Planning a party is a lot of fun, there’s no doubt about that. But it can also be stressful – particularly when it comes to the guest list.
Whether you’re celebrating a birthday, an anniversary, a baby shower, or just hosting a casual dinner party, you’ll need to know who’s coming and who isn’t. Otherwise, you’ll struggle to make arrangements when it comes to things like catering.
Generally speaking, it is best to send out party invitations at least a couple of months in advance of your event. This can vary depending on what type of party you’re hosting (its tone, size, and the importance of the occasion) and what preparations are needed.
In this guide, we’ll reveal the best times to send out party invitations, no matter what kind of celebration you’re hosting. We’ll also find out where you can order beautiful, professionally printed invitations for a low price.
When Is the Best Time to Send Party Invites?
No matter what kind of party you’re planning, always send out paper invitations with RSVP cards (or that incorporate a tear-off RSVP section at the bottom).
Paper invitations work so much better than digital ones: they’re more exciting, more personal, and much more memorable. Your guests will take your party much more seriously when receiving a paper invitation compared to a casual text or email.
A good rule to follow is to give your invitees at least four weeks’ notice of the party. However, if any of these apply to your celebration, be sure to give your guests some extra time.
1. Are your guests travelling? They may need extra time to find and book transport to and from the venue.
2. Will your event mean some of your guests need to stay overnight? Even if the party is close, they may not want to drive home afterwards – so they’ll need time to organise accommodation.
3. Is your event being held at a time of year that is particularly busy? For example, in the school summer holidays, or a Saturday in December? You’ll need to get in early, otherwise your guests may already be booked up.
4. Are you asking your guests to bring anything to the party, such as food (a potluck, for example)? They’ll need time to prepare it!
5. Also, consider whether any of your guests have children or pets – they may need extra time to find childcare or pet sitters for the event.
What Else Should I Consider?
You should also think about what kind of party you’re having, as this will have an impact on how early you need to know guest numbers (or whether you need to know them at all).
If any of these apply, you may want to send invites early to give yourself more time.
1. Are you preparing food or having catering? The caterers will need to know how many guests to feed (and be aware of dietary requirements).
2. Will your choice of venue change based on how many guests will be there?
3. Do you want to know numbers for booking of entertainment or equipment?
4. What is the parking or accommodation situation? Will you need to know exact numbers for this?
5. Does your event have detailed plans that you need to communicate with guests?
6. Are you giving guests gifts or personalising your celebration?
You might also consider how important the party is. If a high attendance rate matters to you, give your recipients more time. The later you send out invitations, the more guests will RSVP “no”.
When Should I Send Dinner Party Invitations?
If you are hosting a dinner party, you should aim to send out invitations about four weeks before your event. This allows you to get a good idea of numbers when purchasing food and drinks which saves you time and money.
You may also want to plan a table setting and if guests will be drinking, they might want to arrange a hotel or taxi.
As a formal dinner party can take some preparation, its best to give your guests (and yourself) plenty of time. This will help avoid stress leading up to your party and allow you to enjoy!
If you are having trouble choosing an invite for your dinner party, this Charming Elegance invite would be a perfect fit.
How Early Should I Send Birthday Invitations?
If you are planning a casual birthday party, three weeks before the event should be early enough to send out invites. This will give you enough time to prepare and if needed, book a small venue. If you are not booking a venue and hosting at home instead, two weeks should be enough notice.
When hosting a children’s party, remember that during school holidays families may be busier than usual. This means you may want to push forward your invites to four weeks.
Sending invites three weeks before the event would be recommended if you are hiring a bouncy castle or swimming pool for example. Even if your party will be held at home, this will take extra time and be dependent on availability and number of guests.
Choose a themed invitation for an added personal touch – or skip the stress and go with a classic invitation like Party Clown.
When Should You Send Out Surprise Birthday Invitations?
When sending invites for a surprise party, invitations should be sent four weeks in advance. This reflects the planning involved: more time equals less stress.
For surprise parties, especially if the party is for someone in your household, you should definitely use postal invitations. This reduces the chance for any overheard conversations that could spoil the surprise! Although postal services are usually reliable, sending early ensures that invitations will be received on time.
Sending an invite for a surprise party also allows you to inform your guests that your plans are in fact a surprise. This means that there will (hopefully) be no slip ups and the party will remain secret.
You will need to share more detailed plans for a surprise party so it may be best to customise your own invitation.
When Do You Send Out Baby Shower Invites?
If you don’t want friends and family to miss your baby shower, it’s best to send invites four to six weeks before you host. A baby shower typically falls between month six and seven of pregnancy. Because of this small time frame, it’s important that your guests are made aware of your celebration early. This gives them more time to make arrangements so they can attend your special day.
You also want your baby shower to be as low stress as possible, and although pregnancy can make this hard, having time to plan and an idea of numbers can lessen the pressure.
Many people choose baby blue or pink invitations for baby showers. But if you haven’t found out the sex of your baby, go with a neutral coloured invite like this Hey, Baby design.
How Soon Can You Send Christmas Party Invitations?
When inviting others to a Christmas or other holiday party, invites should be sent out at least eight weeks before the event. Christmas is a notoriously busy time, and if you want your party to fit into your guests’ seasonal plans, you should aim to send out invites extremely early.
This allows you plenty of time to plan, especially if you are planning on offering food or accommodation to guests. If your party will include gift giving, you will also be able to shop for those attending before the pre-Christmas rush.
Make sure you let your guests know what to expect on your invite. If you would like them to bring food or alcohol, make sure this is clear. As well as this, if you are gifting, it’s best to let people know in advance to avoid any awkwardness.
If you’re struggling to select an invitation for a winter party, Penguin Celebration would be an excellent choice.
Where Can I Order Party Invitations?
We now know that it’s always best to send out invitations with plenty of time before your event. This helps your guests and you to have a less stressful party experience. What’s also important is to order your invitations early, so that you have plenty of time to post them (or hand them out).
You can find hundreds of high quality party invitation designs at 123Print. If you don’t see a template that you love, feel free to personalise one using our ‘create your own’ option. We provide 48 hour shipping and offer a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee – so you can get your perfect invitations fast, and start collecting RSVPs!