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design + mailing timelines

All inquiries and emails are answered in the order they are received, so please do not email again unless you have new questions as your email gets moved to the end of the queue! Thank you again.

Invitation suites require a certain amount of design time... and maybe more than you think! I typically recommend reaching out no later than six months prior to your requested mailing date to ensure Joy Unscripted has room in my design schedule. Wedding season is busiest in May/June + September/October. If your stationery needs to be designed and/or mailed out during those months, please be aware that I may have to turn down your project due to my wedding signage obligations. If possible, I will provide alternative completion date options if you can be flexible. All of my forms have a blank for ‘Requested Completion Date’ but please do not assume your requested date is available. 

I am comfortable with the amount of time required for design, printing and assembly. I take each of these things into account and may make adjustments to your requested date based on your actual wedding date and my availability when providing your proposal. A general timeline is provided at time of booking and contract signing, and any changes to this timeline are available in your Joy Unscripted Client Portal. 

Can I book in Advance?

Absolutely! The earlier the better in fact! I have invitation clients booked as early as a year (and more) out from their mailing date. Once I receive an inquiry, I send an estimate with any deposits broken down. Typically, I require 50% of the total project cost to reserve your spot in my design calendar and before I begin any custom artwork. Remaining balances are paid throughout the design process, and your final payment is due prior to mailing. 

Do you accept Rush Jobs?

In certain months I may be able to accommodate this, but your order WILL be considered a rush job and will have an additional fee based on the turn-around time and complexity of the order. Please still fill out the Invitation Design Inquiry form, and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Your final payment will still be due prior to printing/mailing and may require you to pay in full at time of booking.  

When should I mail my invites? 

Let's work backwards! Typically venues and other vendors will want your final guest count by 30 days prior to your wedding date, and unfortunately, you should expect to have to track some guests down who do not RSVP! I suggest setting your RSVP by date to be around 7-10 days prior this 30 days, so approximately 5 weeks! You should give your guests about two to three weeks to RSVP, which means they need to receive the invite around 7-8 weeks prior to wedding date.

All of this adds up to mailing your invitations to your guests around 8-10 weeks ahead of your wedding date! 

Why 2-3 to RSVP? Too much time and people set it aside and forget, not enough time and you'll get lots of calls and texts instead! Note: if you did NOT send Save the Dates, extend the RSVP window so guests have time to make any travel and lodging accommodations. This will mean sending your invites out closer to 10-12 weeks ahead! 

Example Scenario

Wedding Date: Saturday September 9th
Suggested RSVP Date: Friday August 4th
Mail to Guests: Monday July 3rd

This mailing date is 9 weeks and 5 days before the wedding! So perfectly in the 8-10 week range, and leaves some time for any delays along the way.