Wedding invitation etiquette
Make your invitations a personal reflection of both of you
Your wedding invitations are the first impression that your guests will have of your big day. It is important to make sure that they set the theme for your wedding and provide your guests with all of the information they need. Here are some tips on wedding invitation etiquette to help you make a good impression:
DO:
Send invitations on time: Your invitations should be sent out at least 10-14 weeks before the wedding date. Your venue and caterer will have a date that they need your final numbers by so that they can prepare for your event. Take that date (typically 2-4 weeks prior to your wedding date), and work back 4 weeks. This is when you’ll want to set your RSVP deadline for. This will provide you enough time to track down answers from those that you don’t hear back from. Make sure to provide enough time for the mail to deliver the invitations and your guests to respond, so you’ll want to work back another 4-6 weeks from your RSVP deadline to get to when you need to have the invitations sent by at the latest. In order to have them prepped and ready to go, you’ll need to order the invitations 4-8 weeks prior to when you want to send them out (this depends greatly on who you have create them).
Include all necessary information: Your invitation should include all of the necessary information, such as the date, time, location, dress code, and RSVP information. That said it doesn’t all need to go on the actual invite. Keep the invite as clean as possible and add additional pieces as needed in order to include all of the information. If you have a wedding website and it won’t fit on the invite, add another card with the URL and password.
Spell out all names and titles: Make sure to spell out all names and titles correctly, including those of your guests and your wedding party.
Cater the formality of your invite to the design of your invite: If your wedding will be a formal affair, lean into that on your invite and use formal language to reflect the importance of the event. If your wedding and theme will be informal and make sure the language reflects this on the invitation.
Address the invitation properly: Address the invitation properly, including titles and proper spellings of names. Again, follow the style of your invite. If your invite is more on the informal side, you can exclude the titles, but definitely still spell the names correctly.
DON'T:
Use abbreviations or nicknames on formal invitations: Do not use abbreviations or nicknames on your formal invitations, as this can come off as too informal.
Forget to include a RSVP deadline: Be sure to include a deadline for RSVPs to ensure that you have an accurate guest count. This date will be important to both you and your guests, so make sure you communicate it clearly and often.
Add unnecessary information: Keep your invitation simple and only include necessary information. Let’s be honest, people don’t read things closely anymore, so adding too much detail can confuse and overwhelm your guests.
Include gift registry information: Do not include gift registry information on your invitation. This information should be shared through word of mouth or on your wedding website.
Forget to proofread: Make sure to proofread your invitations carefully to avoid any spelling or grammatical errors.
Follow these dos and don’ts to make sure your invites provide your guests a sense of your wedding style and allow them to show up well on your wedding day. You want them to feel well informed and excited for your big day! Remember, your wedding day is a special occasion and your invitations are the first time your guests are getting a sense of what you’re planning.
