When to send save the dates and invitations in the UK: a timeline

Why does every site give a different answer?

There isn’t one rule. Hitched says save the dates traditionally go out 6 to 12 months ahead. For invitations it quotes the old protocol of six to eight weeks, then says twelve weeks is more realistic because most guests need to book travel and somewhere to stay. Bridebook says many couples send invitations three to six months before the wedding. Elsewhere on Hitched you’ll find “two to three months” and “four to six months”, depending on whether you’ve sent save the dates first.

The ranges do agree on one point: give more notice than the old six weeks, and more again when guests have further to go. Where you land depends on:

• How far your guests will travel, and whether they’ll need a hotel.
• When the wedding falls. Hitched suggests extra notice for peak wedding season, school holidays and the run-up to Christmas, when people go away or organise family gatherings.
• Whether you’re sending save the dates at all.

When should save the dates go out?

Somewhere between 6 and 12 months before the wedding, and as soon as the date and venue are confirmed. Hitched’s advice is not to wait once those two are booked.

A save the date needs very little: your names, the date, the town or venue, and a line saying the invitation will follow. Hitched suggests leaving the details for the invitation itself.

Two things to settle before you send:

• Who gets one. Only send save the dates to people you’re sure you’ll invite. Hitched advises against sending them to evening guests, because a save the date implies keeping the whole day free.
• Whether you need them. With six months or less to go, Hitched suggests skipping save the dates and sending invitations straight away.

When should invitations go out?

It depends on whether a save the date went first.

• With save the dates: around two to three months before the wedding, according to Hitched’s stationery timeline. Its RSVP guide says at least eight weeks.
• Without save the dates: four to six months before, which is Hitched’s advice when guests haven’t had any earlier notice.

For a small, local wedding the traditional six to eight weeks can still work, although Hitched and Bridebook both suggest allowing longer.

When should the RSVP deadline be?

Hitched suggests around four to six weeks before the wedding, so you can give final numbers to your venue and caterers in good time.

Before you pick a date, ask your caterer and venue when they need final numbers, then work back. Leave yourself a week or two between the reply-by date and their deadline. Some replies will be late, and you’ll need that time to chase.

A month-by-month timeline for a UK wedding

This assumes most guests live in the UK and you’re sending save the dates. Move everything earlier for a weekend wedding or one abroad (see below).

• 12 months before: book the venue, then start collecting each household’s address, email or mobile number.
• 8 to 10 months before: send save the dates. Hitched’s timeline puts them here.
• 4 to 6 months before: finish the details guests will need: each event’s time, place, dress code and menu, plus travel and hotels.
• 2 to 3 months before: send the invitations.
• 6 to 8 weeks before: send evening invitations, if your evening guests get a separate one.
• 4 to 6 weeks before: the reply-by date. Chase anyone who hasn’t answered.
• When your venue asks: final numbers, meal choices and dietary needs to the caterer, then the seating plan.

What changes for a weekend wedding?

A wedding over two or three days asks more of guests. They may need a Friday or Monday off, two nights in a hotel, childcare for longer, and an outfit for each event. Aim for the earlier end of each range: save the dates at 10 to 12 months, and invitations at least three months before, or four if most guests need a hotel.

Make it clear on the save the date that the celebrations run across more than one day, even if you don’t list every event yet. “Friday 11 to Sunday 13 June 2027” tells guests to keep the whole weekend free.

If some guests are invited to some events and not others, wait for the invitation to say which. A save the date that lists events invites questions you’d rather answer on each household’s own invitation.

What changes for a wedding abroad?

Move everything earlier. Hitched suggests sending invitations for a wedding abroad at least four to six months ahead, so guests can book time off, flights and accommodation. Its stationery advice gives ten to twelve months’ notice for a destination wedding, and its guide to online save the dates says to send them as soon as the venue is booked, even if that’s 18 months away.

Add a short note about passports to the save the date or the first message. For travel to Schengen countries such as Spain, the UK government says a British passport must have been issued less than ten years before the day you arrive, and must not expire until at least three months after the day you plan to leave. HM Passport Office says a UK renewal usually takes up to three weeks, longer if it needs more information. A guest who spots an expiring passport a month before the wedding is cutting it fine.

Set the reply-by date earlier than you would for a UK wedding, too, if your venue or hotel needs numbers sooner.

Questions couples ask

How Occasi does this

You can make a save-the-date card in your invitation’s design, with Add to calendar, and share it before the invitation is ready. When the invitation is published, each household gets its own link showing their events, and their replies appear in your dashboard straight away. The dashboard also has a timeline and checklist for the rest of the planning. See what’s included.