Planning a wedding takes a lot of coordination and timing is key. Here are three ways to tell your friends and families about your wedding and the upcoming festivities as well as the proper timeline for each.

Save the Dates: Often more casual and simple then the full up invitations, these should be sent very soon after your engagement, traditionally anywhere from 6 to 8 months before the wedding date. This ensures your guests know your wedding is coming up and can plan for it, which is especially important if it is a destination wedding. Save the Dates are not necessary if you are planning on a short engagement. If you are getting married within 3 or 4 months, then you can get away with just sending the invitations.

Invitations: Invitations should be mailed out 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding date. The invitation is more formal than the save the date and includes information for both the ceremony and the reception. The formal invitation should also include an RSVP card. Wedding websites are becoming more popular and some couples take all of their RSVP information online now so be sure to include your unique URL in the invitation so your guests can find more information as well as RSVP.

Wedding Announcements: For some couples, inviting everyone that matters to them is just not possible. In this case, a wedding announcement can be sent out the day of or shortly after the wedding to everyone that wasn’t able to be there in person. Wedding announcements should be sent within one month of the wedding date and tend to be more casual like a save the date rather than an invitation.

Whatever method you choose to invite and share your special day with your guests. There is always an option to fit each couples’ unique style and timeline!