Wedding Invitations – The Why, When, and How to Wedding Stationery

Everyone today lives in a digital world, so receiving wedding invitations in the mail is a breath of fresh air.  This is the first impression your guests will get of your wedding day, so let’s make it a good one.  We are going to be sharing all wedding planning tips related to creating your wedding invitations suite, etiquette on wording, and when to send your wedding invitations out.

Save-The-Dates

Save-the-dates are a nice way to announce your wedding to those you plan to invite.  They are extremely helpful for those who will need to travel or plan time off to attend.  If you plan to send these, they typically need to be sent out six months before the big day.  If you are having a destination wedding, you want to send these out eight to ten months in advance as destination weddings involve more planning for everyone.  The important key information you will want to include on these is the names of who is getting married, the date you have selected, and a note that formal invitations will follow.  Not everyone will have their venue selected at this point, which is fine, but if you know the general location, you can share that as well.  Your wedding website, if you have one, should be shared on these as well.  Let your guests know that they can and should visit this website for hotel accommodation information and for the most up-to-date information regarding your wedding. (*Tip: Be sure to have your hotel room blocks set up prior to sending out save-the-dates so guests can book their reservations early and take advantage of your discounted room rate.)

Wording and Addressing Etiquette for Your Wedding Invitations

Photo: K. Jugar Photography

When designing your wedding invitations there are a few formalities you will want to remember.

1. Your invitations should contain the following information, in this order: Host Names, The Couple, The Date, Time, Location, and the post-ceremony details. Check out Minted.com for a great in-depth look at wording your wedding invitations.  Use Code WEDPLOFDE for a discount on your save-the-dates and invitations.
2. If you are having a specific dress code, the invitation itself is usually the first clue to your guest. However, it is always a good idea to specifically tell them in the lower right corner what your intended dress code is.  This will be much appreciated by your guests.
3. If you are having an “adults only” wedding, then addressing your wedding invitations correctly is everything to let them know this. Be sure to specifically address each name and leave off “and guest”.  If you still have a guest RSVP with their kids added, don’t panic.  Simply pick up the phone and explain you are having an adults-only wedding and you sincerely hope they can still attend.  Just know that some people are shocked you don’t want kids at your wedding but stick to your plans.  This is your wedding and it’s okay to want this.
4. Titles matter! If one of your guests is a doctor, then their name should come first on the invitation.  For example, if the wife is a doctor, you will address it as Doctor Sharon and Mr. Mark Lawrence, and the same if the husband is a doctor.  Doctor Mark and Mrs. Sharon Lawrence.  If they are both doctors, you will want to address it as Drs. Mark and Sharon Lawrence.  If you are inviting a single woman, not a doctor, you will address her as Ms.  If she is under 21 then you will address her as Miss.
5. You want to place the return address for your wedding invitations to be on the back of the envelope. You will want this to be to the person who will be handling the response cards, whether it be you, a family member, or your wedding planner.  And don’t forget to already have this address printed on your RSVP envelope, as well as postage already applied.
6. It is not polite to include your registration information with your wedding invitations. It is implying that you are expecting your guests to bring a gift.  Instead, opt to have this information on your wedding website, leave it as word of mouth, or host a wedding shower.

When to Send Out Wedding Invitations

Traditionally, wedding invitations are to be mailed out six to eight weeks before the wedding.  For a destination wedding, you will want to send them sooner, such as three or four months in advance.  You will want to make sure that you give your guests plenty of time to make any arrangements they may need, such as childcare, time off from work, travel, and hotel accommodations.  There are certain times of the year, such as an election or holidays, that you may want to consider sending out your wedding invitations sooner than recommended.  The postal service during this time can easily get behind so allow for these potential delays by sending your invites out a week or two sooner. (*Tip: Take a stuffed envelope to the post office prior to mailing invitations and weigh it so you can ensure you have the correct postage.)

When RSVPs should be requested

Photo: Kaytlin Lane Photography Stationary: Sara Lane Design.

You will find a good range of opinions on this, but personally, I find the sweet spot is at three weeks before the wedding.  Catering will ask for your final guest count one to two weeks beforehand, so this gives you plenty of time to reach out to anyone who has not responded yet if you wish.  Some caterers may request a guest count sooner than this.  In that case, I would set your RSVP date for the same time.  This is also the time frame that your hotel blocks will release any rooms not booked by your guests so keeping these dates the same is easier for everyone to remember.  Your seating chart is also not something you want to be worried about completing the week of your wedding, so the three weeks allow you to get the majority of this done so you can relax in the final weeks before the big day.

While your wedding invitations may not be the most exciting part of planning, it is one of the most important.  It may also seem like the easiest part; however, it often causes some of the most stress.  People overthink it and there are so many options for design and printing.  Lean on the experts in your area.  Talk with your planner or find a local stationer to guide you.  You won’t be sorry that you took the time to pick just the right fit for your wedding.  Be sure to read more of our blog for more useful wedding planning advice and contact us to see how we can service you and make the wedding planning process seamless and fun.