TIME FORMATTING
Unless you are planning a destination wedding,
you should send out your formal invitations 6-8 weeks in advance with
the reply due date being 2-3 weeks before the event. This gives all of
your guests a chance to clear their schedules and/or make travel
arrangements. It also allows for you to send and receive back response
cards, which gives you a final head count before the wedding day. If you
are planning a destination wedding, please send out formal invitations
8-12 weeks in advance with the reply due date being 3-4 weeks before the
event.
POSTAGE REQUIREMENTS
The best option for figuring out postage
requirements is to take a completed invitation (envelope and all) to the
post office and have it weighed. Believe it or not, air humidity can
affect the weight of your invitation from one day to the next, so it is
always best to caution on the heavier side.
WEDDING
INVITATIONS
Invitations
should be a reflection of the tone of your wedding. The invitation
should include the date, time, and traditionally, only the names of the
people who are paying for wedding
Non-Destination
Non-Destination
weddings should also include a response card and at least an enclosure card. What is the
reasoning
behind this? The response card informs the couple on which guests will
attend and the enclosure card is a way for the couple to provide
additional information that is relevant to the event day/weekend/week
that could not be included on the wedding invitation.
Destination
In addition to the
response card, destination
weddings should also include direction card or map, and an enclosure
card that list the couples wedding website. The wedding website allows
guests to find out about hotel accommodations, planned wedding events,
and fun activities to partake in at the wedding destination site.
ENVELOPES
Inner envelopes should be addressed by hand
Outer envelopes should be printed.
SAVE
THE DATES
Save the
dates are used as an informal way of announcing you’re wedding plans and
should be sent out at least 8 months in advance. Experts recommend that
you should send save the dates to as many guests on your
list as possible, especially if they would have to make travel
arrangements. Please also remember that whoever receives a save the
date, should also receive an invitation.
GUEST
LIST ETIQUETTE
Guest List
The wedding is a celebration of a union, so the bride and groom should split the list down the middle or have made a decision at the early planning stages as to who will get what percentage of the guest list.
Wedding etiquette states that if a guest has received a save the date, they should also receive a wedding invitation.
The wedding is a celebration of a union, so the bride and groom should split the list down the middle or have made a decision at the early planning stages as to who will get what percentage of the guest list.
Wedding etiquette states that if a guest has received a save the date, they should also receive a wedding invitation.
Make
it absolutely clear if your guests are allowed to bring guests of their
own. This may put you in the awkward situation of someone asking you
whether or not they can bring their significant other/date.
You should always order extra invitations because
you will forget someone. The norm is to order 20% additional.
Children
Whether or not you are inviting children should
be discussed with the bride and groom from the start. If children
cannot attend the wedding, it would be great to call ahead so that the
parents know that both the ceremony and/or the reception are adult only.
This may be a good chance to get a feeling as to how the guests are
reacting to your decision.
If you’re inviting children, it would be a great
idea to hire a sitter to look after the kids during the ceremony and the
reception. You should plan fun activities to keep the children occupied
during the reception time. Coloring books and toys are always a big
hit.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Let’s face it, weddings are expensive and you
can’t invite every one. If you can’t invite people for whatever reason
(costs or you just choose not to), it is polite to send out a wedding announcement to those
individuals. This lets them know that you are sorry they could not
attend the wedding, but you still love and respect them enough to share a
piece of your special day. Remember that wedding announcements are for
people who were not able to attend the celebration. Announcements
are usually sent within a few days of the ceremony, but no later than a
few months after the wedding event has taken place.
GIFT
REQUESTS
Traditionally
you should never include instructions for gift registries in your
wedding invitation. The only polite way is to have your friends and
families spread the word or to have a wedding/bridal shower.