Your wedding invitations are often the first thing that your guests receive and see before your wedding. They set the vibe for your wedding and are often one of the few physical things that you and your guests will keep from your wedding forever. From luxury to budget options there are so many out there as well as things to think about when choosing and designing your invitations. Keep reading for our wedding invitations 101 – my top tips and information guide to help you get started!
What style do I choose?
With so many styles out there it is sometimes hard to pick just one! When deciding on your invitations try to think about things you have already chosen such as your flowers, bridesmaid dress colours and the venue you are hosting your wedding. Is the venue classic or is it more rustic? Is it in the hills or by the sea? Is it a formal wedding or more casual and fun? What season if your wedding taking place? And most importantly what are your personalities as a couple? When thinking of all these you can help narrow down style, colour choices and even the wording used. Many suppliers have pre-designed styles that you can choose from which are budget friendly. Alternatively you can find a stationery designer who custom designs and can create something that’s more personal to you and suited exactly to your wedding.
What cards do I need?
Most people choose to have at least a main invitation and an RSVP card. Depending on your wedding and what information you want your guest to know will depend on any other cards you might add to your invitation suite. Other card options can include gift/wishing well advice, accommodation options, transport/bus and directions/map. These can be separate cards or combined into one card depending on what your budget permits and how much text you have. Layering these cards with different paper stock colours and sizes can be a really nice way to create a beautiful invitation suite.
Paper stocks and printing methods
How you print your invitations will come down to what your budget is. Generally most invitations will be printed on a thick card stock of around 350gsm (gsm refers to the card thickness) Invitation and Stationery suppliers will be able to provide a higher quality product through their selections of higher quality paper options than ordering through places such as Vista Print or Office Works that use cheaper papers. The higher quality paper stocks pick up the print much better and feel better in hand as well. As a standard invitations are printed colour (CMYK), black or white ink on your chosen paper stock. If budget permits other luxury options include Letterpress, Foil Press and Embossing which can make your invitations that little bit extra special!
Invitation Shapes
Die cut shapes such as arches and waves have become extremely popular choices for invitations. They are often an extra cost to the standard 120×180 rectangle shape but are a nice way of making your invitations stand out without costing too much more. Paired with an RSVP card, details card and a nice paper clip they can help create a beautifully styled set.
How many invitations do I need?
When thinking about how many invitations you need a common mistake is to order the matching number of guests that you are inviting. Unless your guests all live individually this will be way too many! A general rule is to order half of this number plus a few more extra just in case. For example if you have 120 guests order around 60-70 invitations. It is always best to have a few spare and one for yourself to keep forever.
How do I get people to RSVP?
How to get people to RSVP is a personal choice and one that will be best suited to you and how you want to manage them. Traditionally RSVPs can be received in the mail by returning a RSVP card, filled in with your guests details, dietary requirements and any other information you need to know from them. Recently becoming more popular are getting guests to RSVP digitally by a QR code that links to a website hosting all your wedding information. Designed to match your wedding invitations they host an online form that guests can fill out and submit which comes to you via email. Both methods work great so it all depends on your preference.
When should I send them out?
You should send your invitations out 4-6 months prior to your wedding. If you send out save the dates it gives you a bit more time to get your invitations organised but try to send them out at least 4 months prior to give enough time to collect the all important RSVPs! If you don’t send out save the dates and have guests travelling you should aim to send them out at least 6 months prior. If your wedding is a destination one try to send out save the dates approx. 8-10 months prior with invitations to follow 6 months prior – the more notice you can give people to help plan and save the better chance they will be able to attend!
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Enjoy the process of creating your invitations! They are often the first physical thing you have of your wedding which adds to the building excitement of the day for you and your guests. Reach out to an invitation & stationery designer for guidance – they are a wealth of knowledge and can help you every step of the way and make the process fun and stress free to give you the invitations of your dreams.
Contact Jessica at Letters With Love www.letterswithlove.com.au
Imagery // Donna Lee Photography / Kinship by Kristy / Love by Shae Boutique Wedding Photography // Words written by Jessica Greaves