Wedding Stationery Timeline

We recommend starting your Invitations at least 6 months in advance. Since your Wedding Invitations will set the style and tone for your wedding, you’ll want to allow yourself plenty of time to discover, decide, and design your ensemble. Below are three easy steps to keep your Invitation planning fun and stress-free:

1. Discover
Get inspired! Take time to research trends, explore color schemes, and discover patterns, textures, and designs you like. Spark ideas by perusing our wedding blog and wedding inspiration boards. While exploring, think of ways your Invites can be personalized to fit your wedding style or theme.

2. Decide
Time to decide! After gathering ideas, sit down with your partner to discuss options for color, design, layout, and paper. Even if you don’t have all the little details figured out, try to define the overall style and tone that you two envision for your Wedding Invitations.

3. Design
It’s play time! Shop our wide selection of Wedding Invitations to find the design(s) that match your vision. Next, use Design Studio—​our online personalization tool—​to make the design completely yours: Personalize the colors, upload your photos, change the fonts and add your wording!

Tip: Avoid stationery stress by reading our Top Ten Stationery Mistakes.

We recommend ordering your Invitations 3–​5 months in advance, so that you have ample time to assemble and address them before mailing them out (6–​8 weeks in advance). It’s also a good idea to order an extra 25 Invitations to account for last-minute invites, personal keepsakes, and any mistakes during addressing/assembly.

Tip: Once you receive your Invitations, set aside time to address each envelope—​especially if you are hiring a calligrapher. Remember to also factor in time to assemble your coordinating pieces (e.g., RSVP Cards, Enclosure Cards, Vellum).

Your Invitations will arrive approximately 6–​11 business days from the date of your proof approval. Once you approve your proof, there is a production time of 5–​6 business days, after which your order will ship via UPS Ground, which takes 1–​5 business days. (During checkout you will have the option to expedite shipping if you wish.)

Generally speaking, Invitations should be mailed 6–​8 weeks in advance. (Remember to factor in the shipping time for your out-of-town guests.)

Puzzled over postage? Before mailing your invitations, bring one fully assembled invitation (envelope included) to the post office to have it weighed for proper postage. Also, remember to double-check the spelling of each guest’s name, title, and address. For help, read our etiquette and tips on addressing wedding invitations.

MagnetStreet offers fun Reception Items such as Menu Cards, Place Cards, and Table Numbers. Personalized to match your Invitations or color scheme, Reception Items carry your wedding look all the way to the reception.

We offer a variety of unique Wedding Favors, including Favor Boxes, Water Bottle Labels, Favor Tags, and colorful, sheer Organza Bags. We also offer personalized Memo Boards as a unique keepsake for guests. Most of our Wedding Favors can be completely personalized with your wedding colors and favorite fonts, photos, and wording.

We recommend ordering your Wedding Favors and Reception Items together and at least 2–​4 months in advance. Ordering them together will ensure that you carry over the same colors, fonts, and style—​as well as give you plenty of time for at-home assembly.

Generally speaking, you should order one Wedding Favor per guest. The only exception to this would be if you choose to exclude young guests, such as infants and toddlers. Also, it’s a good idea to order an extra 25 Favors, in case of any mistakes, late RSVPs, or last-minute invites.

You should order one Place Card per guest or couple, depending on how you want to arrange your seating. Also, it’s a good idea to order an extra 25 Place Cards, in case of any mistakes, late RSVPs, or last-minute invites.

Each table at your reception should receive a unique Table Number. The quantity of Table Numbers you order will depend on two variables: the size of your guest list and the seating capacity of each table.

To calculate how many tables (and therefore Table Numbers) you will need, divide the total number of guests by the seating capacity of your reception tables:

Total Number of Guests / Number of Guests per Table = Number of Tables

Example: 104 Guests / 8 Guests Per Table = 13 Tables
There will be 13 tables at the reception, so a minimum of 13 Table Numbers should be ordered.

Note: Our Table Numbers come in multiples of either 8 or 10 (varies by type). When ordering, round up to the nearest multiple. For example, if you need 13 Table Numbers (like the example above), then round up to the nearest multiple of 8 or 10, which is 16 or 20.

You can expect to receive your Favors and Reception Items approximately 7–​13 business days from your proof approval of the design. Once you approve your proof(s), there is a production time of 6–​8 business days, after which your order will ship via UPS Ground, which takes 1–​5 business days. Multiple items will usually ship together, and you will have the option to expedite shipping during checkout.

We recommend assembling your Favors and writing out your Place Cards 2–​3 months before your wedding. It’s good to give yourself plenty of time to assemble, write, and add any at-home DIY touches to each item.

Tip: Turn prep work into a party! Invite your mother and bridesmaids over to help finish your Favors and Reception Items.

We offer Wedding Programs in a variety of sizes, shapes, and folds. Whether you want a modern, photo layout or a simple, elegant format, you can personalize any design to suit your unique ceremony style.

We recommend starting your Programs at least 2 months in advance, personalizing them piece by piece along the way. After you decide on a design, start personalizing the details you already know, such as wedding colors, wedding party members, etc. As the rest of your ceremony details get finalized, simply add and save them to your design. You’ll save yourself from last-minute stress of creating the whole Program in one sitting!

We recommend ordering Programs at least 1–​3 months in advance—​even if your guest count hasn’t been finalized. With so many details to button down before the big day, it’s better to order too many than to order too late!

You should order one Program per guest. If your guest count hasn’t been finalized yet, then add up the total number of confirmed RSVPs with the number of outstanding RSVPs.

Note: It’s a good idea to order an extra 25 Programs to account for any last-minute RSVPs and for personal keepsakes.

You can expect to receive your Programs approximately 4–​8 business days from the date of your proof approval. Once you approve your proof, there is a production time of 3 business days, after which your order will ship via UPS Ground, which takes 1–​5 business days. Need your Programs faster? You can upgrade to one of our expedited shipping options during checkout.

If you plan to include a wedding day photo on your Thank You:
We recommend ordering your Thank Yous as soon as you have received and chosen your favorite photo(s). To get a head start on your Thank Yous, personalize the rest of your design while waiting to receive your digital files from your photographer.

If you do not plan on including a wedding day photo:
We recommend ordering your Thank Yous at the same time as your Wedding Invitations. This will ensure you are carrying over the same colors, font, and style for your Wedding Stationery.

Your Thank Yous will arrive approximately 6–​11 business days from the date of your proof approval. Once you approve your proof, there is a production time of 5–​6 business days, after which your order will ship via UPS Ground, which takes 1–​5 business days. (During checkout you will have the option to expedite shipping if you wish.)

We recommend sending a Thank You note as soon as possible after receiving a gift—​typically within 2 weeks of receiving the gift for
pre- and post-wedding gifts, and up to 3 months after the wedding for wedding day gifts. You will most likely receive gifts before and even up to a year after the wedding. Guests will understand when you’re on your honeymoon or getting settled in as newlyweds, but a timely Thank You note is always appreciated.

It is usually expected that whoever gives you a gift receives a Thank You. You may also want to consider sending a special note of thanks to those that offered their time, expertise, or gave exceptional service, e.g., your parents, maid of honor, officiate, vendors.

Yes. Your Thank You note should be handwritten, and should acknowledge the specific gift that was given (and perhaps how you plan to use it). The note could also acknowledge any special effort on the part of the giver (for example, thanking your Aunt Judy for traveling a great distance to be at your wedding). For more tips, read our wedding thank you etiquette guide.