Wedding abroad - when to send invitations

ali123

We are getting married abroad in 2013. Just wondering if people have opinions on when to send invitations. Obviously most guests would need well over a year to save if they wanted to go. Also we have a maximum of 50 spaces so need to see who says no before we invite extra people.

Dermo

You should talk to everyone you are thinking about inviting and figuring out if they are able to go. Don't ask for a commitment from them yet, just an honest answer. You should have feelers out and knowing approximate numbers and who is a yes/no/maybe before sending out invitations. The invitations are really just a formality.

Also, if someone says they can't do it due to financial/business/personal reasons you should not take that as an insult in any way. Going to a wedding abroad is a big big thing and for a lot of people it could be their only "holiday" for the year.

barbiegirl

Send save the date cards about 12 months in advance to the top 50, then talk to them, see if they can come and anyone who says no, then re-issue their place to someone else. Then the real invites go out about 12 weeks before.

watna

We're also technically getting married abroad (two weddings in two countries, neither of which we live in).

We sent save the date emails (not cards as people are everywhere around the world) as soon as we had a date booked - about 16 months before the wedding. We're going to send invites about 6 months before the wedding (I think the norm is 6 weeks). My fiance is also setting up a wedding website very soon (we're getting married in about a year) with accommodation, travel etc for people so they can plan. It does take a while to save and people like to know their options so just the sooner the better, I think!

Dinkie

Was in a wedding in Oz earlier this year, and received a save the date about 18 months before. It was a fridge magnet which I though was cute. Along with the date a laminated card containing a variety of options for accommodation, flights (along with approximate dates of flight sales). However I knew I was invited about 2 years before the wedding as the bride discussed it with me as soon as she had gotten engaged.

The real invitation arrived about 6 months before the wedding - but at this stage I had everything booked, etc.

I think this was great way to do it. It allowed me to budget, etc.

totallegend

I'd advise to send an email to all the people you are definitely going to invite as soon as you know the date; people will not only need to save money, you need to be sure they don't go booking holidays around the same time, will be able to get time off work etc.

robinph

As soon as you know the date I'd have thought, give people as much chance as you have of finding themselves the cheap flights and not booking some other holidays. If you're counting the time before the date that you are sending out invites in terms of "weeks" then it is not enough notice for a foreign trip for most people.

Thomas1981

my friend got married in Italy last year and he send save the date card and year in advance and then the invitations about 3 months in advance.

Heineken Helen

robinph wrote: »

As soon as you know the date I'd have thought, give people as much chance as you have of finding themselves the cheap flights and not booking some other holidays. If you're counting the time before the date that you are sending out invites in terms of "weeks" then it is not enough notice for a foreign trip for most people.

Yep, definitely talk to people now and tell them when and where it is. Then sort out the exact figures about 6 months in advance. Although, depending on where it is, I think you'd be lucky to have 50 people so I'd advise inviting everyone. People you're not very close to are unlikely to travel so you can probably safely invite everyone