Wedding Invitations: What to think about before you start shopping

The wedding invite makes it official! It’s that piece of beautiful paper that tells your guests all the important details of your wedding: the date, the time, the location of the wedding and the reception. Just like all the other elements of your wedding, you’ll have to think about several things before you choose your wedding invitations:

Style: You will want to think about the style of your wedding – is it classic, elegant, casual, modern etc. The style of your wedding will translate to your wedding dress and so many other elements of your wedding, including your wedding invitations! Check out several stationary sites to get some ideas.

Content: A traditional wedding invitation includes the location, the time of the ceremony, your name/fiancée’s name and RSVP information. You want to make sure your invites are not extremely cluttered. You can include an extra card/enclosure for other details, such as a map to the reception hall/wedding venue, and any other activities you would like your guests to be aware of for the special day. If you’re planning a destination wedding, you will want to let the guests know which resort the wedding will be taking place.

Colours: What colour scheme are you using for your wedding? You may want to incorporate those colours into your wedding invites and other wedding elements (i.e. menus, programs etc.).
Timing: Order your wedding stationary four to five months before the wedding so that they are ready to be mailed out 8 – 10 weeks before the wedding. It may seem like one of the smaller details of your wedding, but you’ll want to do some research before you choose your wedding invitation vendor, so start early! Give your guests three or four weeks to confirm their attendance. You don’t want to make the deadline too long, otherwise your guests may forget. And you also want to give yourself enough time to put the seating arrangement together and provide the final numbers to the wedding venue.

Costs: Make sure you have your budget before you speak to the wedding invitation vendors. Invitations can vary in price based on the design, paper and finishing you select, so you’ll want to know what you plan on spending on your invitations. In your budget, make sure you include the cost of calligrapher if you plan on using one, and postage.

Stamp: Including an addressed return envelope with a stamp will greatly help in ensuring that your guests RSVP to your wedding invitation. Make sure you have adequate postage for your guests, especially if you are inviting out of country guests. Weigh your cards at the post office to make sure you have the appropriate postage.

Quantity: Determine how many invites you will need. Remember, you won’t need an invite for each guest on your wedding guest list, as one wedding invite is traditionally sent per family. Always make sure you order enough extras (at least 25) in case you need more.

Bundle your items: If you’re also printing menus and programs, thank you notes, ask your invitation vendor if they offer a bundled rate to print all your wedding stationary. This can help you reduce costs.

Printing: Make sure you proof-read your wedding invitations before you go to print. Ask your printing vendor to send you a proof so that you can double check the content and that there are no spelling mistakes. I always ask a third party to review something that I’ve looked at too many times. Sometimes when’ve you’ve seen it often, you can miss something.

A wedding invitation is the first glimpse into what your wedding will be like. Take some time and review your options and choose something that fits you and your style!