Suggested
Invitations Timeline from Paper Bride
As soon as you set the date
- Begin looking for an invitation design to suit your wedding
style
- Decide on enclosure cards
- If you have guests coming from a long distance, it is advisable
to send out hold-the-date cards as soon as your plans are firm,
so that guests can make travel arrangements
Six
months before the wedding
- Make your final invitation selection and place your order
Three
months before the wedding
- Begin addressing invitations
- Set up system for keeping track of replies. We suggest that
the hosts give all of their guests a number. They can write
the number lightly on the back of the response card and can
use this to keep a list of returns. This will also help in case
a guest forgets to write their name on the response card
Two
months before the wedding
- Determine exact postage needed (take a fully assembled invitation
ensemble to your local post office to be weighed to determine
exact postage needed)
- Finalize invitations for mailing and determine mailing date
- it is customary to send wedding invitations 6 weeks before
your wedding, although 8 weeks is becoming more common
Three
Weeks Before The Wedding
- Make your response date 2-3 weeks before the wedding. Caterers
usually need to know 2-3 weeks in advance how many people they
will be serving
Wedding
Day
- Send out wedding announcements - to announce your wedding
to those that you did not invite to the wedding
After
the Wedding
- Wedding etiquette states that newly married couples have up
to two months to send written thanks for wedding and shower gifts
received Thank you notes are available pre-printed with an appreciation
verse for acknowledging gifts quickly, and can be followed-up
with handwritten note after the honeymoon
Selecting
Your Invitation
Your wedding or party invitation and accessories set the tone
for your special event firmly establishing your style and taste.
It is the first official message about the event, which a guest
will receive from you, so makes it special.
How Many to Order
To calculate the number of invitations to order, count one invitation
for each of the following: a) couple (married or living together),
b) family with children under 18, c) each child 18 years old or
older and still living at home, d) single guest, e) fiancée/fiancé
of a guest, and f) invited boy-or-girl friend of a guest. For
example, in a house with one set of parents and five children
(one child 17, one 14 and three children 18 and older), four invitations
would be sent. One would be sent to the parents with the name
of the 17 year old and the 14 year old on the line below the parents’
names (on the only envelope if using a single envelope or on the
inner envelope if using a double envelope set), and one each to
the three siblings 18 and older. After calculating the number
of invitations as noted above add approximately 25 invitations
to your order: 10-12 more for keepsakes, plus extras for the last-minute
guests (and there will be last-minute guests.) Reorders later
can be costly. Also, depending on how large your order is, add
25 to 50 additional envelopes** in case of mistakes in addressing.
Organize
Your Wedding Stationery Facts
Before you order, take the time to write down the facts
surrounding your wedding and reception. The actual ordering process
will go more smoothly with all of your facts at your fingertips!
Here is a list of things you will need to know to order your wedding
invitations:
