Wedding Invitations: Some Assembly Required

Your invitation is the main means of communicating with your guests. It is important your guests receive the invitations in a timely manner and that they are complete, including all the information they need for your wedding.

What you will need

Most current Guest List with addresses
Postage
Invitations
Response Cards
Outer Envelopes
Inner Envelopes
Self Addressed Stamped Envelopes
Tissue Paper (optional)
Directions to Ceremony and Reception
Registry Information

Tips

Do calculate the number of invitations needed and order a few extra just in case. The number of guests may not equal the number of invitations. You are likely inviting families, or single guests and a date. So avoid the unnecessary expense of ordering too many invitations.

Order your invitations several months ahead of time. They will need to be sent out at least 2 months before the event.

Before you place your order for invitations, or when you are first preparing your them, be sure to proofread them! Go over the information several times and have a trusted family member or friend read the proof for accuracy. Nothing is worse then receiving a full order of invitations with the bride or groom's name spelled wrong.

When you pick up your invitations review them before you leave to catch any mistakes.

Fully assemble one invitation and weight it to determine correct postage. If your invitations are large, or a unique shape, check with the Post Office to determine proper postage.

Don't forget you will need postage for the invitations AND the response cards.

You may want to inconspicuously mark the back of the response cards with a number in case you cannot read the guest's handwriting, or they forget to fill out their names on the response card.

If the response envelopes are not preprinted, address them first and attach postage and keep them grouped together.

Once you are ready to send out the invitations lay them out like an assembly line. Develop a system to putting together the invitations. With all the right information ahead of time sending out your invitations will be a breeze.