The Dos and Don'ts of Wedding Invitations

It’s Engagement Season!

As reported in the Knot, 37% of couples get engaged from November through February! Once the excitement of the proposal is shared on social media, the real wedding planning begins.

Your wedding invitations are one of the most important elements of your day because it sets the tone of the wedding for your guests. It's the first glimpse guests get into the vision of your big day. A traditional invitation with letterpress and calligraphy will give guests a hint to the formal nature of the event, and an invite with bold, playful colors would fit a much more casual style. While nothing in the wedding planning process is a one size fits all model, there are some traditions best kept formal for etiquette purposes.

Here are some answers to your most pressing wedding-invite dos and don’ts.

DO:

  • Send your invitations six to eight weeks before the wedding. That gives guests plenty of time to clear their schedules and make travel arrangements if they don't live in town. If it's a destination wedding, give guests more time and send them out three months ahead of the wedding.

  • Make your RSVP date two to three weeks before your wedding date to allow enough time for you to get a final head count to all your vendors and to finalize your seating chart.

  • Include dress code details on the invitations. "Black tie," "cocktail attire" or "casual attire" are all acceptable wordings.

  • Use appropriate titles and spell names correctly of all the wedding party on the invitations or when addressing the envelopes.

  • Include postage if you're requesting mail-in RSVPs.

  • Send thank-you notes within two weeks of your wedding to express your true appreciation.

Wedding thank you cards

DON’T:

  • Include wedding registry info on the wedding invitations because it can give the impression you're asking for gifts. You can include your registry information on your wedding website or on a separate details card.

  • Skip proofreading. Take the time to give your invitations a thorough read through to make sure all of the information is correct. Better yet, have someone else proofread for you too.

  • Use address labels. Handwrite each address or hire a professional calligrapher (HELLO, I’m here to help!).

  • Forget to save an invite for yourself - the most memorable keepsake.

Wedding invitation envelope addressing