Wedding planning requires you to take care of a lot of details – some big, some small, and all very important. A wedding planning timeline can help reduce stress while ensuring that every detail is taken care of on time, resulting in a memorable event. Your wedding invitation is one particularly important detail. It not only announces your upcoming nuptials, but also sets the tone for the entire event.
Wedding Invitation Etiquette
Traditionally, all wedding invitations were as formal as the events they were announcing. Today, invitations can be designed to reflect more casual events and don’t automatically require the same formality of years past. However, one thing that hasn’t changed is basic wedding invitation etiquette. This includes what information should be listed on the invitation, what information should be left off, how the envelopes should be addressed, and when they should be sent.
Formal or casual: What to include
First, decide what will be written on your invitation and how it should be worded. You and your fiancé may feel that since committing to one another is a very significant event, you would prefer to use formal phrasing on your wedding invitations.
This formal phrasing can work for any style of wedding. It’s particularly appropriate if you will be having a more traditional wedding with a religious ceremony, followed by a formal reception. It can give your guests a heads-up about the fact that your event will be classy and elegant.
However, if you and your fiancé are hosting a more casual event, the phrasing on your wedding invitations can likewise be more casual.
Regardless of how formal or casual the phrasing on your wedding invitation is, there are some basics that always must be included: who, when, and where. This means the invitation should give the full names of the couple, and the full names of the hosts if you’re using formal phrasing. It should clearly list the time, date, month, and year of the wedding. Don’t forget the full address of where it is being held! If you are requesting an RSVP, this should be written in the lower left corner of the invitation.
Include more details in your invitation suite
The design of the invitation itself is truly up to you to choose, though professional wedding planners often recommend that you tie it into your wedding theme in some way—through colors or design embellishments.
Wedding etiquette demands that the invitation-only contains the above key details of the event. However, the invitation suite can include other important details:
- the appropriate attire for guests at the event
- a map to the event location
- accommodation details
- information about any wedding-related activities.
It can also include an RSVP card, with a “please respond by date” that is roughly four weeks prior to your event. Don’t forget a self-addressed, stamped envelope!
Wedding etiquette also demands that you leave gift or registry information out of your invitation suite. If you have prepared a wedding registry for your guests’ convenience, family members can help to spread this information. Additionally, you can include registry information on your wedding website, with easy links to follow.
Another important detail is the wedding invitation envelope, which should always be hand addressed in beautiful handwriting. Your guests’ names should be written out in full, preceded by social titles like Mr. and Ms.
All the words in the address should be written out in full, with house numbers under twenty spelled out. The return address should be written on the back flap.
The envelope itself should be of high-quality and can be tastefully done in a color that compliments your wedding theme.
When to send your wedding invitations
Now you know what your wedding invitations should say and how they should say it. So when should you mail your wedding invitations? Sending them too early or too late can likewise be impolite, so here are basic wedding invite timeline rules:
- Save the date cards can be sent out as early as a year from your wedding date
- Invitations should be sent to your guests six to eight weeks in advance of your wedding.
- Invitations for destination weddings should be sent to your guests three months in advance of your wedding.
Designing your wedding invitations and sending them out can be a wonderfully exciting part of wedding planning. If you follow the basic rules of wedding invitation etiquette, they will succeed in fostering your guests’ excitement in anticipation of your special day.
Want more advice about your wedding stationery? Check out our post on wedding thank you etiquette!
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