Wedding Invitation Etiquette

You are so excited about your upcoming wedding. The details are all falling into place and you are ready to send out those invitations. While it may seem like a fairly straightforward task, it’s actually not as simple as finding the perfect design and mailing them out. There are actually details like when to send out those save the dates to what the design should look like all the way to the actual wording. We are spelling it all out to clear up all those wedding invitation etiquette questions before you order all that pretty stationery.

There is No Such Thing as Too Early

Save-the-dates should typically go out six to eight months before to the wedding, but if you have a lot of out-of-town guests or if you are planning a destination wedding, sending them out a year in advance would be wise. We promise, your guests will be happy to have advanced notice to begin making those travel plans. Your wedding invitations should be mailed out six to eight weeks before the wedding with your RSVP about 3-4 weeks before the day. Be sure to give yourself enough time to get your final count and send that information to your venue or caterer in time.

Have Fun but avoid Confusion

There are so many fun and unique ways to create personalized wedding stationery from save the dates to wedding invitations. From unique materials to fun and personalized wording. If you are going for something more unique, be mindful of all those specific details that are most important. You want to be sure there is no question about locations, dates and times.

For example, save the dates should include the names of the couple getting married as well as the wedding date. You also want to be clear that a formal wedding invitation will follow. You do NOT need to include the wedding venue though some couples opt to include the city and state of the wedding. If you have one, a wedding website is also great to include on your save the date but is not required.

Keep things Simple (and Clear)

Wedding invitation wording is one of the most common areas couples make mistakes. Regardless of what you see online, there is proper etiquette to follow. Your wedding invitations should include the full names of the couple getting married. The hosts of the wedding should also be included. Traditionally the Bride’s parents are the host as they were often who paid for the wedding. Today, it cam be a combination of both parents and the couple or the couple alone. Just be clear.

The wedding invitation should also include the location and time of the wedding. That is all. There should be no specific wording for “adults-only” or “no children” as this should be implied by the names on the envelope. (See…) The wedding invitations should also not make any mention of registry information. Family and the wedding party can spread the word or it can be provided on the wedding website.

No Abbreviations

The only abbreviations on the wedding invitation should be “Mr.” and “Mrs.” Street names, dates and times should all be written out in full. City and state names should also be written out.

Properly Address Your Envelopes

Addressing your envelopes properly can be complex. It’s too much to share here but you can read all about it here.

Don’t Forget the Thank You

For many couples, thank you notes become an afterthought. Once the wedding is over, between the honeymoon, and settling in as husband and wife, they forget to get those thank you cards sent when in reality, thank you cards should be treated with a sense of urgency. Thank you cards should be written and sent out within the first month of getting married. While it is always best to send them out late over not sending them at all, making them a priority is best.