How to Prepare Wedding Invitations
You’ve just gotten engaged, and you’re ready to share the news with your friends & family! But wait - what comes first? When do Save the Dates go out? How soon should you be mailing invitations?
If you’re wondering how exactly to notify guests about your upcoming wedding - read on for an introduction to wedding invitations!
Step 1. Decide your wedding date (by booking your venue)
This is simple: before notifying your guests about their big day, you need to BOOK YOUR VENUE! Your venue will dictate your wedding date - and that’s why this is the very first step, before you begin communicating to guests.
Depending on your desired venue and season, you may be looking anywhere from 1-2 years out to get your desired weekend date. So don’t write off this task - it’s important to begin reaching out to venues as soon as you have an idea of when you’d like to get married.
Once you have booked a venue and confirmed your date, then you’re ready to move on to the next step… which is Save the Dates!
Step 2. Get on your guests’ calendars by sending Save the Dates
As soon as you have your venue booked, you can start planning your Save the Dates. Things to keep in mind:
Save the Dates can go out anywhere from 6 to 18 months before your big day. How much lead time you give your guests is completely up to you - for destination weddings, it’s always best to get on your guests’ calendars far in advance.
The purpose of a Save the Date is just that - to get your guests to save YOUR date! This means that your Save the Date only needs to include high level information, notably your wedding date and the city where you are getting married (for example: April 15, 2022 - Portland, Maine.) You do NOT need to include specifics such as your venue, ceremony time, hotel accommodations, etc. - all this information will be distributed closer to the wedding, so that your guests don’t have to keep track of details so far out.
Before sending out Save the Dates, consider setting up your wedding website. Doing so allows you to include a link to your website on your Save the Dates, so that guests can visit the site for updates as your big day gets closer. It’s much easier to update a website with information in real time (such as COVID-19 precautions), rather than answering individual questions from each guest.
If you already have an idea of your wedding aesthetic, it can be fun to incorporate some of those themes into your Save the Date.
For example - using your color palettes or the same fonts/designs as your wedding invitations can create a cohesive experience for your guests!
Step 3. Finalize your wedding aesthetic
After you mail out Save the Dates - now is the time for you to start finalizing your wedding aesthetic! What kind of florals do you want? What color are your bridesmaid dresses? What will your dinner place settings look like?
During this phase, you’ll want to start looking for & hiring wedding vendors, such as a photographer or a florist. If managing details isn’t your favorite use of time, consider collaborating with a wedding planner, who can refer you to additional vendors and help take some of the load off your shoulders.
Details like florals and bridesmaids dresses might seem unrelated to your wedding invitations - but trust me… if you’re going for a cohesive look & experience, you’ll want to consider all of these points before selecting your invitation design!
Step 4. Mail out wedding invitations
And now the moment is finally here… time to create and mail out your wedding invitations! Here are some tips and advice when planning:
Wedding invitations can go out anywhere from 6 to 10 weeks before your wedding. Again - if you are having a destination wedding, or expect many guests to travel, it’s best to send invitations out sooner rather than later - so that your guests have time to book accommodations and make travel arrangements.
The purpose of wedding invitations is to extend a formal invitation to all your guests, accompanied by details they need to know about the wedding. This means that your invitation should include details such as the address of your venue, time of your ceremony, and dress code. If you’re not sure about how to word certain information, just ask your wedding invitation designer, and they will help you out!
If necessary, include a separate card with information about accommodations or travel. For example, if you have a hotel block reserved for guests, or if you have discounts with an airline - be sure to include a separate card with these details, so your guests can reference this information when booking their travel.
Don’t forget an RSVP card asking your guests to confirm their attendance. You may ask guests to RSVP by mail (in this case, your guests will receive an RSVP card + pre-stamped envelope, which they will complete and mail back to you) or online (in this case, you’ll include a link to your wedding website where your guests can RSVP virtually). RSVPs are a crucial part of wedding planning, as you’ll need to confirm your final guest list prior to finalizing certain planning details, such as your seating chart. Don’t forget to include a deadline for your guests to send in their RSVPs. And don’t be afraid to set an early deadline... so you have time to chase down the guests who forget to respond!
Lastly, wedding invitations are the perfect opportunity to share information with your guests about pre/post wedding events. If you’re planning on hosting a rehearsal dinner, welcome drinks, or a farewell brunch - now is the time to distribute this information! The best way to do this is to use a separate card to communicate information about each event - this allows you to be selective about your guests and decide who will be receiving a card for each event.
No wonder many wedding invitations usually contain multiple cards - there’s so much to communicate!
Wow - That’s a lot of information. So when is the best time to hire a wedding invitation designer?
Good question!
If you’re looking for custom wedding invitations created from scratch just for you and your fiancé - consider investing in a wedding invitation designer. Hiring a designer to create invitations means your guests will receive personalized invites that truly reflect your unique love story.
As an invitation designer myself, I always suggest booking invitations as soon as you know your wedding date. Creating a wedding invitation is like creating a work of art. The process can take weeks or even months, as your designer learns more about you and brings you certain design elements to review.
Option 1 - If you’re looking for a designer to create both your Save the Dates AND wedding invitations - hire as soon as your venue is booked. This means you should begin looking for your invitation designer right after Step 1 of the process - perhaps even before you find a photographer, florist, or wedding planner!
Option 2 - If you prefer taking some time to refine your wedding style before booking an invitation designer, hire after Step 3. Keep in mind that it’s still best to reach out to your invitation designer at least 6-8 months before your wedding day, so don’t wait too long.
Don’t forget that unlike your other wedding vendors, such as your photographer or florist, won’t be part of the action until your wedding day - your invitation designer will be working with you on-one-one in the months leading up to your wedding.
This means that it’s important to reach out to your dream designer early, as some designers’ calendars can close months in advance!
Hopefully, this introduction to wedding invitations was helpful. Getting married is such a special, intimate time - and it’s natural to want to share these moments with your loved ones.
Wedding invitations are the perfect way to bring your family & friends along for the excitement. That’s why starting early and following the 4 step process above will help you stay on top of invitation planning!
Cheers,