When to send invitations, by occasion
When to send invitations is a question with a different answer for every occasion, and the mistake most people make is sending too early rather than too late. An invitation that arrives four months out is read, admired and forgotten. The useful window is narrower than that, and it moves depending on how far your guests have to travel.
Wording and details5 min read
The timeline, occasion by occasion
Six to eight weeks for a wedding, six to eight for a debut, three to four for a binyag, three for a children's party, two to three for a despedida, and four to six for a corporate evening. Add four weeks to any of them if a real share of guests are flying in.
| Occasion | Send the invitation | RSVP deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Wedding | 6 to 8 weeks before | 4 to 5 weeks before |
| Debut | 6 to 8 weeks before | 4 weeks before |
| Christening or binyag | 3 to 4 weeks before | 3 weeks before |
| Kids' birthday | 3 weeks before | 2 weeks before |
| Adult birthday | 4 weeks before | 2 to 3 weeks before |
| Graduation | As soon as the school confirms | 1 to 2 weeks before |
| Despedida | 2 to 3 weeks before | 1 week before |
| Corporate evening | 4 to 6 weeks before | 2 weeks before |
Every RSVP deadline in that column is set the same way: work backwards from when your caterer needs a final number and leave yourself a fortnight to chase. That method is worth more than the table.
Two rows on that list have complications of their own. A graduation date usually arrives from the school with weeks to spare rather than months, and a despedida is timed around a flight rather than around a venue, which moves the whole calculation.
Who needs telling much earlier
Three groups, and none of them by invitation. Anyone flying in needs to know the month six to nine months out. Anyone with a role, principal sponsors, the 18 roses, the entourage, needs asking two to three months ahead. And both sets of parents need to know before anybody else does.
- Guests coming from abroad
- Six to nine months, informally. They are booking flights and leave, and they decide long before your invitation exists.
- Anyone with a role
- Two to three months. They are buying outfits, rehearsing, and a couple of them will drop out and need replacing.
- Both sets of parents
- Before the date is public. This is about sequence rather than notice, and getting it wrong is the one that causes real hurt.
- Suppliers who need a headcount
- At booking. Ask the caterer's cut-off date the day you sign, and write it down where you will find it.
The order matters as much as the timing. There is a fuller piece on who hears what, and when.
Whether you need a save the date
Only if a real share of guests are travelling, or if the date is in a crowded month. For a local wedding six weeks out, a save the date is one extra thing to design and send. For a December wedding with cousins flying in from Dubai, it is the difference between them coming and not.
- Twenty or more guests travelling: send one, six to nine months out
- A December or a Holy Week date: send one, because those weekends fill early
- March or April graduation season: send one, for the same reason
- A local event with a local list: skip it, and send the invitation properly instead
A save the date only needs three things on it: names, the month, and a note that the invitation follows. If you want one in the same design language as the invitation, that is a ₱899 add-on rather than a second project.
The months to be careful about
December, Holy Week, and March to April. December weekends are gone by September because of company parties and reunions. Holy Week empties Manila entirely. March and April are graduation season, which means every restaurant with a function room is booked by families doing exactly what you are doing.
| Period | What happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| December | Company parties and reunions fill every weekend | Invite by September |
| Holy Week | Half your list leaves the city | Avoid, or accept a low turnout |
| March to April | Graduation season, venues booked out | Book the venue before the date is fixed |
| June to October | Rainy season, province travel is riskier | Expect a few late drop-outs |
| May | Fiesta season in a lot of provinces | Check the local fiesta calendar |
None of this is a reason to move a date you have chosen for good reasons. It is a reason to send earlier than the table above suggests, and to be realistic about the turnout you are planning for.
Would you rather hand it over?
What to do when you are already late
Send it anyway, today, and make the reply as easy as possible. A late invitation with a two-tap reply outperforms a beautiful one that arrives a week later. If the invitation itself is the thing holding you up, a rush turnaround exists precisely for the dates schools and parishes confirm at the last minute.
The practical move when you are short of time is to send in two passes. Message the people whose attendance you are least sure of first, individually, and let the wider list follow a day or two later. That gets you the answers that actually affect your headcount soonest.
Ours take three to five days for a first draft, or 48 hours on a ₱999 rush when there is no room left. Sending late is common and it is not a disaster; sending late with a reply that needs a laptop is.
Asked about this
How far in advance should wedding invitations be sent in the Philippines?
Six to eight weeks for a mostly local guest list, with the RSVP deadline four to five weeks before the day. Add four weeks if a real share of guests are flying in, and tell anyone travelling the month six to nine months ahead.
Is it too early to send invitations three months ahead?
For a local list, yes. An invitation that arrives three months out is admired and then forgotten, and you will be re-sending it anyway. Use a save the date for the early notice and send the invitation in the six to eight week window.
Do I need a save the date?
Only if guests are travelling or the date falls in a crowded month like December, Holy Week or graduation season. For a local event six weeks out it is one more thing to make, and the invitation itself does the job.
What if the venue or the school confirms the date very late?
Send the invitation as soon as you have the date and keep the reply to a couple of taps. A rush turnaround exists for exactly this, and a plain invitation sent today beats a beautiful one sent next week.
