When to send the wedding invitation, and whether digital is enough

The timeline

• Six months out, or as soon as the date is fixed: tell close family by phone, then send a save-the-date to everyone else.
• Three months out for a destination wedding: send the full invitation, because guests need to book travel and leave.
• Six to eight weeks out for a wedding in town: send the invitation, with every function, date, time and venue.
• Two to three weeks out: chase the RSVPs you have not had, and confirm numbers with the caterer.
• Two or three days before: a short reminder with the venue location pin.

Is a digital invitation acceptable?

For most of the guest list, yes, and it is now the norm: the invitation travels on WhatsApp whether or not a card was printed. A digital invitation can also carry things a card cannot, such as a location pin per venue, an RSVP per function, and a correction if a timing changes.

For the closest elders, the digital invitation goes alongside, not instead. Many families still take the first card to the family deity, and give cards by hand, or at least call, to grandparents, senior relatives and family friends. That is not about the format; it is about being invited personally.

A good order of sending

• The first invitation to the family deity or temple, if your family does this
• A call, then the invitation, to grandparents and elders
• Close family individually, a day before any group
• Friends and colleagues individually where you can, in groups where you must
• The family group forward last

What to send

A save-the-date can be as simple as an animated GIF with your names and the date: our save-the-date maker is free and needs no sign-up.

For the invitation itself, a short video is what gets watched in the family group, and a link with RSVPs is what saves you from counting replies by hand. What to write alongside it is in 24 WhatsApp invitation messages.