Sending Wedding Invitations Overseas

Not so many years ago, most couples’ wedding invitations rarely went further than their own state, except for maybe a few relatives who had moved away. Today, however, wedding invitations are sent all over the country because people not only travel more but they can more easily stay connected with friends and family members from a distance thanks to the Internet.

In fact, some wedding invitations may even make their way overseas. However, if you are going to be sending your wedding invitations to any continent besides North America then there are few factors you should keep in mind.

Important Information about Overseas Invitations

A big question you should consider before sending the invitations is whether or not you are sending the person an invitation because you hope he or she will attend or because you want to let them know about your wedding formally. If your answer is the latter, then you shouldn’t use an invitation. Instead, put these individuals on your list for receiving a wedding announcement. Wedding announcements are normally mailed the day before or the day of the wedding, but it may be a good idea to put theirs in the mail sooner since it will take longer to arrive.

If you are serious about having overseas guests attend your wedding, then make sure to send a save the date card to them well in advance. You could also just write them a letter (if you’re not using save the date cards otherwise) with the basic information. You may also want to extend an offer of helping cover the costs of the trip, particularly if you want this person to be in your wedding party of if it’s important to you that he or she attends.

You’ll also need to send the person’s actual wedding invitation well in advance. While mail is usually delivered within a couple of days inside the continental United States, that’s not the case overseas. It can take one to two weeks for your mail to arrive – if not longer. You may also want to forego traditional response cards and instead have your overseas guests email you if they will be attending.

Another Factor: International Postage

Making sure you have the correct postage for your wedding invitations that are being mailed domestically is already a big challenge, but if you are mailing invitations or announcements overseas then you need to pay even more attention to this issue.

If you want to have an idea of how much you’ll be paying, you can visit the United States Postal Service’s online postage rate calculator. Here you can choose a destination, enter the weight of your invitation, and find out how much you’ll be spending. You’ll also need to make time to buy the postage at your local post office to make sure you are getting exactly what you need.