Invitation timing for international guests?

jaenella

Hello ladies!

I'm going to come out and actually post on the boards to get your excellent advice - and I'm sorry if this has already been asked!

My wedding is in about 7 months, and we are starting to to think about invitations. However, my FI's family is VERY international, and there are a number of guests who may be coming from Holland, Germany, Thailand, etc. Additionally, not all of these guests speak English, and will be expecting to stay with family (not at a hotel) as is the cultural norm. Family here are pleased to host them (should they decide to come) but we will need to have some major organizational action in place to make sure they are staying with someone who a) has space in their house and b) speaks the same language - not an easy thing to do the week before the wedding, if we don't hear RSVPs back before then.

My question is - is it acceptable to send out invitations to the international guests early, and to ask for a slightly earlier RSVP date? This will help us to find the right places for them to stay and they will likely have made the decision of whether to come by then, because they will need to book flights. I'm thinking of sending invitations about 12-16 weeks before the wedding and asking them to RSVP by at least 4 weeks before the wedding. However, I'm afraid that this might come off as rude (even though we are just trying to make sure we host them properly!) - what do you think? Thanks in advance for the advice!

Kate61487

How many people are we talking about?  My inclination would be to send STDs and get a conversation going. I recall someone saying on these boards previously that some international guests needed an invitation months ahead of time for visa paperwork - no idea what country that was.  I'd send invitations in the more traditional timeframe unless they need them sooner; they'll start reaching out for travel arrangements before the RSVP deadline if they're planning on coming.

musicalcanadianbride

We have to send our international invitations earlier because they need the actual invitation to apply for their travel visas. You should check with the governments of each country to see what is required. 

jaenella

Thanks all for the replies - I'll look into visas, it's not actually something I had considered! I'm in Canada too, so requirements are slightly different than in the US - research time!

There are about 28 internationals if they do all come - my only worry about just calling to ask if they are planning on coming, or talking after sending out STDs, is the language barrier. Most cousins speak perfect english but the older generation may not - so we are going to have to make either FI's parents, or cousins overseas, be the go-betweens to ask all these questions as FI and I can't speak well enough for a detailed conversation (dutch is the only one FI is fluent in) - and I was slightly worried that there's the risk information might get lost with lots of parties involved (like a game of broken telephone!). At least with an actual invitation, you have a confirmed paper response, not a series of "maybes" or "we'll sees" that you need to go through 2-3 people to follow up on. I'll look into the visa requirements though, as that may be the deciding factor in when they go out!