You’ve set a date and you’ve got a venue. You’ve picked colors and asked your bridal party to stand up for you. Next daunting task? Wedding invitations. While the guest list itself is often one of the toughest tasks a couple faces during the wedding planning process, the invitations that come afterward can be tricky as well. After all, there aren’t many other times you send out a formal, paper invitation in your life, so most people don’t have much experience in this area! We’re sharing a couple do’s and don’ts to help you and your honey navigate what you need to know when tackling invites. The addressing is up to you, though 😉
DO make a spreadsheet! Having all your names, addresses, party count and RSVP tally in one place will make everything surprisingly easy. Then, as you get your RSVPs back, immediately put them into your spreadsheet. Then you don’t have to worry about holding on to or losing the little cards, and your sheet will constantly be up to date.
DO lightly number your RSVP cards in pencil on the back. Then correspond that number with a number for each party on your guest list spreadsheet. So when you get an RSVP back with no name on it (it’ll happen, trust us!) you can just look and note that RSVP number 56 was the one you sent to Aunt Marge, and mark her answer accordingly. It’ll save you tons of hair-pulling-out!
DON’T assume that you’ll get all your RSVPs back in a timely manner. Or at all. It’s one of the biggest pains of wedding planning, but just know that you and your fiancé will be making several follow-up texts and calls after your RSVP by date passes. Also know from here on out, you’ll always send back those RSVP cards yourself because you understand what a pain it is to chase people down now!
DON’T forget to weigh your packaged invitation! An invitation, photo, RSVP card and envelope, all in their own envelope, may weigh enough to need extra postage. Take one that’s fully compiled to the post office and have it weighed to double check and avoid getting a slew of ‘return to senders’ in the mail!
DO send them out 6-8 weeks before your wedding, maybe a bit sooner for a destination wedding. This gives people plenty of time to coordinate schedules, but isn’t too far in advance that people forget. Save the dates should be sent out 6-8 months prior to your wedding.
DO take the time to think about how you can incorporate your theme and wedding style into your wedding invitations. Stationery designer Kyra Phelps Design says, “Incorporating your colors and style helps your guests get an idea of the overarching style of your wedding and can give them an idea of what kind of vibe to expect. It sets the tone for your wedding!”
Stay tuned next week for a post on wedding invitation wording!
