Where Do We Include Information About Our Wedding Website
Your wedding website should be included on your save-the-date. A simple “TaylorandPayton.com,” is all you really need. Many designs on The Knot Invitations give you space to list your registry info so your guests can purchase you a gift easily. If you’d like , you can include the web address in the formal invitations with an insert .
Everything You Need To Know About When To Send Wedding Invitations
Did you know that the United States Postal Service handles nearly 500 million pieces of mail each day?
If youre planning a wedding, the last thing you want to do is worry about your invitations arriving on time. Weddings are stressful enough, but some couples make things harder for themselves without realizing.
Whether you dont give yourself enough time to assemble, you send invitations too late, or you have to hunt people down for RSVPs, navigating the world of wedding invitations can be tricky.
Timing Your Wedding Invitations
Our recommendation is to send out your invitations between 8 to 12 weeks before your wedding, but if you need more time, 16 weeks early is acceptable.
Ultimately, you can send out your invitations whenever you want, but you should keep in mind that guests may forget that they RSVPd or simply forget to answer if you invite them too early. If youre worried about guests being double-booked, use a save-the-date to encourage them to mark their calendars. A wedding website, perhaps even with email updates, is another great way to remind guests about your upcoming celebration.
Read Also: When To Send Out Wedding Invitations No Save The Dates
When Should I Send Thank
For gifts received during the engagement party and shower, send a thank you within two to three weeks of the festivities for gifts sent before the wedding date, send a card as soon as possible, but definitely before the wedding for gifts given on the wedding day itself, mail a thank-you note within three months and for gifts received after your wedding, send one within two to three weeks.
To Whom Should I Send My Invitations
Your invitations should be sent to all of your guests at the same time. We dont recommend sending a batch of invitations, waiting to see if there are any nos, and then sending them to your B-list. Those who have received invitations may spill the beans to those on your B-list, which could make things pretty awkward. When considering when to send wedding invitations, make sure your guest list is completely finalized before doing so.
Kim Forrest
Kim Forrest has been writing about weddings for over a decade, specializing in etiquette and… planning advice. Kim writes and edits much of the content youll read on WeddingWire, and also manages our team of freelance writers. Kims love of the wedding space first blossomed when she was an assistant editor at Washingtonian magazine in the mid-2000s . She became WeddingWires first full-time editor in 2012. Kim is originally from Long Island, New York and currently lives in Bethesda, Maryland with her husband and two children. She loves baking, yoga, ballet, theater, trying out the latest skincare fads, and listening to podcasts on a variety of random topics.
Also Check: Which Ring Goes On First Engagement Or Wedding
Before Sending Your Save
You don’t have to invite anyone to your wedding that you don’t want there, but there are conventions around who you’re expected to welcome on your day. For a traditional wedding, the guest list typically includes your immediate family, close relatives, and friends, Chertoff said.
Even if you know a loved one has a conflict with the date and won’t be able to make it, you should still send them an invitation. The gesture of inviting them is important even if they can’t attend.
“They will formally RSVP that they cannot attend, and perhaps include a lovely note, too, for you to have as a keepsake,” Chertoff said.
She also recommends that couples coordinate with their parents about who should be invited to the wedding, particularly if they’re paying for the event. Couples can give their parents a number to tell them how many of their friends and relatives they can invite.
If your parents want someone there that you’d rather not invite, you should be open about it.
“If the bride or groom has a strong reason as to why someone should not be invited to their wedding, it’s important to calmly and clearly explain to parents your thoughts and feelings around it,” Chertoff said.
When a couple pays for a wedding themselves, they may not have to worry about who their parents want at the event but Chertoff still thinks it’s a good idea to include parents in the process so they don’t feel alienated.
Halley And Jacob 03/28/20
Long Beach, California
I met Halley and Jacob through a friend when I moved to Long Beach last August. On our first date they invited us to their wedding, and soon after I was asked to design their invitations.
It was so unfortunate when they had to postpone, and after such a long engagement. Instead of the wedding they had originally planned, a few of us came together for their elopement. Their amazing photographer, Liz Erban officiated their wedding, whilst also maintaining her role as photographer! This just goes to show vendors care and will go the extra mile to make your day as special as you planned, even if in a different way.
Theyre now planning a wedding celebration in Ohio, where theyre both from, and are both determined to celebrate in an even bigger way.
If anyone needs a photographer local to SoCal, Liz is amazing! I know she made Halley feel like the most beautiful bride too.
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Wedding Shower Vs Bridal Shower
While Bridal showers are still the most common, many couples choose to have a combined wedding shower. A wedding shower is any kind of pre-wedding celebration that honors one or both of the people who are getting married. While bridal showers have been standard practice in the wedding industry for years, Zola is happy to see that showers are expanding to be a more inclusive event.
A wedding shower celebrates the couple as a whole, rather than the individuals themselves. This celebration of the couple is a more significant reflection of the premarital journey and reinforces the couple’s choice for unity.
Wedding showers are a popular choice for couples who cannot invite everyone they know to a wedding. Wedding showers are especially popular if the couple is from two different geographic locations, or if the couple is eloping, having a destination wedding, or even a quickie ceremony at the courthouse.
Shifting away from a traditional bridal shower in favor of a wedding shower also allows friends and family who might not be able to attend the wedding to participate in the celebration of matrimony in a meaningful way. There is no right or wrong way to throw a shower, but there are still those who believe that certain traditions are not to be altered.
Important Things To Consider When Sending Printed Invitations
Receiving mail is fun for everyone, but when it comes to sending wedding invitations, the process can cause a lot of headaches.
Addressing and sealing each envelope can take a lot longer than you anticipated. Make sure you give yourself an entire weekend to get this chore done so you dont have to rush to meet the mailing deadline. If you can recruit a few friends to form an assembly line, the job can get done much faster.
To make your job easier, its worth investing in a personalized stamp that has your mailing address. With this tool, you can save yourself from hand cramps after writing out the return address on each envelope.
A few vendors who offer printed wedding invitations like Paperlust provide address printing in both colour and even white ink options. Paperlust also has created a pretty awesome online address manager tool where you can enter and upload all of your addressee details, and even if you dont have the address of a recipient they have a unique function where you can connect into Facebook to send a discrete invite for the recipient to provide their address details.
Another helpful tool you can use is your printer. Lots of modern printers allow you to choose custom page sizes for printing. If you create the envelopes dimensions on your word processor, you could make your printer do all the work instead.
Read Also: How To Address Families On Wedding Invitations
When Should You Consider Ordering Your Invites
Once youve settled on a design, you need to order your invitations. If youre ordering custom, designs like those on offer at Crimson Letters, youll need to set aside at least 12 weeks for these to be agreed, completed and sent out to you. This means youll need to add an additional 2-3 months onto your wedding timeline. That means that if you plan to send out your invites 6 months before your wedding day, youll need to have these ordered at least nine months before your chosen date.
I know, theres a lot to think about with when to send out your wedding invitations!
But getting ahead with ordering your wedding invitations and RSVPs will give you more time to send them out and wait to receive the RSVPs from your guests. If youre ordering ready-made designs you should still give yourself a two month window to receive these. Getting ahead with your ordering will help to take the stress out of organising your big day.
And as with anything in life, things change and you may find that youve got additional guests youd like to invite. That or one of your invites gets lost in the post. For this reason, its a good idea to order some extra invites. The number of extra invites you order will depend on the size of your wedding, but giving yourself a 10% cushion to give you plenty to fall back on should you need them.
Choosing Your Invitations Can Affect When To Send Out Your Wedding Invitations
The next step is actually choosing your wedding invitations and RSVPs.
There are a number of options available to you, but you want your invites to reflect your wedding, style and who you are as a couple. Even better if theyre beautifully unique invitations that are designed just for you! So you have two options available to you, custom designed or ready -made invitations. They each take a different amount of time to order, so make sure that you are well informed before going down either route.
How much time for ready-made invitations?
This is something that is critical for timings related to when to send out your wedding invitations. Ready-made wedding invites are the designs that are displayed upon my Portfolio page. These designs are all set and ready to go. You can simply supply your personal information or wording and you are ready to start your order.
If you opt for ready-made invitations, you will be limited with the size of your invites. Typically these are the same size as a photograph, usually around 5 x 7 inches. That said, ready-made designs tend to be cheaper as less work is required to prepare them, so it also depends on your wedding stationery budget. But whatever you choose, look for a style that reflect your personalities and your big day.
You just add your details without changing the core design, or colours too much.
Bespoke wedding stationery these take of lot of time, so reach out early
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When To Collect Rsvps
An important part of your wedding invitation is letting your guests know when you need their RSVPs. Ideally, the RSVP deadline is one month before the wedding date, as this offers you plenty of time to give the caterer, venue, and wedding planner the final headcount.
Tip: As you near your RSVP deadline, dont be afraid to give guests you havent heard from a nudge.
Keep It Classy: A Shower Is Not Risque
This is not the place for lewd party games or inappropriate behaviorsave that for the bachelor and bachelorette parties. Instead, a shower should be elegant and propper with a focus on the joys of marriage.
Games are encouraged, and refreshments should be served. Some showers include a sit-down meal. Whatever specifics you choose to adhere to, try to picture it as a semi-formal affair.
Also Check: Addressing Families On Wedding Invitations
When Is The Correct Time To Send Wedding Invitations During Covid
Another question Im getting more these days is when is the best time to send wedding invitations during Covid?. My best advice is to get your wedding invitations out sooner rather than later Id say 3-6 months in advance, where possible.
My reasoning for this is, because of changing Covid restrictions, you may not be clear how many people you can have in attendance on the day. For that reason, start with the core people that you know you want to share your day with and send the invitations to them.
Once they reply , you can expand the in-person invitations to the next round of guests.
The fact is when planning a Covid wedding you need to be aware that until the very day of your wedding, restrictions can change on a whim. Your guests will understand this, so theyll be very understanding no matter how many weeks before wedding invitations are received.
A Little More About Me:
Are you looking for total sophistication and elegance on your big day? Handmade luxury wedding stationery could be the perfect way for you to wow your guests and set the right tone for the day. And here at Crimson Letters thats exactly what I do!
My name is Rubana and I hand craft luxurious wedding stationery suites using my inspiration and dynamic imagery. I combine watercolour papers and detailed immaculate artwork to produce stunning stationery youll want to cherish forever.
I take great pride in what I do, so if youd like to work with me or youd like to know more about my work, email me at [email protected] or get in touch here.
Read Also: Buying An Engagement Ring At A Pawn Shop
When To Send Out Save The Dates And Invitations
One of the trickiest parts of planning a wedding can be knowing exactly when to let friends and family know about your upcoming nuptials. Too far in advance might evoke some eye rolls and forgotten invitationswhile too close to your event might not leave guests enough time to prepare. With destination weddings, day-after events and, not to mention, all of the festivities leading up to the wedding itself , there are a ton of moving pieces to keep track of when it comes to sending out invitations. Today, then, we wanted to break down some basic rules for spreading the word via snail mail.
