KEY ELEMENTS FOR GREAT WEDDING INVITATIONS
When it’s time to send out the invitations, you’re giving more than just the time and place of your wedding to your guests. It’s their first impression as to what to expect for your special day! With that in mind, it’s important to make sure it not only stands out but captures your wedding’s style. There’s more to it than picking out types of card stock and font styles. Here are few key elements to keep in mind when creating the perfect wedding invite.
Style and Colors -Whether you’re going for a formal and elegant or casual and romantic, your invitation should set the tone. Keep in mind the style will also plan an important role in relaying your dress code to guests. It’s also the perfect opportunity to play with your wedding colors to add a personal touch to the classic ivory or cream card stock.
Uniqueness - Use the invitation to show your creative side! Aside from just your initials, include a special quote, design or symbol that represents you as a couple. For some this may even mean a hand-painted or sketched image of themselves or their venue.
Keep it short & sweet - Remember that at this point, you’re providing the most essential information. Share important details such as date, time, location, attire, and whether or not children will be allowed. This is all the information your guests need to plan for your big day. Consider adding your weekend itinerary to your wedding website to maintain an element of surprise. After all you don’t want to overwhelm the invitation (or your invitees)!
Timeline - Give your guests ample time to respond and plan travel arrangements or sitters. Consider roughly 9 months before the wedding to send out save the dates. Follow up with formal invitations 8-10 weeks before the wedding. If you plan on a destination wedding, Savvy recommends sending out invitations on the earlier side and aim for 12-14 weeks before the wedding. Always err on the side of giving guests plenty of advance notice to ensure they can make it!
Assess Costs - While the invitations themselves cost money, so does the postage. The heavier your invitation suite, the more costly the postage will be. Consider the cost difference in printed invitations vs handwritten calligraphy. It’s a personal preference and can also be a deciding factor when it comes down to cost per invitation. (Pro Tip: When sending out and creating invitations, remember households. Don’t send four individual invitations for a household of four, just one!)
Proofread, Proofread, Proofread - There’s nothing worse than realizing after the fact that you misspelled someone’s name or the street name of your venue. While your family members are great resources, be sure to find an outside party to give it a once over to ensure there are no typos you may have overlooked.
RSVP - Last but most certainly not least, consider how you’ll be tackling RSVPs. Will it be classic RSVP cards or a link to respond via your wedding website? Either way, make sure you’re clear about when you’d like guests to respond. (Pro Tip: Consider your crowd. If you know Grandma isn’t tech-savvy, consider sending her a traditional RSVP card instead).
Above all, have fun with it! Savvy is here to help from start to finish ensure a stress-free wedding. So now, enjoy the little details along the way like creating your invitations and leave the rest to us.