When Should You Order Wedding Invitations? Earlier Than You Think

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As an official paper nerd, I adore wedding invitations. Engraved, letterpress, foil stamped… this is my love language.

Cotton paper, smooth paper, ecru, deckled edges, gorgeous envelope liners… there are so many beautiful styles and designs to choose from, and your invitations are one of those wedding details that can really capture the soul of your day.

But beautiful wedding invitations take time.

If you’re wondering when to order wedding invitations, I recommend ordering them about 4 to 6 months before your wedding day. And if you’re dreaming of something fully custom, you may want to start even earlier.

Want the exact dates for your wedding?

Not in the mood to do wedding calendar math? I made a Wedding Invitation Calculator that does it for you.

Just enter your wedding date and a few details about your invitations, and it’ll tell you when to start shopping, when to order and when to get them in the mail.

♡ Jump to the Wedding Invitation Calculator

Why You Should Order Wedding Invitations Early

Your wedding invitations are the very first glimpse many of your guests will get of your big day. I think of it as the soul of your wedding. Before they see the flowers, the dress, the tables or all those little details you’ve spent months choosing, they’ll see, touch and feel the invitation. It builds excitement. It creates anticipation. And it gives everyone a tiny peek into the celebration you’ve been dreaming about. The start of your new life, as husband and wife.

A formal letterpress invitation on thick cotton paper is absolutely stunning. A digitally printed watercolor colorful garden party invitation on smooth paper or an emailed modern invitation with clean typography is also so lovely. There isn’t one right choice, it’s a personal style. The fun part is finding the one that feels like your wedding.

That’s also why I don’t recommend rushing the process. Give yourself time to look around, compare styles, order paper samples so you can see and feel the colors and texture and see different printing methods in person. Colors can look different on a screen, and paper is one of those things you really need to touch to appreciate. I’m a real dork and I even love the different smells of the paper.

You also want enough time to proofread everything carefully before giving final approval for printing. Trust me, finding a typo after 100 invitations have been printed is not the kind of wedding memory we’re trying to make.

When to Order Wedding Invitations (and When to Start Shopping)

I would start looking at wedding invitations about 6 to 8 months before your wedding. You don’t necessarily have to place your order that early. Think of this as your browsing and decision making window.

This gives you time to:

• Figure out what invitation style you love
• Decide between digital, flat printed, foil stamped or letterpress invitations
• Order paper and printing samples
• Compare designers and stationery companies
• Finalize your wedding colors and overall style
• Confirm the wording and important wedding details
• Proofread everything before printing

Then, ideally, place your actual wedding invitation order about 4 to 6 months before the wedding.

It may sound early, but wedding planning has a funny way of getting very busy very quickly. Anything you can comfortably check off your list ahead of time is a gift to your future self.

Custom Wedding Invitations Need Even More Time

Hand drawn, hand painted and hand lettered invitations are a thing, a big thing. They are so beautiful and stunning and they take a long time to create. If you want fully custom wedding invitations, don’t wait until the four-month mark to begin.

Hand drawn venue illustrations, custom watercolor artwork, bespoke monograms, custom calligraphy and specialty printing methods will all add time to the process. For truly custom invitations, I’d start talking to your stationer or designer at least 6-9 months before your wedding, especially if you have a specific artist you want to work with.

You’ll need time to see if they have time to create your invites for you as their schedules fill up quickly. This time is for the initial design, revisions, proofs, printing and delivery. And you don’t want to rush the creative part. Artists need time to live in your wedding world so they can create the perfect invites that capture the feeling and emotion you want to convey to your guests.

Don’t Forget About Mailing Time

Ordering the invitations isn’t the final step. Once they arrive, you’ll still need to assemble them, address the envelopes, add postage and get everything into the mail.

For a typical wedding, invitations are often mailed around 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding, although destination weddings and celebrations involving significant travel may need more notice.

That’s another reason I like having the invitations sitting safely in your house well before you actually need to mail them. No tracking page refreshing. No wondering whether they’ll arrive in time. No last-minute scramble with envelopes all over your dining room table.

They’re done.

And that is a lovely feeling during wedding planning.

Invitations aren’t the only wedding detail that sneaks up on you. Wedding favors need more lead time than most couples realize, too. If favors are still on your list, here’s my guide to when you should order your wedding favors.

Wedding Invitation Timeline at a Glance

For most weddings, this is the timeline I’d follow:

8 months before: Start gathering inspiration and researching invitation styles.

6–8 months before: Order samples, compare papers and printing methods, and choose your invitation design.

4–6 months before: Place your wedding invitation order.

Earlier than 6 months: Begin the process if you’re commissioning custom artwork, calligraphy or a completely bespoke invitation suite.

6–8 weeks before: Mail your wedding invitations for a typical wedding.

The exact timeline can change depending on your wedding, but the big takeaway is simple: don’t wait until you need your invitations to order your invitations.

My Wedding Invitation Tip

Decide early whether you want digital invitations, flat printed invitations or luxurious letterpress invitations. That one decision will narrow down your options tremendously.

Then put a reminder in your wedding planning calendar for about six to eight months before your wedding that simply says:

Start shopping for wedding invitations.

You don’t have to make every decision that day. You’re just giving yourself permission to start looking while you still have plenty of time to enjoy it. Because if you’re a fellow paper nerd, choosing wedding invitations should be one of the fun parts. And honestly, you deserve to spend less time racing the wedding planning calendar and more time enjoying this season with your future husband.