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You’ve got the venue and you’ve set the date, now you’re in the final stages of planning your wedding and the next thing on your list is getting the wedding invitations sent out.
But after the excitement (or frustration) of trying to sort out your guest list, knowing how and when to send out your wedding invitations can leave you a little perplexed. How soon before the wedding should you send them? Do you need to send a save the date card, too?
Your wedding invitations are the first thing that your guests will get to see in relation to your wedding. So, it’s only natural that you might be keen to make a good first impression. You’ll want to make sure that all of the relevant information regarding your wedding is on there, as well as providing your guests with any special instructions for what they might need to do and any considerations they might need to make.
If you have some unanswered questions about sending out wedding invites or you want to make sure everything is just right, we’ve put together this handy guide to help make sure everything is just perfect for your big day.
What are save the dates?
A save the date is a relatively new concept in the UK and adds an extra step to the invitation process. If you’ve decided upon the date for your wedding, but you haven’t made final preparations in terms of venue or the type of catering just yet, you might want to give your chosen guests a heads up about your plans before sending out formal invitations.
Save the date cards are a smart choice if you have a number of guests that will need to do a bit of travelling to share your big day with you. It’s likely they’ll need to make extra arrangements for things such as pet sitting and accommodation, so they’re bound to appreciate the extra preparation time.
However, you don’t have to send save the date cards, especially if you plan to send out your wedding invites well in advance. If you do choose to send save the date cards, they can be sent as soon as you know when your wedding is going to be and the only real information you need to include is the date you’ve chosen and your contact details (not forgetting the reason for the save the date card, too of course).
If you include your contact details, some of your guests may use the opportunity to let you know at this point if they’re unable to attend - this is particularly useful as it means you’re able to tailor your formal invites better.
What information to include in your wedding invitation?
The information you need to include in your wedding invites will vary so they will need to be tailored to suit your wedding. However, your wedding invites should include the who, what, when and where, plus any additional information that your guests might need to know. Below is a list of the basic information that you should include:
You may also wish to include the following in your wedding invite if you feel it’s necessary:
What are wedding invitation inserts?
In addition to the main invite, you might also wish to include some inserts. Wedding invite inserts allow you to make sure that all bases are covered in greater detail. As well as the few we’ve mentioned above, you may also wish to include things such as maps.
If your big day has a few different elements to it, you might wish to include a separate itinerary too. The same goes if you have a different venue for your reception that requires its own set of directions and instructions. Having separate inserts for these will mean that the main invite won’t become too cluttered and your guests can easily pull out the most important details.
Who are wedding invites from?
Traditionally, wedding invites would be sent by the parents of the bride, who would introduce their daughter and her soon to be spouse. However, over the years it’s become a common occurrence for the invite to be sent by the couple themselves. What you choose is entirely up to you and whether you’d prefer to stick with tradition or take a more modern approach.
Are wedding invites always plus one?
Wedding invites don’t always mean you can bring a plus one. This all comes down to personal preference on your part. If you’d like to invite someone that’s in an established relationship, then it may be that the invitation is addressed to both of them. This doesn’t mean you’re obliged to do this with everyone you want to invite, though. If you’d prefer to keep things small scale, then limiting the number of attendees is entirely in your hands. You may wish to include a plus one for those only invited to the reception if you’d prefer to keep the ceremony to just close friends and family.
If you do opt to include a plus one on your invites, you can request the details of the additional guest on your RSVP card so that you can keep an eye on who will be attending. It will also give you the opportunity to get to know the additional person in advance should you not be familiar with them already. When sending your wedding invites, be clear when addressing the invite whether a plus one is included or not, this will save for some awkward talks later.
How to send wedding invitations
If you’re not quite sure how you want to send out your wedding invitations, then you’re not alone.
If cost saving is key for you, these days - with the advent of technology - it’s become much easier to do things electronically. Sending out wedding invitations via email not only saves money, but it’s much quicker too, it can also make it easier for people to RSVP so you’re likely to get a quicker response.
That said, sending an email invitation might not cut it for you as you may not want to lose the romantic element associated with sending out a traditional wedding invite. Delivering your wedding invite by hand can be a really nice touch too, but you need to make sure you have the time to do this as it may take you a while, it does however mean that you’ll know for sure that your invite has been received.
When to send wedding invites?
Traditionally, a wedding invite would be sent 6 to 8 weeks before your big day. However, with the extremely busy lives we lead these days, sending them sooner is likely to go down well.
If you’d prefer to stick with tradition as far as the main invite goes, then save the date cards are a great way to forewarn guests of your intentions. A save the date card would usually be sent around 6 months before the wedding.
If you’re getting married abroad, then you may want to consider sending out the final invites much sooner so that your guests are able to fully prepare and make appropriate arrangements.
How to deal with RSVP’s?
It’s important that your guests RSVP in a timely fashion to give you enough time to make final preparations when it comes to numbers. Be sure to include a cut off date on your RSVP so that your guests are encouraged to respond quickly, whether they can or can’t attend.
It’s likely that you’ll have a cut off point with caterers and with the venue. They’ll need to know numbers for the amount of food needed and the amount of seating required, so it’s vital you have final numbers in good time.
Unfortunately, it is likely that you won’t get a response from everyone that you send an invite to. In this case, be prepared to spend a day ringing people so that you can get final figures. You need to do this as soon as your cut off date arrives, so that it doesn’t cause you any issues later down the line.
Guest invitations are an essential part of any wedding, and they can be as elaborate or as simple as you’d like them to be. Ensuring you’ve included everything your guests will need to make an informed decision can be confusing and deciding on what route to take with delivery of the invites can difficult. But, creating a list of key points to include as well providing everything your guest will need to respond in a timely fashion, will mean you’re able to make the whole process as smooth as possible.
If you’re planning a wedding, as well as multiple useful articles such as this piece about sending wedding invites, we can also help you with wedding cards, favours and gifts. Have a root around our website and see if we can help you tick off a few more boxes on your wedding checklist.
