You've been Cordially Invited
We’re officially in that time of year when wedding invitations are being designed like crazy and are flying out in numbers through the post office! This is the perfect time to share some of our top tips, tricks, and etiquette to ensure the first look into your wedding is a perfect match for your elegant and love-filled affair.
Stationery: Minted Weddings
Photographer: Nicolette Moku
The invitation to your wedding day is the first thing people will see that sets the tone for how your enchanted nuptials will go. Will your wedding be an elegant black tie affair with a string quartet and 5 course dinner, or a simple, rustic outdoor reception with food, family and fun? Whatever the details include, an invitation to the event will set the tone and not only tell people the details, it will set the vibe of the night.
Whether it be a simple 5X7 card with the details printed in a simple script with an online RSVP or an extravagant tri-fold pocket with ribbons and a wax seal, there are endless possibilities and ways to make your invitations personalized to you and yours. Once you’ve picked the perfect design, here are our tips to ensure you cover all the proper bases!
Tips and Etiquette:
When ordering, order 15% more of each piece as backup, in case of mistakes, keepsakes, and to give to the photographer for details photos.
Custom invitations should be ordered at least 5 months in advance of your wedding date to allow plenty of time to order supplies and production.
Plan to mail invitations 10-12 weeks in advance of your wedding date. 8-10 weeks will work too, but never less than 8!
Wording can get tricky with today’s mixed, extra-full families and multiple investment sources. Ask your Planner for advice on proper wording, based on your specific family dynamic and monetary contributions.
When choosing your printed ceremony start time, we recommend NOT padding the time on your invitation (unpopular opinion, we know). It is tempting to put 30 minutes early to ensure everyone makes it on time, but in our experience, this leads to “early” guests waiting around for extended periods of time with nothing to do wondering why your ceremony hasn’t started yet. If your Ceremony is set to begin at 4:00pm, your invitation should reflect this time. There are other ways to advise your loved ones that your Ceremony will start promptly at your designated invitation time, such as wedding websites, details cards, and good old word of mouth throughout your families.
We always suggest a Reply by date of at least 5 weeks before your wedding date. This provides at least a week to follow up on late responses and will ensure plenty of time to finalize your seating plan for your sign-maker and send final counts to your catering team and other vendors. Giving yourself a 4 week deadline to turn in your counts and seating assignments allows you to fully relax and enjoy those last few weeks. Use an even earlier date if you have a backup list.
While we prefer (and proper etiquette calls for) a written response card as opposed to an online response, we are seeing more and more online guest response tracking. This can be especially helpful when the couple is providing transportation or multiple hotel room blocks. We do encourage a separate details card with RSVP links, or a QR code if you opt for an online option. However, we love a written response card because it lends to an elevated and elegant affair and some guests may even write cute notes on the card to send back to the Happy Couple. Bonus! Who doesn’t like getting fun mail??
If you’re opting to package your own invitations, rather than using a “white glove” style service offered by your stationer (ask us how, if you don’t already know!) be sure to weigh and measure the entire suite before purchasing postage. Package one complete invitation including all extra ribbons, wax seals, cards, pockets, and extras and take it to the post office. A clerk will be happy to provide the exact postage required. Invitations with unique measurements, multiple cards, pages, and love usually require extra postage. Side note, remember to add the single stamp required for the response card!
Ask the post office if they can hand cancel the invitations vs machine canceling. Machine canceling can crush a custom invitation leading it to be delivered less than presentable. If the clerk says no, you can ask to do it for them.. trust us, we’ve done it!
Be sure to bring a few to your Big Day for your photographer to style and shoot for your album!
Stationery: Ultimate Design
Photographer: Shy Heart Studios
Can’t decide where to order your invitations from? Here are a few of our favorite vendors for all of your stationery needs.
Minted *Ask us about our Discount Code!
Stationery: Minted Weddings
Photography: Brett Hickman Photography