Ordering Wedding Invitations

When you’re planning a wedding, there are a lot of decisions to be made. Among those decisions will be the location, the date, and the type of service, who will be in the bridal party and who is to be invited to the wedding. Most couples struggle when it comes to deciding how many people to invite, but it is extremely typical to send an invitation to a guest you know will not be able to come to the wedding. If you order your wedding invitations to be printed, your printer will often require a minimum number of invitations to place the order to begin with. So you should always order more wedding invitations and envelopes than number of guests you are planning to invite. There are multiple reasons for doing this, but the best reason is that it’s always better to have a few extra invitations on hand than to come up short.

The Etiquette of Wedding Invitations

Invited wedding guests should always follow wedding invitation etiquette and send in their response cards by the requested date.

Wedding Invitations Reflect the Couple, Not the Wedding

The definition of unique is that it is not common nor like another. In and of themselves, wedding invitations are unique because they are individual to the couple issuing the invitations. But in general, when we’re thinking unique wedding invitations, we’re thinking about wedding invitations that are different and that stand out from what is the norm. So, what would make your wedding invitations unique with regard to your wedding?

• Unique wedding invitations may or may not include your wedding theme whether it’s an under the sea wedding, a Disney wedding or other venue wedding
• Unique wedding invitations may have altered wording, sending the invitation directly from the bride and groom rather than their parents.
• Unique wedding invitations may be used for second marriages or senior weddings or even the blending of two families.

For a couple electing to marry in the later years of their life after their children have grown and perhaps their previous spouses have died, their wedding invitations may be the most unique of all. Are they inviting the guests, are their children inviting the guests or are they simply sending an invitation to guests to share with them the sunset cruise they are embarking on together. The definition of unique is that it is personalized to the couple that is choosing to issue the invitation. Don’t be bound by tradition if you don’t want to be.

Sending the Wedding Invitations

Timing is everything and nowhere is that truer than when you are planning a wedding. Wedding invitations are critical to wedding planning not just for the bride and groom but also for the wedding guests. The wedding invitation itself serves a dual purpose. It’s first purpose is to announce the wedding plans of the couple sending it out. The second purpose is to provide the guests with a wedding planning tool of their own.

Wedding invitations provide the date, time and location of the wedding. It will also alert the guest to the type of apparel that may expected from the formal to the informal. A wedding invitation to a beach wedding will indicate a different type of clothing than one might wear to a formal Catholic wedding ceremony in a grand old cathedral. Because the wedding invitation provides so much information and the couple needs the RSVPs returned from the guests to confirm how many are coming – you might say the wedding invitation is the lynch pin that makes the wedding possible.

With that in mind, you should send out the wedding invitations no later than 12 weeks prior to the wedding. If your wedding invitations are ready, you should send them out 16 weeks prior to the wedding. 8 weeks prior to the wedding contact the guests you have not received RSVPs from. Most vendors will require a final count 4 to 6 weeks prior to the wedding, so this gives you and your guests the perfect window to coordinate their schedules with your plans.

Mailing wedding invitations

It’s always best to mail all of your wedding invitations at the same time. Because people talk, the last thing you want is for one guest to receive an invitation two weeks before another. The person who receives her invitation last might wonder if she was invited as an after thought or because someone else couldn’t make it.

Your post office is less likely to lose an invitation if they’re receive together in a group rather than bits and pieces.

Printable Wedding Invitations - Modern Fashion

Printable wedding invitations created in your own home on your own computer can be just as charming and beautiful as those ordered through a professional printer. Creating your own printable wedding invitations can also allow you to personalize them and create them with a wider variety of sayings. Another plus to printable invitations? They make a money-saving option for couples on a budget.

The Etiquette of Wedding Invitations

Wedding invitation etiquette requires that the invitation be worded as an invitation from the bride’s parents to the wedding of their daughter, her full name to the name of the groom, the son of the groom’s parents name to be held at a certain time on a certain day.
"Your RSVP is graciously requested and the envelope has been enclosed."
Wedding invitation etiquette suggests that you include a pre-paid postage stamped envelope with the RSVP card in order to facilitate the return of the invitations in a timely manner.

Rehearsal Dinner Invitees

When hosting a rehearsal dinner for the bride and the groom, the immediate wedding party should be invited. This includes the bridesmaids, the groomsmen, the ushers, the parents, and the grandparents of the bride. Don't forget to include the ring bearer and the flower girl and parents of both.

The minister and his or her spouse should be invited for the rehearsal dinner also. If you have a personal attendant, who is often a close friend or family member but is not a bridesmaid, she should also be invited to attend.

Other participants of the wedding may also be included. These are entirely up to the couple. Examples of who are optional are as follows: vocalist, scripture readers, guest book attendants and gift attendant.

The Addressing of the Wedding Invitations

If you are inviting 200 guests to your wedding, do you have to handwrite out the addressing on every single wedding invitation that you are planning to send out? If you are, don’t do them all in one go, because the ones at the end of the stack will definitely have worse handwriting than those at the beginning. Traditionalists will insist on addressing wedding invitations by hand because it personalizes the invitation even if they are custom printed.

What does it say about you if you choose to forgo handwriting the addresses on each and every envelope? Nothing. Don’t worry about it at all. Most people don’t even look at the envelope. They are far more interested in the invitation inside the envelope.


If you really want to do the addressing by hand, then be sure to set aside enough time to address only a few wedding invitations at a time to ensure the quality of the writing. If you or someone in your family is good with calligraphy, this might be a time to enlist their assistance in addressing wedding invitations.

The Wording of the Invitation Does Matter

Weddings are about creating the perfect opening to the next chapter in the lives of the two people joining together. The wedding invitation wording reflects how they want to begin that chapter. Think of it as the preface to the story you are creating together. Tradition is a great thing; in fact it’s more than a great thing. Tradition is a tradition for a reason – it’s like beginning a fairytale with once upon a time, you know that it will have a happy ending. But every tradition has a beginning and you and your soon to be spouse are perfectly welcome to create your own tradition because this is about the two of you and your big day. So do what makes you both happy.

Traditional invitational wording : Mr. and Mrs. Parents of the Bride request the pleasure of your presence at the marriage of their daughter, bride’s first name only, to Mr. Groom’s Full Name at the place and location on the day, date and month and year at the time of day. Reception to follow at the location chosen.

Modern invitational wording: Once upon a time, a rogue stole the heart of a princess and together they are planning a journey to the most Magical Place on Earth to share their vows and commitment to each other … they would like you to join them on this escapade to find their happily ever after.

Printable Wedding Invitations - Modern Fashion

In the modern world of technology where photo quality printers decorate the home offices of many individuals, the idea of sending printable wedding invitations is not as déclassé as it might have once upon a time been. If you decide to go the route of using your own printable wedding invitations or use a program that helps you to design printable wedding invitations, be sure to invest in suitable paper, envelopes and other materials.

Printable wedding invitations created in your own home on your own computer can be just as charming and beautiful as those ordered through a professional printer. Creating your own printable wedding invitations can also allow you to personalize them and create them with a wider variety of wordings, sayings and more. Another benefit of printable wedding invitations is that they can also be a more frugal option for wedding couples on a budget.

Things to remember when using printable wedding invitations:

• Invest in the software if you don’t already have it to generate the layout and fancy typefaces you may prefer. The software should also include an envelope addressing option so that your mailing envelopes, RSVP cards and return envelopes all have the same style and effect.
• Be sure that the printer you use to make the printable wedding invitations can handle the type of paper you want to print it on – for example, some light tissue papers can jam easily in desktop printers.
• Make sure you have a fresh ink cartridge and extras on hand for when you begin your print run.
• You need only print enough invitations as you have guests to invite, however be sure to keep extra supplies on hand in case you need to print up extra invitations.
• It’s always nice, even with printable wedding invitations to keep one set aside for framing or scrapbooking purposes later.

Pre-Marriage Announcements

Many couples like to announce their wedding date a bit early, before sending out invitations. This is a great idea for anyone who has guests coming from long distances.

A great way to let guests know of the impending nuptials and date is to send a postcard, perhaps with a picture of the couple on it. On the postcard, try keeping it simple. A good suggestion is to simply have, "Save the Date" typed across the top of your postcard, above a picture of the couple.

The postcard can then be phrased as such: "Joe and Sue are going to be married on such and such a date." Followed by, "Please save the date."

A very simple postcard with the above information is a great way to send out a pre-marriage announcement to guests who may live some distance a way.

Announcing a Wedding That Has Already Happened

Announcing a wedding that has already occurred is a great way to let friends and family know that you got hitched! It isn't an invitation for a gift, rather just an informative note that lets your loved ones know that you tied the knot and wanted to share!

One great way to announce this type of situation is to send out announcements rather than invitations. This allows you to announce that the wedding occurred rather than invite someone to an impending wedding ceremony.

There are several ways to word your announcements, it all depends on how casual or formal you want to be. If you are more formal, then an announcement could read something like this: Mr. and Mrs. Doe have the honor of announcing the marriage of their daughter, Jane Doe to John Smith, on October 4th, 2005.

If you wish to keep it more casual and announce the wedding yourself, the announcement could be worded such as:
Jane Doe wed John Smith on October 4th, 2005.

Announcements can be sent to anyone who wasn't invited to the wedding ceremony or who couldn't be there. This could range from close friends and family to work colleagues.

Outdoor Weddings

If you plan to have an outdoor wedding, you hope to have a nice day but what is your backup plan if the weather doesn´t cooperate?

Be sure to include "rain cards" with your invitations to notify your guests of an alternate location in case it does rain.

Be prepared... Don´t let those rain drops bring you tear drops.

Proper Invitation Wording

Finding the proper wording for wedding invitations can be complicated, and there are many different wordings that you can choose from. It's great that you want to include your parents' names on the wedding invitation even though they are not hosting the party. When the bride and groom are hosting the wedding, but wish to include the names of their parents, the proper wording is as follows:
Mary Bride,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Bride
and
Doug Groom,
son of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Groom
Request the honor of your presence…etc.
Since your fiancé's mother has passed away, proper etiquette would have you leave her name off of the wedding invitation.

Engagement Announcement

If you plan to put an engagement announcement either in your paper, or send out formal announcements on stationery cards, this is the usual format:

Mr. and Ms. David Smith of Cleveland announce the engagement of their daughter, Carrie Renee, to Chad Jones, son of Joe and Emma Jones of Cincinnati. Ms. Smith, a graduate of Bowling Green State University, is a teacher at Central Elementary in Dayton. Mr. Jones graduated summa cum laude from Ohio University and is a reporter for the Dayton Daily News. They are planning an October wedding. (or if you don´t have a date set, substitute "No wedding date has yet been set.")

Wedding Announcements And Invitations

When you receive your RSVP cards back, you may not be able to read the name on the card. To remedy this, simply number your guest list and the back of your wedding announcements and invitations RSVP card. When you get it back, you can match up the number with your guest list!