wedding invitations is establishing a clear deadline for guests to confirm attendance. This deadline will allow you to finalize numbers with the caterer, adjust table arrangements, and manage all logistical details without rushing.
The usual practice is to request confirmation 3 to 4 weeks before the wedding. This gives you enough time to follow up with stragglers and communicate the final guest count to your vendors.
If the deadline is too tight, you risk receiving confirmations until the last moment and won’t have margin to organize changes. If you set it too early, some guests might forget to respond.
On the invitations, make it clear how they can confirm: by phone, WhatsApp, email, or through your wedding website. The easier you make it for them, the faster you’ll receive confirmations.
And a practical tip: reserve a day in your calendar, one week before the deadline, to follow up by phone or message with those guests who haven’t confirmed yet. It’s normal for some to forget, and a friendly reminder is usually enough for them to respond.
Common mistakes when sending invitations
After organizing dozens of weddings in Barcelona, we’ve seen some recurring mistakes that you can easily avoid:
- Sending them too late. If you send invitations less than a month in advance, many guests will already have commitments and won’t be able to attend. Respect minimum timeframes.
- Not calculating production time properly. Ordering invitations in a rush can be expensive or force you to choose simpler designs than you wanted. Plan ahead.
- Not including all necessary information. Complete venue address, start time, dress code if applicable, and how to confirm attendance. If any of this data is missing, you’ll receive constant calls and messages.
- Forgetting to set a confirmation deadline. If you don’t establish a clear timeframe, confirmations will arrive chaotically and it will be impossible to finalize numbers on time.
- Not following up. Some guests forget to confirm or assume you know they’ll attend. A friendly reminder is necessary.
Final advice from our experience at UAUU
Organizing a wedding means managing many details at once, and invitations are just one part of the process. At UAUU, where we support couples in organizing weddings in Barcelona and Catalonia, we recommend treating invitations as a project phase with its own deadlines. When to send wedding invitations is key to having clear dates and notices.
Create a calendar with key dates: when to order invitations, when to review them, when to send them, and when to follow up on confirmations. This will help you stay in control without stress.
And if you feel overwhelmed with logistics, remember that having the support of a master of ceremonies can greatly facilitate communication with guests, both before and during the wedding day. At UAUU, we make sure everything flows smoothly, so you can simply enjoy.