When should you send out your invitations?

Send an invitation too early and guests forget about it. Send it too late and they have already made other plans — or cannot get there in time. The right moment depends less on the kind of event than on one question: how far do your guests have to come?

Things to consider first

• Will guests need to travel to attend? If everyone lives in the same town, a few weeks’ notice is plenty. If some are coming from further away, they need time to plan the journey.
• If they are travelling, is it within the country or from abroad? A drive or bus from another province can be arranged in a couple of weeks. A flight from another country, and perhaps a passport or visa, takes months.
• Will guests need time off work? A weekday event, or a celebration over several days, needs more notice than a Saturday afternoon.
• Does the date fall in a busy season? Around the December holidays, Easter and long weekends, flights, buses and accommodation fill up early, and people’s diaries do too.
• Do guests need to book anywhere to stay? If the event is out of town, give them time to find accommodation near the venue.

Suggested timelines

Plan for your furthest-travelled guests: send to everyone at the time the furthest guests need, so nobody is left out.

• Guests who live locally: three to six weeks before for a wedding or traditional ceremony, two to four weeks for a kitchen party, shower or birthday.
• Guests travelling within the country: six to eight weeks before, so they can arrange transport, accommodation and time off.
• Guests travelling from abroad: three to four months before at the least, and up to six months for a wedding or a big family celebration. Flights are cheaper booked early, and a visa can take weeks to arrange.
• A destination event, where everyone travels: three to six months before, with the travel and accommodation details on the invitation.

If your guests are coming from far away but you have not settled every detail yet, tell them the date first. Share the invitation as soon as the date and venue are confirmed — you can add the programme and the rest of the details to the same link later, and everyone who has it sees the changes straight away.

By occasion

• Weddings and traditional ceremonies: six to eight weeks before, and earlier for guests from out of town or abroad.
• Kitchen parties and bridal or baby showers: three to four weeks before.
• Birthdays and children’s parties: two to four weeks before.
• Corporate events: four to six weeks before, so that guests can arrange time away from work.
• Memorials and funeral services: as soon as the details are confirmed.

When to set your reply-by date

Work backwards from the day your caterer or venue needs final numbers, and set your reply-by date a few days before it. For most weddings that is two to three weeks before the event; for smaller gatherings, one week is usually enough. Once your reply-by date passes, the reply form on your invitation closes, so the numbers you give your caterer stay true.

Why a digital invitation helps

A digital invitation reaches everyone the moment you share the link on WhatsApp — including family and friends abroad, with no postage and no wait. The time before your event is entirely your guests’ time to plan, not time lost in delivery.

Your invitation is ready within 24 hours on weekdays of receiving your details, so add a day or two to your plans and allow time to read it over before you share it.

Remind your guests

However early you send it, a reminder a few days before the event helps — especially for guests who received the invitation months ago. Our reminder add-on sends a WhatsApp reminder to every confirmed guest, on the date you choose.

Not sure what is right for your event? Message us, and we will help you plan the timing.