Wedding invitations and save the dates are the first thing your guests first glimpse into your wedding day. This piece of mail has vital information and sets the tone and theme of your wedding. It is also your way of saying their presence on your wedding day is important. However, we are aware of changing traditions and guest list complications so it is our mission to you. Here are some tips to provide you ease and direction to create the perfect invitations for your wedding day.

“When should I send my invitations?”

The timing of invitations is important because people are busy! Here is a little guide of how we recommend timing out your invitations and save the dates.

Standard (Local) wedding: We recommend sending invitations around 6-8 weeks in advance. This creates enough time for the guests to put it on their calendar with a chance to ask off work, but it's also close enough so they won’t forget.

Destination Wedding: 10-12 weeks in advance depending on where the location is. The more time you give guests to make travel arrangements and schedule vacation time the better!

Save-the-Dates: These aren’t required but can help traveling guests have more time to prepare. We recommend anywhere from 6-12 months in advance.

Rsvp Dilemma

When sending out an invitation, it is important to have a clear way of making sure your guests can rsvp, so you know how many people to expect on the day of your wedding. With a more formal invitation, it is customary to include an rsvp card that is sent inside the invitation to be mailed back with the number of guests attending. On a more casual invitation this can look like an rsvp card with a QR code that leads to a digital rsvp format. This has been more popular recently due to efficiency but also saves time in the waiting for responses in the mail. Another large factor in RSVPs is creating a cut off date. This ensures guests RSVP with enough time for you to prepare properly for the wedding day. The sweet spot for an RSVP date is 4 weeks before your wedding. That way you are able to adjust your seating chart and know how many guests to accommodate.

Wording & Guest Limits

Invitations are beautiful and personal but also meant to be informative and instructional. It is important to list who is hosting the event, the date and time, location, and the RSVP deadline. More information that is helpful and can be put on invitations includes your wedding website and hotel blocks for any traveling guest.

When it comes to guest limits, we understand it is rare to accommodate “plus ones”. If you wish to accommodate a plus one for certain guests, you can address the envelope “Jenna Sanchez and Guest.” Another way to say you can accommodate a plus one is using the phrase “We have reserved 2 seats in your honor” on the RSVP card. If you don’t have the resources to accommodate plus ones you can simply just use the Guest name on the envelope. On the RSVP card you can also write, “We look forward to celebrating with you!”

Wedding invitation etiquette doesn’t have to be as stressful as it seems from the outside looking in. Invitations are ultimately a sign of honor and thoughtfulness and your guests are excited to celebrate you and your spouse. We encourage you to have full creative freedom, whether you decide to go with a more traditional route or a modern twist. If we could leave you with one last tip it would be to have fun and PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD!!