Wedding Invitations Etiquette - A Comprehensive Guide

As you slowly immerse in wedding planning, you begin to understand how every detail has its own role. Step by step, it is exciting to see how every element plays a part in realizing your dream vision.

One of those elements that hold immense importance is the wedding invitations. Not only do they provide the information needed for your guests to attend and share your joy, but also they are an extended aesthetic expression of your unique style. Along with the whole suite and wedding stationery, they will personalize your special day.

Now, there are other questions that will definitely arise in your mind – for example, when to send them, what to include, the wording, etc. In order to shed light on the subject, today I am sharing with you all you need to know about the proper wedding invitations etiquette.

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Wedding Invitations 101

When to send the invitations and save the dates?

Timing is very important when it comes to sending them. You don’t want to send your wedding invitations too early or too late. The time frame needs to be perfect for you to receive the RSVPs in a timely manner and get the optimal response. For that reason, I would recommend announcing your joyful news by sending save the date cards about six to eight months prior to your wedding. In this way, you will share your happiness and they will later expect your invitations.

But when does the wedding invitations etiquette require you to send the invites? I would recommend sending them 6 to 8 weeks prior to your date. This will leave ample time for your invitees to plan everything and send the RSVPs in a timely manner. In the case of destination weddings, then you need to give them more time to sort everything and organize their trip, so the proper time to send your invitations is 12 to 16 weeks before the day.

*When to RSVP?*

You can note that the RSVP needs to have an answer one month before the wedding, so you have plenty of time to sort out the affirmative answers and make changes if needed.
*How many wedding invitations do I need?*
In essence, one wedding suite per household would be sufficient. However, I would also like to remind you to have an extra suite for your wedding details photos. Many couples forget about this part and send them all out. Trust me, they will complete your story when styled with other important and precious details.

Custom Design Turnaround Time

Bespoke or custom designs are tailored completely to your liking, reflecting the beautiful vision you have dreamed of for so long. Thus, they require a longer time to be put together in contrast to semi-custom ones. The process has several stages – you talk to your designer and plan how to translate your theme and style, then the designer shapes your vision into a meticulously curated wedding stationery which is later printed on a carefully selected paper.

Usually, for a wedding invitations suite that features an Invitation, RSVP, a Detail card, and a Custom Map Card; you will need to count in from 4 to 8 weeks. This usually varies from the number of revisions needed to complete the final look of the design.

What to include and what not - wedding invitation wording

Neat and well-curated wedding invitation wording plays a major role in informing your guests. For example, if you put too many details, your invitees may disregard some, and if there are too few, then you won’t inform them properly.

According to the wedding invitations etiquette, the first line should include the names of who is hosting the wedding, who is getting married, followed by the date, time, name of the venue, city and state/country. Including more information than these essentials may lead your guests to overlook some. Not to mention how your invitation will look cluttered and busy, losing its allure of being artfully elegant and simple.

My tip would be to always keep it simple and include what is vital for your attendees to know about the special event. If you are worried that they won’t get all the information about other festivities planned, you can remove this fear by including them on your wedding website.

*What does the wedding invitation suite feature?*

Terminology can be tricky, especially when you are encountering some words for the first time. To clear the confusion, I have listed all the essentials which compose the suite. According to the wedding invitations etiquette, these are the elements that need to be included to best inform your invitees:
Traditional Elements:
Invitation
Response Card and Envelope
Mailing Envelope
Postage
Optional Elements:
Inner Envelope
Reception Card
Directions
Weekend Events Card
Accommodations Card
Embellishments (wax seal, belly band, ribbons, dried florals, etc)

Registry information, is it wise to include it on the invitation itself?

Another tip that I feel compelled to mention about the wedding invitations etiquette is not to put your registry information. Instead, include a link to your website on an information insert that will lead them to your wedding registry.

Adults only wedding

Many couples wish to have an adults only wedding and it is perfectly normal as your celebration should reflect your preferences. But how to address the invitation?
You should start by naming only the guests that are invited. If they are parents, then be sure to write only their names. For example “Mr. and Mrs Luis Chavez” and not “The Chavez Family”. In case you are worried whether this subtle approach would work, then you need to be extra clear. My suggestion would be to include a note on the reception or detail card which would address the ‘adults only’ rule.

I hope that now you feel confident about the wedding invitations etiquette. I love educating couples about everything connected, so if you have further questions, please feel free to email me. I would be more than glad to help you on your journey. Also, if you want to order a custom design, then I would love to receive your inquiry.

Simply fill out the questionnaire and we will work on transcribing all of your ideas and style onto the design!

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