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 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.)
Photo: K. Jugar Photography
When designing your wedding invitations there are a few formalities you will want to remember.
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.)
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.
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