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Creating your wedding invitations is no easy feat, and trying to remember the all-important details can often feel like an overwhelming task. But never fear, for we are here to give you five tips to guide you throughout the process, helping you avoid any etiquette mistakes along the way!
First things first, it’s important to choose the right time to send your wedding invitations. You don’t want to send them way too far in advance that your guests will forget your wedding date completely. But, at the same time, you don’t want to send them too close so that your guests end up being double-booked.
The recommended time scale for sending your invites is between 6-8 weeks in advance (for a non-destination wedding). This is to confirm the venue, timings, and menu options for your guests.
If you are having a destination wedding, make sure to notify guests with your invitations approx 12 weeks in advance so that this will give your guests enough time to search and book the best travel prices.
The one thing that guests will be wondering is if they have been invited to attend all day, or just for the evening reception, so we’d recommend making this clear from the start. On your Save the Dates it can be as clear as ‘Save the Day’ or ‘Save the Evening’ —. It just helps guests plan their day in advance. For the main invitation, if your guests are attending all day, make sure to state clearly the ceremony starting time. This can be followed by “drinks and dinner to follow”. Inform your evening guests of a definite evening reception time. Just make sure not to include a menu, or any details prior to the evening reception to avoid any confusion.
The more information that you provide, the better. The main important things to state on your Save the Date are the date and the location even if it’s just a county.
For the main invitations, we’d recommend stating the following:
It may be more time consuming, but it’s better to state exactly who is invited so that it’s clear from the start. When writing your invites, try to write their names in full, for example, “John and Joan Smith.”
If you’re inviting someone with a guest, be sure to write “Mr. John Smith and Guest” on the envelope, or put their guest’s full name if you know it.
If the whole family is invited, it’s best to write: “John, Joan, Beth, Rachel, and James Smith”.
Remember to keep an organised list of who you’ve invited, their addresses and whether they are evening or all-day guests. This list will also help you keep track of numbers for the big day.
Although it’s bound to happen at some point, bad grammar or misspelt names are embarrassing and can make invitations feel less personalised. Worse still, they’re all too easy to make. Avoiding this mistake is easy but time-consuming. Make sure to check with guests beforehand if you are unsure of any name spelling, or ask a friend or family member to proofread your invites for you — another set of eyes is always useful.
We hope that this useful guide has helped to take the stress out of creating your invitations, enabling you to fully enjoy the experience of wedding planning.
At Vintage Prints, our elegant wedding invitations and on-the-day wedding stationery are fully customisable to ensure the perfect finish that you want, creating beautiful items that you and your guests will cherish forever. Explore our extensive range online today.
