When should I send Invitations?

[SoontobeMsKniss]

We are having a wedding in Key West May 2009. I am not sure when I need to send the invitations out and what would be a good date to have everyone RSVP. Also, are STD necessary if we send the invites plenty of time in advance?

Thanks everyone for your help!!!

[hmj]

I thought the same thing about the STDs "really" being necessary. So, what we decided to do, was an email STD with a link to our website, etc. There are 6 people who don't have emails, so we just got some cool paper and printed off EXACTLY what the STDs look like on the internet. We are getting married April 24, 2009 and sent out the STDs last Saturday and will be sending formal invites via snail mail in early October. People are already booking, so I'm glad we sent out the STDs early. It's EXCITING! We will also be having an AHR (actually 2 since my FI and I are from different states) and will be sending out invites with RSVP cards for those in April, but will mention the AHR on the invites that go out in October. So, that's what we're doing.

[DanielleNDerek]

I attended a DW a few years ago. they didn't do STDs just invites. they sent them out about 7 to 8 months before the wedding.

[Bianca]

I am also a May 2009 bride. I sent out STDs a couple weeks ago and I plan on send out invites around December, so 6 months in advance. I will ask for an RSVP for February.

[amdecker]

I'm sending out STDs a year before the wedding basically so people can be forwarned about the expense. I haven't thought too much about when I'll send the actual invites. Maybe somewhere between 3 and 6 months before?
The main reason for the STDs is to give my family plenty of time to think about it and save. (My friends are all raring to go, so no problem there).
Humm, I haven't decided about including RSVPs either because I would rather people just do that on the wedding website. I'll have to think about that (ugg more stamps).

[Kristy!]

I'm a May 2009 bride and I sent my invitations out about a month ago. I didn't see the need for STDs. I made a crazy early RSVP date (September 1st) knowing that most people tend to ignore that date anyone, but at least it got people seriously thinking about the wedding and whether or not they would attend.

[Sloan]

I'm getting married in April 2009. We didn't bother with the STD, we ended up sending out our invites with all our travel package info stuffed into the envelope, about a week ago. Our deadline for deposits is September 15, so we made that the RSVP date.

[IslamoradaBride]

My wedding date is May 16, 2009 and we sent out our STDs this week. Since we're not at an all-inclusive, our booking date is much later-- March 16. So I think we will send out invites in January or February, to give people a reminder to book before the deadline closes. Of course people can make their own plans, but I don't want to hear people complaining about not being able to get the group rate, you know?

[MSWeddings]

We suggest sending save the dates 6-12 months before your wedding and invitations 6-8 weeks before. Make sure to allow for plenty of time for invitation printing, as some vendors can take up to 4 weeks to produce them.