When should I book and send custom invitations for a 2026 wedding?
How long does custom wedding stationery take? Is it too early to book for a 2026 wedding? When do I start working on wedding invitations if I'm getting married next year?
These are all common questions, and I wonder if the answer is surprising… it may take longer to get all the pieces of custom stationery together than you initially think! Your stationer will want to leave time for you to request edits and give feedback, and it will be important to leave time for test prints and reprints if needed.
So honestly, it’s never too early to book for stationery! Plus, if the artist or stationer you want to book is busy, their schedule can likely fill up even a year in advance.
But first, how long does the whole wedding stationery process take?
The whole process takes about 3-4 months from first design consultation to the mailling of your invitations, which happens about 3 months before your wedding. So, to make it super easy to understand, here’s the Design Timeline I share with my couples who are getting married:
6 - 7 months before wedding: Design consultation
6 months before wedding: Start custom artwork (my favorite part!)
5 months before wedding: First round of design proofs
4 months before wedding: Production and printing
3.5 months before wedding: Quality check and assembly
3 months before wedding: Mail invitations to your guests
Here’s an easy guide to show you when to book based on the month you’re getting married:
January 2026 Wedding: Book stationery in June 2025
February 2026 Wedding: Book stationery in July 2025
March 2026 Wedding: Book stationery in August 2025
April 2026 Wedding: Book stationery in September 2025
May 2026 Wedding: Book stationery in October 2025
June 2026 Wedding: Book stationery in November 2025
July 2026 Wedding: Book stationery in December 2025
August 2026 Wedding: Book stationery in Janaury 2026
September 2026 Wedding: Book stationery in February 2026
October 2026 Wedding: Book stationery in March 2026
November 2026 Wedding: Book stationery in April 2026
December 2026 Wedding: Book stationery in May 2026
If you’re booking a custom Save the Dates with the same stationer, you’ll want to add an extra 2-3 months to the above timeline since save the dates generally go out 6-8 months before your wedding.
Why does custom stationery take so long?
Anytime something is custom, it takes a bit longer, but that is also what make custom invitations an heirloom keepsake as opposed to something ordered from Minted or Zazzle. Custom suites can perfectly match your vision for your wedding and be something you cherish for decades to come.
Here’s a look behind the scenes at the process with my clients:
6 - 7 months before wedding: Design Consultation
We meet via video call or Zoom to talk about your vision and I send you a vision board based on what you share. Here’s an example of a design board for a Vintage Black Tie wedding in Rome:
A sample of a design board that you will receive as a first step in the wedding invitation design process.
6 months before wedding: Start custom artwork (my favorite part!)
Depending on if you choose custom art or vintage art, I will get started on designing your custom invitations. As an artist, this is my favorite part of the design process. All of your favorite details from venue to flowers to pets all get to be included in this part. (See this post about including your pet in your wedding invitations if that interests you— this is my specialty.)
On the left: Vintage artwork of Piazza Navona in Rome — perfect for a black tie wedding; On the right: Custom venue artwork that I drew for my own wedding in Florence, Italy
5 months before wedding: First round of design proofs
This is when I will send you digital mock-ups of your stationery, so you can easily envision what it will look like, like in the example below that is complete with mauve colored chiffon ribbon and a deep wine colored envelope, all giving a very vintage and elegant wedding aesthetic:
Notice how the envelope changed from a cream color to wine color to better suite the whole suite. These are the types of subtle changes you will be able to decide with your stationer and part of why custom invitations can take a few months to design.
4 months before wedding: Production and printing
After all changes have been made to the files, then your custom wedding stationery goes to print! This is always a very exciting step since you’ll get to see your invitations in real life so soon.
A printer will usually take about 2 weeks to print invitations, plus another week for shipping.
3.5 months before wedding: Quality check and assembly
Once your invitations arrive from the printer, it’s time to do a quality check and make sure a reprint is not needed. Once everything is checked, your invitations will be assembled, and all this details will be checked with you, such as the exact ribbon color, as you see in the picture below.
Here are some ribbon color sample photos I sent to a bride as she decided on the exact shade of purple and lavender for her custom invitation suite for a lakeside summer wedding.
3 months before wedding: Mail invitations to your guests
The final step is hand delivering your invitations to the post office so they can be mailed to your guests. And that’s it! Then you’ll starting receiving all those exciting RSVP’s to your wedding!
And finally your invitations are off to your guests!
So that’s a bit of behind-the-scenes into the custom stationery process.
If you are looking for timeless, elegant wedding invitations with a fine art feel, let’s connect. I am currently accepting 2026 couples, and I would be honored to create some gorgeous details to celebrate your love!
hello@katiestackillustrates.com
