When Should Wedding Invitations Be Sent? by Mindy Weiss

When planning your wedding, you should think about wedding invitation etiquette. This means you must allow enough time for invitations to be mailed from the post office so that family members, loved ones, and guests have time to plan. Read on to find out when to send wedding invitations, as well as some advice from wedding planner Mindy Weiss.

A Brief Overview of Wedding Invitations

A wedding invitation informs guests about the details of your special day. As the event hosts, the card will frequently include the full names of the betrotheds' parents. This formal invitation usually includes an RSVP card on which guests can respond with their attendance decision.

Wedding planners can help with invitation design; wedding stationery is typically more elaborate and refined than regular mail, though design options vary depending on the couple's aesthetic and budget.

What to Include on Wedding Invitations

Consider the following information when designing your wedding invitation suite:

Details: Wedding invitations include the location of the wedding ceremony, the location of the after-party, and the names of the bride and/or groom.

Rehearsal dinner invite: The invitation may include information about the rehearsal dinner for members of the wedding party and other intimate guests.

Response card: The invitation should include an RSVP deadline. Meal options and a space for guests to indicate any food allergies may be included on the response card. Guests should respond at least four weeks before the wedding date to give the couple time to rearrange tables and invite other guests to fill empty seats.

Wedding website: Make your wedding invitation wording clear and concise. Only provide the summary information. If you want, include a wedding website with more information, such as a wedding registry, travel arrangements, and sometimes an electronic RSVP.

When to Send Wedding Invitations

Couples send out wedding invitations closer to the wedding date. As a rule of thumb, a save the date goes out first, normally nine months to a year before the wedding date, so guests can hold the date on their calendars. Consider the rules and exceptions listed below:

Destination wedding: If it is a destination wedding, the invitation is sent out four to six months in advance.

Local wedding: For a wedding with mostly local guests, couples can send invitations six to nine weeks in advance. If the guest list includes international or out-of-town guests who will be traveling long distances, couples may choose to notify them of the wedding plans before mailing the save the dates and invitations to allow for adequate planning.

Quick Wedding: If a couple has a short wedding planning timeline, they can skip the save-the-date and instead send out a wedding invitation as soon as possible.

The Value of Sending Wedding Invitations at the Appropriate Time

Couples must send wedding invitations at the appropriate time in order to properly record RSVPs or response cards. Wedding invitations assist in determining the final headcount, seating arrangements, and other details. You must send your invitations at the appropriate time to accommodate:

Headcount: To best plan upcoming nuptials, give guests plenty of time to plan and receive an estimate of how many guests to expect. Because wedding venues typically charge by the head, getting a final head count and RSVPs from guests as soon as possible allows the caterer, venue, and wedding planning team to plan accordingly.

Plus ones: After finalizing the guest list, couples may contact people on a secondary list or give people plus ones if a minimum is required. Some wedding venues have a minimum number of guests.

Seating arrangement: Last-minute RSVPs can mess up the seating chart, so knowing the exact number of guests ahead of time can help you plan your wedding day.

Tips from Mindy Weiss on Wedding Invites

Consider the following wedding planner Mindy Weiss advice when creating and sending wedding invitations:

1. Properly address your invitations. The addressing will be determined by the wedding attire. For a black-tie event, include Mr. and/or Mrs. on the envelope. "Remember if they're a doctor. They've worked very hard to earn that title. Let us not forget to be brief and address it to 'Doctor and Mrs. or Doctors.' There are occasionally two doctors in the family."

2. Change the date on the response card. "If you have your B and C lists, I would do a later response card date," Mindy suggests. "That way, they won't think they were a last-minute replacement."

3. Consider other paper products. Consider whether the company offers other wedding-related products when ordering your invitation suite. if you're thinking about what you're thinking about what you're thinking about it. Are cocktail napkins available? Do they offer informals or thank-you notes? It's a good idea to see what else you can order at the same time, especially since shipping costs are so low."

4. Keep a copy of the invite suite. Make a duplicate of the invitation suite for the wedding day. "Remember, when you get those invitations, put one in a baggie, wrap it in tissue, gather all your paper products, and put it in a bag that you know you're taking to your wedding," Mindy suggests. "This is a fantastic opportunity for your photographer to photograph all of your printed materials that you spent so much time designing and sending to your guests."

5. Number your response cards. Mindy suggests that you number your guest list and the back of your response cards. "We number the back of response cards... "You'd be surprised how many people forget to put their name on the response card,"

6. Order extra invitations. To be safe, order extra invitations for unexpected guests. "Make at least fifteen extra invitations for people you didn't expect to come, for your Bs and Cs [lists]," Mindy suggests. "Include it all in your total." Also, if you're working with a calligrapher, make extra envelopes to account for any mistakes.

7. Stamp your response card. Including a stamp on the response card will make the RSVP process go more smoothly. "Remember to stamp the response card," Mindy advises. "I used to do that when I was younger. And this is a present for them. You don't want them to go through any trouble to attend your event."

8. Weigh your invitations. Weigh your invitations to ensure proper postage. "You might think it only takes one stamp, but the weight, size, and depth... "Some invitations are very heavy and will not bend," Mindy explains. "You have to pay extra for that."