When to Send Out Your Virtual Wedding Invitations
Whenever you begin the process of wedding planning, you will surely find resources offering wedding planning timelines about when to book your vendors, when to buy your dress and when to send out invitations.
Traditional wedding invitations are vital because they allow your guests to book any necessary travel accommodation. But what if your guests will be watching your wedding from the comfort of their own couch? How early, then, do you need to send out wedding invitations?
Virtual Wedding Planning Timeline
The timeline for planning your virtual wedding is often similar to planning a fully in-person wedding, but with a few extra steps. Whether your wedding will be fully virtual, or you will have a hybrid wedding with a live streaming option, let guests know as soon as possible that they won’t actually need to travel or buy a new outfit for your wedding.
If they know well in advance that there will be a live stream of the wedding, then they can plan (or not plan!) accordingly.
For sending guests the actual link to your wedding live stream, there really is no set precedent. The most important thing is that they know WHERE they will find that all-important link. Will it show up in their mailbox? Will you text it to them? Will you share it on Facebook or on your wedding website?
One example timeline could be as follows:
3 months before the wedding: mail out paper invites, letting guests know there will be a virtual component. On your response card, have the option for guests to check whether they will be attending virtually or online, and let them know more details will follow.
2 weeks before the wedding: mail out virtual invitations to all guests who will not be attending in-person. Include the URL to your wedding live streaming website. Let them know that a final email reminder will be sent the day before the wedding.
24 hours before the wedding: email all guests with the link to your wedding live stream. Since issues often arise at the last minute, we would recommend sending this email to your entire guest list, including those who said they will be there in-person. Just let them know that if for some reason they can’t attend tomorrow, you’d love for them to join you online.
Types of Virtual Wedding Invitations
Now that you know when to send out your invitations, you likely want to know what a virtual wedding invitation even looks like.
At LoveStream, we offer a few super cool ways to invite guests to your virtual wedding. Our favorite is a video invitation. This is perfect for those people who really want to make their virtual guests feel special.
With our video invitation service, you will send us a short video of yourself inviting your guests to attend your virtual wedding, and you can also include a few special pictures if you want. Then, our team will compile your message and photos into a video that we will then email to your guest list. The video can include event details, a link to your website and frequently asked questions to ensure guests know where to go on wedding day.
If you want a simpler approach, we can also create a digital e-vite that you can either send out yourself, or our team can send it out to your guest list for an additional cost.
Book your LoveStream today to kick off the process so we can create your custom website that will go on your virtual wedding invitations!
photo credit: Alina Kolberg