Planning guide
When to send wedding invitations in India: a practical timeline
Updated
In India, send the save the date 3–6 months before the wedding, earlier for destination weddings and guests abroad. Send the main invitation about 4–6 weeks before for local guests and 6–8 weeks for outstation guests. Give elders their card in person or call first, send a reminder a week before, and share location pins on the day.
How many days before the wedding should you send the invitation?
For guests in the same city, about 4–6 weeks before the first function is the sweet spot. Too early and people forget; too late and they have already said yes to someone else’s sangeet on the same night. Outstation guests need 6–8 weeks to book trains and leave. Here is the whole timeline:
| When | What to send | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| 6+ months before | Save the date | Guests abroad, and everyone for a destination wedding |
| 3–6 months before | Save the date | Outstation family and close friends |
| 6–8 weeks before | First card to Ganesh ji or the family deity, then card dena visits begin | Elders and close family, in person |
| 6–8 weeks before | Main invitation | Outstation guests |
| 4–6 weeks before | Main invitation | Local guests, friends, colleagues |
| About 2 weeks before | A call or message to anyone who has not replied | Everyone you need a headcount from |
| 1 week before | Reminder with every function, date and time | All guests |
| Day before or the morning of | Location pin, parking, a contact number | Guests for that day’s function |
Count back from the first function, not the wedding day. If the mehendi is three days before the pheras, guests need to plan for the mehendi.
When should you send a save the date?
Three to six months before is normal once the date is fixed with the pandit ji. Go earlier, six months or more, for a destination wedding or when family lives abroad. A save the date only needs the couple’s names, the date or dates, the city, and a line like “Formal invitation to follow”.
Do not send one until the date is truly fixed. A save the date followed by “sorry, new date” confuses the uncle who forwards everything, and he will keep forwarding the old one. See our save the date video page for wording and ideas.
Save the date message
Save the date Ishita & Kunal 4–5 February 2027 · Jaipur Mehendi, sangeet and the wedding. Formal invitation to follow. Please keep these days free for us.
Who should get the first wedding invitation?
In many Hindu families, the first card goes to Ganesh ji. Someone places it before the Ganesh idol at home or takes it to the temple, often with a little mithai, before a single guest is invited. Many families also take a card to the kuldevta or kuldevi, the family deity, or to the family’s regular temple. Other communities have their own customs, so ask your elders what your family does.
After that, the first human recipients are usually the closest elders on both sides. The order differs from family to family, and someone will have strong opinions about it. Ask before you start, not after.
Does a WhatsApp invitation replace giving the card in person?
Not for elders, and not for close family. In much of India, “card dena” is its own ritual: you visit with the card and a box of mithai or dry fruits, sit for chai, and personally ask them to come. Dadi’s sister and Papa’s eldest cousin notice who came home with the card and who sent a forward. A video does not change that, however nice it looks.
Where a video helps is everything after the visit. Elders can rewatch the dates, Chachi can forward it to her kids, and nobody has to find the paper card in the drawer to check the sangeet time. Many families now do both: the visit or a phone call first, then the video on WhatsApp the same day.
Message after a card dena visit (Hinglish)
Namaste Mama ji. Aaj aapse milke bahut achha laga. Shaadi ka video bhej rahe hain, saare functions ki date, time aur venue isme hai. Aap aur Mami ji zaroor aaiye, aapke bina shaadi adhoori hai.
For guests you cannot visit, a phone call followed by the video is the respectful middle path. Our WhatsApp invitation messages have wordings for each kind of guest.
When should you send a reminder?
About a week before the first function, send a short reminder with every function, date and time. Then on the day, or the evening before, send the location pin, where to park and a number to call. Someone will still call to ask which gate. That is fine.
One-week reminder
One week to go. Mehendi: Thursday 4 February, 12 noon, at home Sangeet: Thursday 4 February, 7:30 PM, Shree Ram Vatika Wedding: Friday 5 February, 8 PM, Shree Ram Vatika, Malviya Nagar, Jaipur Please tell us if you are coming so we can plan the food. See you there.
Day-of location message (Hinglish)
Aaj shaam 8 baje, Shree Ram Vatika, Malviya Nagar. Location: [maps link] Parking gate number 2 ke paas hai. Raasta na mile toh [name] ko call karein: [phone]
How does timing change for winter, destination and NRI weddings?
- Winter peak season (roughly November to February). Many families pick the same auspicious dates, so venues, hotels and trains on popular routes fill up early. Send save the dates closer to six months out, and the main invite at the earlier end of the window.
- Destination weddings. Guests need to book flights, hotels and leave. Send the save the date four to six months ahead or more, and the full invite about eight to ten weeks before, with travel and stay details.
- Guests abroad. Six months or more for the save the date. They may need leave approval, visas for foreign-passport holders, and time to book fares. Our NRI wedding invitation page covers what to include.
- Short-notice weddings. If the muhurat leaves you only three or four weeks, call everyone important first, then send the invite the same day. Nobody minds a short notice when they hear it from you directly.
The invite website on the ₹999 plan lets guests add each function to their calendar in the right time zone, which helps cousins in Toronto or Dubai. If you have not made the invite yet, here is how to make a wedding invitation video in about ten minutes.
Questions people ask
Is 15 days enough notice for a wedding invitation?
For local guests, in a pinch, yes, if you call them personally as well. For outstation guests it is usually too short to book trains and leave. If your timeline is tight, call the important guests first and send the invitation the same day.
How early should we invite guests who live abroad?
Send a save the date six months or more before the wedding, and the main invite about two months before. Guests abroad often need leave approval, flights and sometimes visas, and fares rise as the date gets closer.
Is it okay to invite elders on WhatsApp?
Send the video, but not on its own. For elders and close family, visit with the card or at least call first, then send the video so they have every date and venue on their phone. A forward alone can feel like an afterthought to them.
When should we send invites for the haldi and mehendi?
Usually together with the main invitation, since most guests attend several functions. If some functions are only for close family, you can make a separate invite for them, or tell those guests personally when you visit.
Can the save the date and the main invite be the same video?
On Nimantran, yes. Make the invite with just the wedding date first, then add the other functions later and download again. You pay once per invite and can edit and re-download as often as you like.
What if the wedding date changes after invites are sent?
Tell everyone quickly and clearly. Call elders and close family, then send a corrected invite with a line like “Please note the new date”. Ask the family group to delete the old one so it stops getting forwarded.
Turn this into a video
Start with the Royal Maroon & Gold design and the Shri Ganesh blessing, add your functions, and have the invite ready before your card dena visits begin.
Make your inviteFree to make and preview. ₹499 for the HD video when you love it.