How early to send out birthday invitations?

[Gretel]

How early do you send out birthday invitations? My daughter came home with one last night for a party on Friday?!?!?!?!?! My daughter is mad that she can't go, but at this late date I already had something on the calendar.

I sent my daughters out about 10 days before, maybe I was too early??? I guess I like to get it on my calendar!! She had a good turnout though.

 

[CamColt]

I too like to send mine out early, but I am a big time "planner". We are having DS's party Dec 6th and Im already thinking I should get them out soon.
However we have gotten some(written and verbal) a few days and even 1 day in advance.

 

[tiggerlover]

I like the parents to have them at least two weeks in advance of the party so they can plan accordingly. Unfortuneately there are a lot of folks out there that do it last minute and it drives me nuts, especially if there is a conflict and DS can't go.

 

[peg2001]

2 weeks. I know that I really appreciate about 2 weeks to plan so I try to give other families the same courtesy. The only problem that I've noticed is that people forget to call and let me know if they will be there.

I guess if you get an invitation just a couple days before the event, it is easier to just go ahead and pick up the phone and let them know if you will be there or not. If it is a couple of WEEKS away, you may set the invitation aside, planning to call later.

Peggy

 

[believe]

One month in advance. DD#1's birthday is day after Christmas so I want to make sure everyone has it well in advance, not that we have her party that day but I know schedules fill up quick. DH and I have weekends booked atleast a month in advance, so if someone wants us to attend we need a lot of notice. One friend of mine calls me before she sends on the invites to make sure I put it on our calendar.

 

[Cindy B]

My son is a December birthday as well, and I am thinking about getting them out soon as well.

My daughters bday is usually on Labor Day, so that is tricky as well.
So I usually do a month before for both of them.

My son only wants a family party this year, so I can make it a dinner/buffet informal thing.

 

[swanmom]

For some reason, there are 5 birthdays in my DD's class during the same month as hers. So, I got our invitations out early in order to avoid having two parties scheduled at the same time and putting kids in a position to 'choose' which one to go to.
My best friend, however, is the world's biggest 'last minuter !"
(She bought her wedding dress on Thursday for her weekend wedding!) Her DD's invitations are usually sitting on her desk, unwritten and unsent. She always has to call everyone because she waits so long it's too late to rely on the mail !!!!

 

[vald1977]

I send them out 3-4 weeks before the party.

 

[Mimi Q]

I send the invitations out about 10 days in advance. However, I check with her best friends' mothers before they go out to make sure the date is okay with them.

 

[dizneenut]

I send them out 2 weeks in advance.

 

[cats mom]

Wow - no last minute folks out there?
I usually send out a week or two in advance.
I did have someone show up at the door a week early once - she just saw Wednesday and didn't check the date!

 

[jwsqrdplus2]

Mine go out tomorrow for a joint party for both of my DDs and one of their friends. The party is Nov 23 (DD1 b-day is Dec 7, DD2 b-day is Oct 29 and friend's b-day is Dec 14). We (the two families) did this last year and we actually like having the party in Nov so we avoid the worst of the holiday scheduling nightmare!

 

[disykat]

I had to laugh at the comment about maybe last minute invites get a better RSVP response. I'm usually a stickler about RSVPing. However, if I get a written invitation only one or two days before the party I just plain don't bother. To me it's rude and I assume they don't want us there anyway - so I'm rude right back, I guess.

 

[honeywolf7]

I always sent mine out two weeks in advance when I was growing up and 2004 will be Jessa's first birthday party...I'll send hers out two weeks early as well.

 

[WDWAurora]

Funny timing for this! My (soon to be) nephew's 1st bday party is Dec. 6th and the invitation arrived yesterday! That's wedding invite timing, not 1st bday invite timing...but hey she made me send out the baby shower invitations nearly two months early and had to get a daily report on RSVPs from me....let's just say she's an overplanner. I planned hardly anything. If I do another shower for her, it's a surprise...anyway, tangent...Yeah, so that's like 4 weeks early for her.

 

[Nutsy]

For my boys bithdays, we sent out the invites about 2 - 2 1/2 weeks before hand. Even then we were still waiting until the very last minute for some to let us know if they were coming or not.

 

[aprilgail2]

I sent them out 4 weeks in advance for my daughters party this coming Saturday....I like to give people notice (and make sure our invite gets in before other plans are made!)..

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

It bugs me when people don't RSVP. I think that shows no class or upbringing and then they show up anyway.

I had a mother call me this year and wanted to know when my daughter's party was going to be held. Her daughter wasn't even going to be invited. She was in my daughter's class last year.

I sent her an invitation because I would never hurt a child's feelings. It gets better. Then the father calls and says Mallory can't come because they are going camping. It gets better. The day before the party he calls back. They've cancelled the camping trip because of Hurricane Isabel and Mallory will be coming after all. Oh Joy! I just had to laugh.

Lori

 

[dcgrumpy]

DS's party is on Dec 6, I just bought the invitations today and plan on sending them out over the weekend.

 

[tiggerlover]

People who fail to RSVP drive me nuts too. And to make it easier for the folks I even include an email address for replies because I know some people don't like to pick up the phone, and STILL not everyone RSVP's.

Also, at my DS's 6th birthday the class bully showed up at our house for his party and he wasn't even invited. I couldn't believe the mother would bring her child without an invitation. I know if I didn't get a written or verbal invitation for my son he would not just show up at a party. DS was so upset he came, but we made the best of it anyway.