How Do We Let Guests Know Our Dress Code
The easiest way to get your point across is to include a dress code in the lower right-hand corner of the invite or on a reception card. “Black tie,” “cocktail attire” or “casual attire” are all acceptable wordings. . Your invitation design can also clue guests in. An ultra-formal, traditional invite with letterpress and calligraphy will give guests a hint to the formal nature of the event, whereas an invite with a playful font and bright colors would fit a much more casual style. Browse the different options on The Knot Invitations to find a design that reflects your wedding’s style. Another option is to direct guests to your wedding website, where you can go into more detail about the weekend events and dress code in a more informal forum.
How To Address The Outer Envelope Of A Wedding Invitation
The outer envelope is addressed conventionally using titles, first, , and last names.
- An invitation to an unmarried couple residing at the same address is addressed with both names connected by and. Use one or two lines, depending on length.
- No abbreviations or middle initials are used when addressing formal invitations.
While titles are abbreviated all other words such as Street, or Boulevard are spelled out. State names may be written in full or use the two-letter postal code abbreviation. Middle initials arent used, so either write out the middle name or omit it. Generally, an invitation to parents and children is addressed to the parents:
Mr. and Mrs. James Arthur Darling
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I Invited My Friend And Their So To The Wedding But They Recently Broke Up Now They Want To Bring A Friend I Don’t Likecan I Tell Them No
If you worded the invitation by having their partner’s name on the envelope , you have every right to say no. As a rule, invitations are nontransferable when people are invited by name. Explain that you’re not friendly with their proposed guest and you’d prefer the wedding be limited to close friends and family. If you invited all of your single friends sans dates, let them know they won’t be the only one coming solo .
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When Do I Send My Save
Before we delve into the tricky, and confusing world of invitation dos and donts. Lets talk about your save-the-date cards.
Save-the-dates officially announce your occasion and let your guests know theres a celebration on the agenda!
These are especially important for out of state and overseas guests, but also for those who are just really busy! We all have that one friend who struggles at the best of times to even meet you for a beer, so give them plenty of time to make plans!
Remember that if youre planning a destination wedding or midweek celebration, your guests will probably have to take time off work, so be courteous and give the heads up.
The rule of thumb for sending out save-the-dates is between 9 and 12 months before your big day. However, aim towards a year in advance if you do happen to know many busy individuals, or perhaps have family scattered across the country.
When To Send Invitations For Pre
Weddings often feature a number of pre-wedding events, from bachelor and bachelorette parties to a rehearsal dinner and maybe a family brunch. Invitations for each event should be sent out at least one month prior, giving your guests enough time to prepare. If people are travelling for the wedding it can be a good idea to send out these invitations around the time of your main invites, or at least let guests know about them know by word of mouth, so they know how long they should plan to be in town for.
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What To Include On A Save The Date Card
What key information should you include on your save the date cards? Your save the date card should include three main pieces of information:
If youre planning a destination wedding or a celebration that lasts more than a single day, indicate the entire weekend so your guests can block off the weekend and arrange their travel plans.
Though not required, the following optional information might be extremely helpful to your guests:
Rehearsal Dinner Invitations: When To Send
Most agree that rehearsal dinner invitations should be sent out after the wedding invitations, but some couples choose to include them in the enclosure cards of the wedding invitation. You should plan to send them four to six weeks in advance, but for more detail, please review our resource on rehearsal dinner invitation wording.
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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.
Choose And Order Wedding Invitations
The second step of your wedding invitation timeline is choosing the actual invitations, which will set the tone for the whole wedding by giving guests a glimpse of your theme and color palette. Start researching wedding stationers and browsing invitation styles at least six months before your wedding. Leave plenty of time for yourself to choose a design and place your order, especially if youre creating a custom designyoull want to avoid rush fees and allow time to look over invitation samples and proofs. In addition to the invitation itself, your stationery suite should include:
- Where to find travel or hotel room block information
Love the look of calligraphy? This is also the time to contact wedding calligraphers to help you with addressing envelopes if your wedding invitation designer doesnt offer that service. Since most wedding calligraphers work solo, their schedules can book up quickly, so we recommend reaching out to potential vendors sooner rather than later.
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Weeks What Is The Best Time
The answer: As soon as possible
What if I wait until the last minute to send out my wedding invitations?
It is very important to remember that wedding invitations should be sent out at least six months before the event. There are a variety of considerations that should be taken into account when sending out wedding invitations, such as, allow people a minimum of 2 weeks to respond. via QR Code, email, or internet and another 4 weeks for their response card to return. This means most couples send out their invitations no later than 8-12 weeks before the date.
Also, you should set a time limit for when you expect a RSVP card to return. If someone doesnt respond in that time frame, then its okay to call them to see if they are planning on attending your wedding.
Lets be realistic the prospect of being a bride is exciting, nerve-wracking, very stressful and time-consuming. For instance:
-If youre having a destination wedding, chances are you wont have as much time as if it were in your hometown so you may want to take that into account when considering how long to wait before sending out invitations
-It could depend on how many people you plan on inviting so there are different options available depending on what makes sense for your specific situation: Do you have any special requests for your guests?
-Its a time when friends and family come together to celebrate the union of a couple, who are deeply in love with one another.
Timelines To Consider In Planning When To Mail Wedding Invitations:
: If you’re using a calligrapher to address your envelopes, be sure to get in touch with him or her as soon as you’ve confirmed your invitation printing schedule. Calligraphers require anywhere from 2-3 weeks or more to address your envelopes, so you’ll need to confirm dates and tack that onto your timeline.
Assembly: If you’re sending out hundreds of envelopes, don’t forget it may take you a few days to stuff and seal all of that stationery. Don’t plan to be able to take your invitations straight to the post office as soon as you receive them.
Postage: When you have a fully assembled invitation to test, weigh it at the post office you plan to use for the mailing. If you’ve been eyeing a particular set of stamps, you’ll need to ensure the envelope weight matches the postage you plan to use before placing stamps. Believe it or not, the weight can slightly vary from one post office to the next, so be sure to stick to just one location.
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How To Address Save The Date Cards
A save the date card should go to every guest invited to your wedding, including members of your wedding party and family members. Using the same etiquette rules for how to address wedding invitations, weve provided the following guidelines for how to address your save the date cards with your guests in mind:
To a single guest, use the appropriate titles, Mr., Mrs. or Ms.
Mrs. Jones
San Francisco, CA 14002
Save the Date with a plus one, use the title Mr. or Ms. with the last name of the primary guest and write and guest.
Mr. Jones and Guest
San Francisco, CA 14002
How Soon To Send Wedding Invitations
Ideally, youll want to mail out your wedding invitations 6 to 8 weeks before the big day. For international travelers, send wedding invites out 12 weeks ahead of your wedding date.
Heres a breakdown of the months and when to mail out the wedding invitations.
Your specific date will vary, depending on the DATE of your wedding, so just look to a calendar and count back 6 to 8 weeks and theres your perfect window for how soon to send out wedding invites.
For instance, we got married on December 5th , so we mailed ours out the week of October 13th.
Heres a general chart:
GETTING MARRIED IN. // HOW SOON TO SEND OUT WEDDING INVITES
May // Get em stamped + out the door in March
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When To Send Save The Dates For Local Weddings: 4 To 6 Months Before The Wedding
Your ceremony and reception venues are in your hometown, and most of your guests are local. For a local wedding, give your guests at least four to six months advance notice of your wedding date, and follow up with your invitations as soon as possible.
Expert Wedding Planning Tip: It is important to think about large seasonal events that may impact the receipt of a save the date, if possible do not send save the dates during the peak of the Christmas holiday season, as they can get lost with all of the other mail that arrives during that time of the year.
In summary, heres a basic timeline for when to send save the dates:
When Do You Send Wedding Invitations If Youre Hosting A Destination Wedding
When it comes to when to send out wedding invitations for destination weddings, youll want to give your guests a bit more notice than if youre planning a hometown celebration. We recommend sending destination wedding invitations two to three months before the event. Youll want to give your guests more time just in case they havent yet booked their travel and accommodations . Set your RSVP deadline for about six weeks before your wedding, as youll likely need more time to plan your wedding weekend if youre hosting a destination affair.
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