The complete luxury stationery timeline for bespoke commissions, semi-custom suites, destination weddings and on the day stationery.
Babooche Calligraphy · Luxury Wedding Stationery
The Château de Chantilly bespoke wedding invitation suite. A Complete Bespoke invitation commission begun 14 months before the wedding date. Die-cut gatefold, four-pass gold foil, letterpress printing on luxury cotton card. From £5,500.
There is one question every couple asks at some point in their wedding planning, usually at the wrong moment. When should I order my wedding invitations?
The answer most guides give is a date range. Six to eight months before your wedding. Send them twelve weeks out. Order save the dates a year in advance. These figures are not wrong but they are not the full picture either. They were written for a couple ordering from an online template retailer and they do not account for the reality of commissioning luxury stationery for a destination wedding at a French chateau or an Italian villa on Lake Como.
This guide gives you the complete picture. Real timelines for bespoke commissions. Real timelines for luxury semi-custom suites. A dedicated section for destination weddings where your guests are crossing continents and your invitations need to work harder than any domestic suite ever has to. And a section on day of stationery that almost every timeline guide ignores entirely.
If your wedding is extraordinary, your timeline needs to match.
The Most Common Mistake Couples Make
They leave it too late. Not by a week or two. By months. The most common enquiry we receive that we cannot fulfil is from a couple who has spent eight months planning every other detail of their wedding — the venue, the florals, the photographer, the caterer — and has left the stationery until last. By the time they find us, the timeline for a fully bespoke commission has closed. The illustration cannot be drawn, the print plates cannot be made, the hand finishing cannot be completed in the time that remains.
This happens because couples underestimate what goes into a luxury stationery commission. A bespoke suite is not a product you select from a shelf. It is a piece of original work created specifically for your wedding. The consultation, the concept development, the original illustration, the print plate making, the press runs, the hand finishing, the addressing — each of these takes time and none of them can be rushed without compromising the result.
The single most useful thing this guide can do is tell you clearly: start earlier than you think you need to.
Understanding What Takes Time
Before the timelines, it helps to understand what you are actually commissioning and where the time goes.
Consultation and Briefing
Every commission begins with understanding your venue, your aesthetic, your story and what the stationery needs to achieve. For bespoke commissions, this starts with your enquiry and discovery process before moving into a detailed creative conversation that forms the foundation of everything that follows.
Concept Development
From the brief, the design concept is developed. Typographic choices, paper selections, colour palette, technique decisions. For a bespoke commission this is an original creative process. For a semi-custom commission the framework already exists and this stage moves faster.
Original Illustration
For commissions that include a custom venue illustration — a French chateau, an Italian villa, a London landmark — the illustration alone takes 15 to 30 hours of skilled drawing before a single print plate is made. This is one of the most time-consuming and most beautiful elements of a fully bespoke suite.
Print Plate Making
Letterpress printing and hot foil stamping require a custom plate for every design element. Plates are made by specialist suppliers with their own lead times. This step cannot be skipped and cannot be rushed.
Press Runs
The printing itself takes time, particularly for multi-technique suites where letterpress, hot foil and digital printing are combined across multiple pieces. Each technique is a separate press run.
Hand Finishing
Wax seals pressed one at a time. Ribbon tied around each suite individually. Vellum overlays assembled by hand. Place cards curl-rolled and calligraphed. Across 100 to 150 guest suites this represents days of skilled artisan work.
Hand Calligraphy Addressing
If hand calligraphy addressing is part of your commission, each envelope is written individually. For 150 guests this takes several days of focused artisan work.
Quality Checking and Packaging
Before your suite leaves our studio every piece is checked and packaged with the care the work deserves. Understanding this process makes the timeline not just logical but inevitable. None of these steps can be compressed without affecting the result.
The Bespoke Commission Timeline
Essential Bespoke — From £3,500
Up to 3 pieces · Letterpress or hot foil · Custom wax seal
Begin your commission
9 months before your wedding date
Invitations sent to guests
16 weeks before your wedding date
Complete Bespoke — From £5,500
Custom venue illustration · Up to 5 pieces · Two printing techniques · Hand calligraphy addressing · Hand-painted liners
Begin your commission
12 months before your wedding date
Invitations sent to guests
16 weeks before your wedding date
Luxury Bespoke — From £8,000
Multiple illustrations · All techniques combined · Bespoke watermark cotton card · Die-cutting · Full hand calligraphy suite · White glove assembly
Begin your commission
14 to 18 months before your wedding date
Invitations sent to guests
16 weeks before your wedding date
The Château de Chantilly commission — a die-cut gatefold shaped to the ornate iron gates of the château with four-pass gold foil stamping, letterpress printing and a fully hand calligraphed suite — began 14 months before the wedding date. That timeline was not excessive. It was exactly right for the level of work involved.
The complete bespoke wedding invitation suite for Château de la Bourlie, Dordogne. A Complete Bespoke commission begun 9 months before the wedding date. From £5,500.
The Semi-Custom Timeline
Even at semi-custom level, the consultation, design proof rounds and material sourcing add time before production begins. The figures below account for the full process from first enquiry to invitations in the post.
Essential Suite — From £1,795
300gsm luxury cotton card · Digital or letterpress printing · Digital calligraphy addressing · 100 guests
Begin your commission
5 months before
Invitations sent
12 weeks before
Production time
6 weeks from approval
Signature Suite — From £2,795
Premium cotton card · Letterpress and foil option · Envelope liners · One luxury embellishment · 100 to 150 guests
Begin your commission
6 months before
Invitations sent
14 weeks before
Production time
5 weeks from approval
Couture Suite — From £3,995
Handmade cotton card with deckled edges · All printing techniques · All embellishments · Hand calligraphy addressing
Begin your commission
7 months before
Invitations sent
16 weeks before
Production time
4 weeks from approval
The Destination Wedding Timeline
Destination wedding stationery timelines are different from domestic timelines in three important ways and most guides do not address any of them.
Your Guests Need More Notice
A guest attending a wedding in their home city needs six to eight weeks notice from an invitation. A guest flying from New York to a wedding at an Italian villa on Lake Como needs to book flights, arrange accommodation, take time off work and in many cases make arrangements for children or pets. Twelve to sixteen weeks is the minimum. Many couples planning destination weddings with a majority of guests travelling internationally send invitations twenty weeks out.
Blush luxury cotton card with blind embossed botanical ornaments and soft letterpress calligraphy. The Villa Pizzo Lake Como bespoke invitation suite — sent 20 weeks before the wedding date to guests across the United States, UK and Europe.
International Postage Adds Time and Complexity
A luxury invitation suite on handmade cotton card with a wax seal, vellum overlay and ribbon does not post like a standard letter. It is heavy, it is delicate and it needs to be tracked. International postage from the UK to the United States typically takes seven to fourteen days but customs delays can extend this. Factor at least three weeks for international delivery and budget for tracked international postage across your full guest list.
Different Guests in Different Countries Need Different Timing
Couples planning destination weddings in Europe often have guests in the UK, the United States, Australia and across Europe simultaneously. Consider sending international guests their invitations two weeks ahead of domestic guests to account for the additional postage time.
The Lake Como commission for Jennifer and Stan at Villa Pizzo involved guests in the United States, the UK and across Europe. The invitations were sent twenty weeks before the wedding date and every international guest received theirs with comfortable time to arrange travel.
The Save the Date Timeline
A save the date exists to hold the date in your guests’ diaries before the formal invitation arrives. For destination weddings where guests need maximum notice to arrange travel, it is not optional. It is an essential piece of communication.
Domestic Weddings
Send save the dates 6 to 9 months before your wedding date.
Destination Weddings
Send save the dates 12 to 18 months before your wedding date. For June and July weddings, send at the earlier end of this range.
Save the dates should be ordered at least 2 months before you intend to send them. For bespoke save the dates, factor the same consultation and production timeline as the invitations.
The On The Day Stationery Timeline
The section most guides skip entirely.
Day of stationery has its own timeline entirely separate from the invitation timeline and it is the section most couples underestimate. Menus, place cards, ceremony programmes, welcome signs, table plans, bar menus, seating charts and any additional signage all need to be designed, printed, hand finished and delivered before your wedding day. Unlike invitations, on the day stationery typically cannot be finalised until your guest list is confirmed and your menu is set — both of which often happen much later in the planning process.
Bespoke wedding welcome sign for Catherine and Thibault at Château de Baronville — custom watercolour venue illustration, plum purple script calligraphy and classic printed typography. A standalone day of stationery commission begun 3 months before the September wedding date.
When to Order Day of Stationery
Bespoke — Coordinating with Invitation Suite
Order at the same time as your invitations. The design framework established during the invitation commission carries through to the day of pieces.
Bespoke — Standalone Commission
Begin at least 3 months before your wedding date with final guest numbers and menu confirmed.
Semi-Custom Day of Stationery
Begin at least 6 weeks before your wedding date with final guest numbers confirmed before ordering.
The Château de Baronville commission for Catherine and Thibault was a standalone day of stationery suite — welcome sign, menus, place cards and signage — begun 3 months before the September wedding date. That timeline worked precisely because the scope was defined clearly and the design decisions were made quickly. Leave it shorter than that and you are taking a risk.
The Complete Timeline at a Glance
Every wedding is different and every commission has its own requirements. Use this as your starting point and contact us to confirm the right timeline for your specific wedding date, guest count and commission level.
18 months before
Begin a Luxury Bespoke commission. Send save the dates for peak season destination weddings.
14 months before
Begin a Luxury Bespoke commission at the latest. Send save the dates for destination weddings.
12 months before
Begin a Complete Bespoke commission. Send save the dates for domestic weddings.
9 months before
Begin an Essential Bespoke commission.
7 months before
Begin a Couture Semi-Custom suite.
6 months before
Begin a Signature Semi-Custom suite.
5 months before
Begin an Essential Semi-Custom suite.
20 weeks before
Send invitations for international destination weddings with majority overseas guests.
16 weeks before
Send invitations for destination weddings. Standard recommendation for luxury suites.
12 weeks before
Send invitations for domestic weddings.
3 months before
Begin standalone bespoke day of stationery.
6 weeks before
Begin semi-custom day of stationery. Confirm guest numbers for place cards.
2 weeks before
Final place card names confirmed and submitted.
Curl rolled luxury cotton card place cards with Bride and Groom hand calligraphy in champagne gold ink. Final place card names are confirmed 2 weeks before the wedding date.
What Happens If You Are Running Late
If you have read this guide and realised your timeline is shorter than ideal, the most important thing to do is make contact as soon as possible. Sharing your date, venue and initial plans allows us to understand what may be possible within your timeframe. Every week matters.
When a couple comes to us with a compressed timeline the first thing we establish is what is genuinely possible within that timeframe without compromising the work. Sometimes a Complete Bespoke commission can be adapted to an Essential Bespoke scope that fits the time available. Sometimes a Couture Semi-Custom suite can achieve a result that is very close to what the couple had originally envisioned. What is never the right answer is to rush a commission that needs more time than it has.
The earlier you make contact the more options you have. The worst thing you can do is wait another week before reaching out.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I order wedding invitations for a destination wedding?
For a destination wedding at a European venue, invitations should be sent 16 to 20 weeks before the wedding date to give international guests adequate time to arrange travel. Working backwards from that send date, a Complete Bespoke commission should begin 12 months before the wedding, an Essential Bespoke commission 9 months before and a luxury semi-custom suite 5 to 7 months before.
How long does a bespoke wedding invitation suite take to produce?
A Complete Bespoke commission including a custom venue illustration, letterpress and hot foil printing, hand calligraphy addressing and hand-painted liners takes 5 to 8 months from first consultation to delivery. A Luxury Bespoke commission can take 10 to 14 months. An Essential Bespoke commission takes a minimum of 4 to 5 months. These timelines account for the full process including consultation, concept development, illustration, print plate making, press runs, hand finishing and addressing.
How long does letterpress printing take?
Letterpress printing requires a custom polymer or metal plate for each design element, which is made by a specialist supplier with its own lead time of 2 to 4 weeks. The press run itself then adds further time depending on the complexity of the suite. For a multi-technique suite combining letterpress, hot foil and digital printing, the full print production stage takes 4 to 8 weeks.
When should I send save the dates for a destination wedding?
Send save the dates for a destination wedding 12 to 18 months before the wedding date. For weddings during peak travel months such as June and July, send them at the earlier end of that range. International guests need maximum notice to arrange flights, accommodation and time off work.
Can I order day of stationery separately from my invitations?
Yes. Day of stationery including menus, place cards, welcome signs and wedding signage can be commissioned as a standalone order without a full invitation suite. For a bespoke standalone day of stationery commission begin at least 3 months before your wedding date with your final guest numbers and menu confirmed. For semi-custom day of pieces begin at least 6 weeks before.
What if I have left it too late for a fully bespoke commission?
Make contact immediately. Every week matters when a timeline is compressed. We will assess honestly what is achievable for your wedding date. In some cases a bespoke commission can be scoped to fit a shorter timeline. In others a luxury semi-custom suite at Couture level can achieve a result very close to the original vision. The worst thing you can do is wait another week before reaching out. Begin Your Enquiry here.
How far in advance should I order wedding invitations for a wedding in Italy or France?
For a wedding in Italy or France with a majority of guests travelling internationally, begin a bespoke commission 9 to 12 months before your wedding date and send invitations 16 to 20 weeks before the date. For a semi-custom suite begin 5 to 7 months before your wedding date. The additional complexity of international postage, customs and guest travel arrangements makes an earlier timeline essential.
Do I need a separate timeline for my day of stationery?
Yes. Day of stationery has its own timeline entirely separate from the invitation timeline. The key constraint is that final guest numbers and menu details must be confirmed before day of pieces can be produced. For bespoke day of stationery commissioned alongside a full invitation suite the design framework is established during the invitation commission. For a standalone day of stationery order begin at least 3 months before your wedding date.
