The website is the one part of your wedding stationery you can share early and keep improving. Guests can save the date months ahead, then come back for the schedule, the hotel and the reply form when you add them. The timing questions are really two: when to share the link, and when replies must be in.
The timeline
Work backwards from your wedding date. The timing for invitations and replies below follows the guidance of the Emily Post Institute; the rest is practical advice for how a website fits around it.
| When | What to do | Website status |
|---|---|---|
| As soon as the date and venue are set (ideally 6 to 12 months before) | Send save the dates, digital or paper | Live with names, date, city and a note that details will follow |
| 3 to 6 months before at the latest | Last moment for save the dates, per Emily Post | Add hotels, travel and the schedule outline |
| 8 to 10 weeks before | Finish the schedule, dress code and questions and answers | Everything guests need, except final timings |
| 6 to 8 weeks before | Send invitations, with the website link or QR code | RSVP open, reply-by date visible |
| 1 week before the deadline | Send a friendly reminder to guests who have not replied | Check your reply list |
| 2 to 3 weeks before the wedding | RSVP deadline | Close replies; download your list |
| After the deadline | Give final numbers to caterer and venue, make the seating plan | Update any last details (parking, shuttle times) |
| After the wedding | Thank guests; share photos if you like | The website stays up for guests who come back |
Sharing the website with your save the date
Emily Post's guidance is to send save the dates as soon as you know the date, and at least three to six months ahead. A website makes that easy: the save the date can be short (names, date, city and the link), and the website carries the rest as it becomes ready.
What the website should say at this stage:
- Your names, the date and the city or venue
- "Formal invitation to follow" or "Details coming soon"
- Hotel or travel information, if guests will need to book early
- No RSVP form yet, or a form that clearly says replies open later
Everyone who receives a save the date should later receive an invitation. If your guest list may still change, send save the dates only to people who are certain to be invited.
Sharing it with the invitation
Invitations traditionally go out six to eight weeks before the wedding. Whether your invitation is printed or digital, it should point guests to the website for the details and the reply. Two common ways:
- A link in the message you send with a digital invitation. Check that the link preview shows your names and date.
- A QR code or short link on a details card in a paper invitation. Scan the printed proof with two phones before printing everything.
Etiquette guides differ on putting the website address on the main invitation card; a separate details card is the safe middle ground. Registry information never goes on the invitation itself.
Destination weddings
If most guests have to fly, take time off or renew a passport, move everything earlier:
- Share the website with the save the date as soon as the date is fixed, with travel and hotel information already on it.
- Add room-block deadlines, the nearest airports and how to get from the airport to the venue.
- Send invitations earlier than for a local wedding, so guests can still book flights at reasonable prices.
- Set the RSVP deadline earlier too, if hotels or caterers need numbers well before the day.
Choosing the RSVP deadline
The right deadline is the latest date that still gives you time to act. Start from the deadlines in your contracts:
- Find the date your caterer needs final numbers (and meal choices, if they need them).
- Find any venue deadline for seating plans, rentals or transport.
- Take the earliest of those dates and go back about one week. That is your RSVP deadline.
- Check it against the general rule of two to three weeks before the wedding. If it is much earlier, guests may need a reminder.
A few practical points:
- Pick a weekday. A Sunday deadline gives you the weekend's replies; a Monday gives you time to chase on the same day.
- Write it in words on the website and invitation: "Kindly reply by May 15, 2027".
- Close the form after the deadline so late replies come to you directly and you know to tell the caterer. Some platforms, including ours, close the form automatically after your reply-by date.
Reminders: what to send and when
About a week before the deadline, look at your reply list and send a short, warm message to anyone who has not answered. Keep it personal and easy to act on:
"Hi Sam, we're finalizing numbers for the caterer. Could you let us know by Friday if you can make it? Here's the link: (your link). Thank you!"
After the deadline, call or message the last few guests yourself. A two-minute call usually beats a third reminder.
If your date or venue changes
Plans change: a venue closes, a family emergency moves the date, travel rules shift. A website makes this easier than paper, because everyone already has the link.
- Update the website first, so the link always shows the correct information.
- Send every guest a short personal message: what changed, the new date or place, and a link to the website.
- If you had already opened replies, ask guests to reply again, or reopen the form with a new reply-by date.
- Keep the old date visible for a few weeks as "Moved from June 12 to September 18", so nobody is confused by an old screenshot.
How our wedding websites handle this
You can publish your website early, with what you know, and add details later; guests always see the latest version. The reply form shows your reply-by date and stops taking replies after it. Replies, totals and a CSV download are in your panel. See how it works or try the Olive & Ivory design on your phone.
FAQ
Is it too early to share our website a year before the wedding?
No. Sharing it with the save the date is common, as long as it says which details are still to come. Keep the reply form closed or clearly marked until invitations go out, so nobody replies before you are ready.
How long before the wedding should the RSVP deadline be?
Two to three weeks before the wedding is the usual range, and Emily Post's timeline gives the same. The deciding factor is your caterer's or venue's deadline for final numbers: set yours a few days to a week before it.
What if guests reply after the deadline?
Contact them, thank them, and check with your caterer whether you can still add them. Closing the online form after the deadline means late replies come to you directly, so none slip through unnoticed.
Should the website go on the save the date?
Yes, if it already has the basics: names, date, location and a note that more will follow. A link or QR code on the save the date lets guests check back for hotels and travel as you add them.