7 Essential Wedding Invitation Tips

Your wedding invitation should include several elements of your wedding day.

1. You should include a host line that lists who is hosting your wedding.  Whether it's your parents, relatives, or you yourself, this is basically a shoutout to all of their contributions towards the wedding. 

2. Invites should include a request line to invite people to attend your wedding. U se this section to set the tone for your celebration. For example, if your wedding is going to be more formal, you should use more formal language to establish that. 

3. A call to action will let guests know exactly what they are being invited to attend--"our wedding," "the wedding of our daughter," "the marriage of..." This brings us to the couple's names, which can be listed however you feel comfortable. Some couples opt for full, legal names, while others may use names they go by instead. 

4. Or course you have to include a date and time so that your guests know when to arrive (which can also correlate to your photography timeline). Typically, you want to discuss ceremony times with your photographer so they have an idea of how much light they will have for photos. "Golden Hour" (usually 1 hour before sunset) is the best time of day to do your couple's photos, and you want to make sure you are scheduling your ceremony with enough time to catch this beautiful light. It is also helpful to spell out the date in words to avoid any confusion.

5. Since guests know what time to be there, you now need to tell them where to go. List the ceremony and reception location(s) along with the city and state, but you may also choose to include the street address too.

6. If your reception is taking place at a different venue/location, you should include a line for this to let everyone know where the reception will take place. Most people also include a line about the meal type like "heavy hor devours will be served" or "dinner and dancing to follow." If you decide on a plated meal, you'll usually include the meal types and choices on your RSVP card. 

7. The RSVP card is oh so important as it will help you tally your guest count.  Include a separate card with the reply-by-date ( typically 3-4 weeks prior to the date), iines for names of attendees, and if doing a plated meal, include the meal choices. 

Additional Tips:

• The color schemes of your invitations can provide insight to the wedding aesthetic, and the style can convey the level of formality (which guests certainly want to know).

• An insert card is a great way to add additional information such as travel info, attire, wedding registry, and wedding website info.

• Address the envelope to whom is actually invited. Do not write "The Johnson Family" if certain family members aren't invited. Be clear and specific with exactly who you are including. 

• You can include details like "kid friendly" or "adults only" on your wedding website rather than your invitation. Plus, if you address the invite properly, there shouldn't be any confusion. 

• Send your invitations 6-8 weeks before the wedding via mail. 

Why you should bring a copy of your invitation on wedding day? We can photograph it for you and preserve it through a photo so that you don’t have to keep a copy safe for years to come. This way, you’ll have it forever.

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