Just got engaged? Here's our timeline

Organized Sister here to help. First of all, congrats! Deep breath in and out. Everything will work out beautifully, your day will be magical. It "just" takes a little planning.

The above image outlines our wedding stationery timeline month by month. We are showing a 12 month scenario because this seems to be an average timeline for today's couples.

Save the Dates. Notice that we are suggesting sending out your save the dates up to 10 months in advance of your big day. However, we feel that save the dates can be mailed up to 5 months prior to your wedding date. After that point, you'll be sending them right on top of your invitations.

Invitations. Wedding invitations are mailed 6-8 weeks in advance of your wedding date, however the trend lately is sending them as early as 12 weeks from your wedding date. I don't want to give you the impression that you have all the time in the world. Talk to us or one of our retailers EARLY to start planning on your wedding stationery. Why? This is the first thing your guests will see. Planning your stationery early inspires all of the little and important details you'll use for that day.

For example, we worked with a lovely couture bride from Sioux Falls awhile back. She was settled on using a bright green for her ink color because the bridesmaids dresses were going to be green as well. Guess what happened? After our initial discussion and first proof, her stationery changed to a soft blush and chocolate and the love birds we created especially for her were used throughout her day of stationery and keepsakes.

Day of Items. Print some of your day of items at the same time as your invitations, such as your table cards, seating cards and gift tags. Doing this provides you with enough time to have any of these items sent to your calligrapher.

Other Helpful Tips:

• allow at least two weeks for calligraphy, longer for in-demand calligraphers; consider digital calligraphy if you have less time or are on a budget.
• order extra envelopes as most calligraphers require at least 20% extra envelopes.
• we recommend save the dates for destination weddings and/or detailed invitations sent well in advance of your wedding date to allow guests ample time to make plans.
• letterpress is an antiquated print method which is why we appreciate additional time to produce your wedding stationery.
• order extra invitations for unexpected additions to your guest list or keepsakes, re-prints are costly! We sell our stationery in 25 qty increments.
  
• the more custom your wedding stationery, the more time you should allow for design.

Best of luck to you and happy planning!