Wedding Invitations: What You Should Know!

There’s one thing for sure about wedding invitations. If you don’t send them, you probably won’t have any guests.

Now, there are a lot of options when it comes to wedding invitations. And, inevitably, you’ll have to make some decisions. Things like sending digital verses physical invitations, how to address them, and how to design your invitations are surely going to show up on your radar. With such a simple concept, wedding invitations can really become a big focus.

The good news is, there is help available to break down all your choices and help walk you through them. And, if you’re already overwhelmed, keep in mind the sole purpose of wedding invitations. They are so you can convey to desired guests that they are invited to your wedding, and let them know when and where it will be. As long as you have that focus in mind, the rest of the decisions will fall into place.

Wedding Invitations: What You Should Know!

This post is going to lay out high level decision points and actions you’ll have to make when it comes to your wedding invitations. Things like what to take care of first, how to word invitations, how to address them, and when to send them are all there. There are also additional tips on saving money on your invitations, which is something everyone loves to learn about.

Let’s get started!

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO BEFORE YOU SEND WEDDING INVITATIONS

Before you send your wedding invitations, you’ll need to organize a few things.

First, your guest list should be finalized. If you need more help on that, check out this post. Once you have your guest list, you’ll need to collect everyone’s email or physical address, depending on if you’re sending digital or physical wedding invitations.

I found the easiest way to collect addresses was in a spreadsheet, and just texting or calling each guest, but you may find an app or other collection method you prefer. If it seems like a lot of guests to reach out to, ask your partner or parents to help.

DIGITAL VERSES PHYSICAL WEDDING INVITATIONS

It used to be completely taboo to send digital wedding invitations, but the pandemic has made big changes to this line of thinking.

Because so many weddings had to change their dates since March, 2020, sending digital invitations has become more of the norm. It makes it easier to update guests, and allows you to send immediate information about pandemic protocols. So, for these reasons, and the fact that it is definitely more cost effective, you may want to send digital wedding invitations.

However, physical wedding invitations are not completely obsolete. And some couples really want to stick with them, because they are more elegant. Plus, updates to wedding changes and pandemic protocols can be sent via social media groups or wedding websites; they don’t have to be on the invite themselves. So, if physical invitations are more your style, and you have the budget for them, then you should go that route.

WHERE TO ORDER WEDDING INVITATIONS

For either digital or physical invitations, you have options as to where to get them from.

Digital invitations can be sent from a website like Evite, Paperless Wedding Invites, or even The Knot. No matter where you order from, you’re likely to find templates that you can customize, and it’s really about what appeals most to you.

Physical invites can be ordered through a ton of different locations as well. You can go to a local print shop to help print your own design (more on that below), or use a website like Etsy or Minted to use a template and have a small business help you design it, create it, and send it to you. That’s all there really is to it. If you’re torn on a few places, it might help to know the look you’re going for with your design, and find one that matches your preferred aesthetic.

MAKING YOUR OWN WEDDING INVITATIONS

If you’re having trouble finding a website that will allow you to design the right wedding invitations, you have the option to make them yourself.

While there are lots of programs for design out there, Canva is a website that is easy to use, and has a free version. You can even upgrade just to design your invitations, and then cancel after you don’t need Canva anymore. If you’d like to send digital invitations, just make the design, save it as a PDF, and then email it out to guests with a special message.

For physical wedding invitations, you can make the design and then have it professionally printed at a local print shop. They will be able to help you pick out the right paper and ensure that the sizing is correct for sending the invites off. 

HOW MANY PHYSICAL INVITATIONS TO ORDER

I know what you’re thinking. Order as many invitations as you have guests. Or at least guest addresses. And this is mostly true.

Obviously, you don’t need to order as many invitations as you have guests, because you’ll have many guests who live together. However, some guests may be adult children living with their parents, and they all are invited to the wedding. In this case, you may want to send an invitation to each set of adults, if it makes sense for the situation.

You may also want to print a few extra invitations for keepsakes. You, your parents, and your photographer may all want an extra copy (albeit for different reasons), so plan accordingly for that. A good rule of thumb is to order enough invitations for each guest address, plus ten, just to be prepared. 

WEDDING INVITATION DESIGN

If you’re having trouble deciding how to design your wedding invitation, just try to keep it simple.

First, look at your theme or colors for inspiration. This may help you narrow down what will work for your wedding, and what won’t. From there, browse the options online that match the look you’d like to go for. You and your partner can work together to pick out your favorites. When in doubt, ask your family for their opinion. There is bound to be a strong decision maker who will help you determine what looks best.

HOW TO ADDRESS YOUR WEDDING INVITATIONS

Addressing invitations can have a whole separate post about it, but I’ll try and keep it basic here.

If you are having a formal wedding, and your family likes to keep to tradition, address your envelops in a very formal way. If your wedding is more casual, keep your addresses casual.

Here are the different situations you may face, and how to address everyone:

Married Guests With Same Last Name

• Formal: Mr. & Mrs. John & Sally Smith
• Informal: John & Sally Smith

Married Guests With Different Last Names

• Formal: Mr. John Smith & Mrs. Sally Jones
• Informal: John Smith & Sally Jones

Single Guests

• Formal:  Mr. John Smith
• Informal: Sally Jones

Families

• Formal: Mr. John Smith & Family
• Informal: The Smith Family

Single Guests Who Get A Plus One

• Formal: Mr. John Smith & Guest
• Informal: John Smith & Guest

Of course, there are nuances and varying situations that come up, but these are generally the big ones. For more resource, check out this article.

WORDING AN INVITATION

The wording of invites can be incredibly traditional, or it can be left up to the couple. This is another area where the pandemic has really created a lot of leeway to make your wedding your own.

In general, these items are what you’ll find on an invitation:

• HOST LINE – A statement about who is hosting the wedding. It can be the names of your parents, if they are paying for your wedding. Or, it can be a statement like “Together with their families”, if you are paying for the wedding yourself, with some help from your family. If the wedding is entirely paid for by you and your partner, you can even leave this part off.
• REQUEST LINE – A statement about what you’d like your guests to do. For example, “would like you to join”.
• COUPLE’S NAMES – This is self explanatory. You can include your full names, nicknames, middle names, or whatever makes the most sense to you here.
• DETAILS – All the details of the wedding. What date are you getting married, and time of day? Where will the wedding be? If there is a reception after the ceremony, put “reception to follow”.
• DIRECTION – This is where you’d have a note about RSVP deadlines, or information for your wedding website. You can even put a QR code on your invitation that leads right to your website.

WHAT GOES IN AN INVITATION

The great news about today’s world is that you don’t have to put a lot in an actual wedding invitation anymore.

Of course, the invitation itself is essential. Other than that, it’s up to you. You could include a little RSVP card to fill out, and return with an included envelop that is addressed to you (and with return postage). But with the ability to RSVP electronically, and even indicate food choices and dietary restrictions, including it in your wedding invitation is a personal preference.

Other personal preferences of what to include may be directions to your venue, a separate insert about your registry (do not put this on your invitation), and other details you’d like to share. However, to keep it simple, I suggest putting all of this information on your website. It will be much easier and more cost effective for you.

WHEN TO SEND WEDDING INVITATIONS

This is a topic everyone has an opinion on. If you ask a search engine, or most bridal magazines, they will recommend six to eight weeks before your wedding. However, I feel that there is more to it than that. 

Here are other factors to consider:

Start with six weeks ahead of the wedding, and for every YES answer, add the recommended number of weeks:

• Do you have out-of-town guests that require booking flights? YES – Add six weeks
• Are out-of-town guests booking hotel rooms?  YES – Add two weeks
• Do you have a “B” List? YES – Add two weeks
• Does your caterer need your head count early? YES – Add one week
• Are you or your partner easily stressed?  YES – Add two weeks
• Do you just feel like you need more time?  YES – Add one week
• Are you skipping Save The Dates? YES – Add two weeks

You may be sending some of your invites up to four months in advance, but no one says you have to send them all on the same day. Send them to anyone who has to travel a little early, and everyone else later on. This is your wedding, you can make up the rules that work for you. 

HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON WEDDING INVITATIONS

It’s not that wedding invitations are a major wedding expense, but the costs can really add up. Just look at it this way; the more you add, the more it will cost. 

Here are some tips to keep costs as low as possible:

• Design your own invitation on a free application, like Canva.
• Go digital, if it fits the style of your wedding.
• If you send physical invitations, limit the amount of paper you use in them. Include all excess information on your wedding website.
• Ask guests to RSVP online to save on RSVP cards, envelops, and provided postage to them.
• Hand-address the invitations, yourself, rather than hire someone to do it or pay for them to be printed.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

As you can see, there are a lot of decisions to make when it comes to wedding invitations. It’s an area of your wedding where you can’t skip it, unless you have literally no guests. However, there is a lot of leeway as to how you provide invitations. They can be inexpensive, and digital. Or, elaborate and very pricey. It’s all about what works best for your style and budget. 

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