Wedding invitations announce the potential attendees the style of your wedding. As you know, first impressions are important, so even if you think you are doing it right, it’s easy to overlook some of the tips below. Here are some tips to ensure that your wedding invitations are as perfect as they can be.
1. Decide on the style, size and color scheme. You can have you invitations be elegantly simple on buff colored paper. You can also use your wedding’s color theme or the color that your guests will see the most at the wedding. Just ensure that your printing is still legible and clear over the color of the paper. Always keep in mind that the style of the invitation will give attendees a sense of what’s ahead. Remember that if you want to be formal or casual, your invitation will set the tone. You can pick any number of sizes for your invitation. Normally, they would be 4.5 x 6.25 in sizes. However, couples are playing with different sizes and shapes lately, making some circular and square.
2. Order them way ahead of time. If you can, order your invites about four or even five months in advance in order to allow time to print and to you for addressing. If you are having a destination wedding, you will want to order your invitations even earlier so people can start planning the trip. When you place your order, add-on about 10% more to compensate for late invites and for replacing ones that were or could be misaddressed. That way, you do not have to go back and try to re-order just a few, which can be quite expensive and time-consuming. Some etiquette experts suggest sending a separate invitation to adult children who still live at home. If you decide to follow this, the extra 10% can help you all the more. Your save~the~date however, should go out eight to nine months before the wedding.
3. Make sure to include all of the necessary information in the envelope, including the names of the bride and groom; when and where the wedding will be held; a map if that would help guide attendees to the location; what the dress code should be, and an RSVP card and envelope. It is a great idea to pre-stamp the postcards or envelopes to make it easier for returning them. This way, you don’t have to wait for invitations forever as some people will procrastinate going to post office.
4. Proofread! There are never enough eyes that can look over the proof before going to press. If you have a friend who is a good at grammar, designate him/her to read over the proof, looking for any misspelled words or unclear phrasing. Be certain all of the details are right. The last thing you want is your guests showing up on the wrong day or time because of a typo. One tip pros use – read backwards from right to left so your brain doesn’t automatically fill in information and you don’t miss anything.
5. If you want to get the envelopes professionally addressed, you can hire a calligrapher. If you choose this option, be sure to give them the task ahead of time so that you can still get all of the invitations mailed on time. You may be able to get the envelopes from the printer at the time the order is made so your calligrapher can get the addressing done right away.
6. Budget considerations. There are ways to drive down the cost of invites. If you have your invitations embossed, they will be a lot more expensive than if you get them thermographed. They look much the same, but cost less. If you want to save on return postcards or cards and envelopes, you can set up an e-vite web page for people to RSVPs . For additional budget tips click here.
7. A weighty matter. Before sending out the invitations, be sure that the correct postage is affixed. Nothing can make your potential guests angrier than getting something in the mail that they have to pay for in order to receive. While you are getting the weight calculated at the post office, you can inquire about hand cancellations (hand process mail instead of machine processed). These can keep your pretty invitation from getting damaged in the machines.
8. Be sure to include a date by which an RSVP must be returned. Far from this being rude, it means you want to be sure that the venue will be the right size, and that there will be an appropriate amount of food for the guests and decorations for each table.
Your invitations are one of the first steps of the wedding process. Finding the right style/printer can make them a lovely introduction to your wedding. We have just the right contacts for your wedding invitations. Simply contact us and we’ll be happy to make your invitations perfect and unique!
MOsDJ
(800) 688-9704
