When to send wedding invitations: a timeline for Indian weddings

For most Indian weddings, send the main invitation four to six weeks before the first function. Guests from other cities need two to three months' notice, usually as a save the date, and guests abroad or anyone invited to a destination wedding need four to six months. Close family is invited first and in person, and every guest gets a reminder a few days before each function they're attending.

The timeline at a glance

Why four to six weeks

Four to six weeks is long enough for guests to arrange leave, book travel within India and plan outfits, and short enough that the date is still fresh when it arrives. Sent much earlier, the main invitation gets forgotten or buried under the messages that follow. Sent later than three weeks, it competes with other weddings in a busy season, especially in the winter months, when many muhurats fall close together.

Save the dates for travellers

Anyone who needs a flight or long leave should hear the date well before the invitation is ready. A save the date only needs the couple's names, the dates and the city, and it can go out as soon as the muhurat is fixed.

Guests abroad appreciate a little more: the nearest airport, rough hotel options, and whether the family is arranging stays. If visas are involved, a formal letter of invitation may help them, so ask early whether anyone needs one.

Close family and elders come first

In most families the first invitations are personal. The first card is offered to Ganesh, and in Gujarati families the kankotri then goes to the kuldevi and the eldest relatives. Parents often visit close relatives with a card and sweets, or at least phone them, before any link is shared. A grandparent who hears about the wedding from a WhatsApp forward before a call is not easily forgotten, so do this part first, even if the digital invitation is ready.

Printed cards take longer than you think

If you're printing, count backwards. Designing and approving proofs can take one to two weeks, printing another one to two, and couriering to other cities several more days. Many families order printed cards about ten to twelve weeks before the wedding, so they're in hand when invitations go out. A digital invitation can be ready within a day, which is why many families print only a few cards for elders and the deity and send the rest digitally. This counting guide helps you decide how many to print.

Reminders that don't feel like chasing

Reminders are part of the invitation, not an afterthought. Send one two or three days before the first function with the whole schedule, then a short message on the morning of each function with the venue link. Keep each reminder about what's coming next.

If you're sending late

Sometimes the muhurat is only three or four weeks away. Phone the important guests the day the date is fixed, send the invitation as soon as it's ready, even a simple digital card, and follow up in person where you can. Guests understand short notice when the family is visibly making the effort.

Other functions

Haldi, mehndi and sangeet invitations usually go out with the main invitation or two to three weeks before, and the morning reminders matter most for them, because their times move more often than the wedding's. The haldi wording guide has reminder lines you can use.

How to send once you're ready is covered in sharing an invitation on WhatsApp, and what goes into the invitation is in the Indian wedding invitation guide. More guides are under wedding invitations.