When to send out invitations..

bkingston152

Hello ladies.. Our wedding is July 12, 2012 on Kauai and we sent out save the dates at the beginning of December. When would you recommend sending out the formal invitations? I see that "proper etiquette" says 2 months, but that doesn't seem like enough time so I wanted to get some more advice. Thanks!

Tanq&Tonic

Why doesn't 2 months seem like enough time? 

We sent ours at 8 weeks, requested RSVPs at 4 weeks, and had final count due to vendors at 1 week.  It was totally fine.  Some guests booked early (got one email at 10 weeks confirming our wedding was still on as planned) but most booked once invitations went out.  I ensured our group hotel rate was open until the RSVP date so we didn't have any date conflicts at all.

kimmykupcakes

We sent ours out really early because quests already started booking. Our wedding is in July and our invitations went out in November.  However, we didn't do our RSVP date until much later.

littlechilds

We also sent ours out early (before xmas) so people new how their finances were and could plan appropriatly.  We sent invites out Nov 1st.  Reply by Dec 1st.  Our wedding is in May, so April we will do a final confirmation.

timandwendystrack

Our wedding is in march and we sent ours mid-Nov with a reply date of Jan 20th. It has felt like decent timing to me, we haven't had any issues.

WinstonsGirl

Ours went out yesterday (YAY!!!) and our wedding is March 26, so a touch over 8 weeks, but about half are going to Chile as weel for FI's family.  Everyone knew well in advance, so we've already had people confirm that they have bought tickets already.  RSVP is Feb 26

destiny1108

We sent ours out 4 months in advance with RSVP 2 months out because we wanted t be able to finalize all the things that were affected by the guest count  like food, centerpieces, etc.     I'm happy we did, many did not respond on time so we had to chase after them ARG!

Tanq&Tonic

kje, I can't believe your wedding is only 8 weeks away!  It's coming up!!

To the OP, as you can see, everyone does it differently, and for different reasons.  We sent STDs at 6 months, and our friends are all seasoned travelers, Hawaii is doable as a weekend trip distance wise, AND we weren't really close to a holiday so we didn't have as much to worry about.  I pretty much consider the Save the Date to be the courtesy heads up, and while I know it's not the same thing as a formal invitation, it's entire purpose is to give your guests some warning.

If you have other considerations -- guest budgets, exotic destinations/invite deliver concerns, restrictive work schedules, and you're close to a holiday when people might already have travel plans, some people like to send invitations earlier.  Sure, it's not correct etiquette wise, but so are a lot of other things about DWs :-)

I will say that you should be prepared that some of your guests can't commit 4 months, or even 2 months, in advance.  Or if you do require an RSVP months out, you should be prepared final numbers will change as the time gets closer. 

flash8785

I'm glad you posted this, because I had the same question!!!  My wedding is ALSO in Kauai, a week after yours is.  Where are you having yours?

We're planning on sending out our invites next month.  However, our guests already have access (from our Save the Dates) to our wedding website.  The site has all of our travel info already, as well as our airfare & hotel discounts.

bkingston152

Thanks everybody!  I would just like to know earlier how many people are coming to figure everything out budgetwise, etc.

Flash..we are getting married at the Kauai Coast Resort-Hukilau Lanai..good to see another Kauai bride..there aren't many of us on here!  Where is your wedding at?

flash8785

Bkingston - I'm sending you a direct message so we can chat about vendors!

SunshinyLees

We sent out our invitations the first week of October with an end of December rsvp date for our Feb 8th wedding. Most people responded by the rsvp deadline in time however we have just had two extras decide this week they will be joining us;) We pretty much knew our numbers before we sent out the invitations anyway as the majority had allready booked their flights/hotels so the invitations were more of a formality. I really think 2-3 months is plenty enough time, especially since you have allready sent out the Save The Date email!