Stationery store wedding album
Deciding how to buy your wedding invitations is a complex process but should remain an enjoyable experience. Don’t let it add stress to your day. To do this, it is important to find a stationery store that is very trustworthy and knowledgeable about the invitation selection process, designs, printing and etiquette. Many stores carry the same lines of invitations, so talk to a few stores and see which one meets your criteria and seems to really be knowledgeable. You can choose from the selections they show in the wedding albums or you can customize designs to your liking.
rebecca and hill wedding invitation
There is also the option of ordering wedding invitations online but if you go this route, make sure you find someone as knowledgeable that can help with the process. The web is a great place to look at designs and get some good ideas. Sites like pinterest are great for seeing images of invitations but I would recommend using a store to place your order, it’s their area of expertise!
Important Tip: Order more invitations than you think need.
wedding invitee list
One of the first things to do is begin compiling a list of all the attendees that you plan on inviting. Each family or couple should be considered one invitation set. If you sent save the dates then you already have good start on the list. Most importantly you want to order extra sets of invitations. Most of the time the quantities are in increments of 25 starting at 50. So if you order 100 invitations then I would suggest 125 as the final order size. Why order more? The primary reason is that to reorder the invitations is extremely expensive vs adding an additional quantity 25 to the original order. Often you have some people who are forgotten or friends of you parents etc… that were overlooked.
Important Tip: Proofread your invitations more than once and by more than one person.
Printing Wedding Invitations
Allocate enough time to have your invitations printed, especially if you are having them letterpress printed or engraved. Ten business days is average turn around and then allow for shipping and I would add an additional week to address the envelopes which need to be personally hand written. Get the proper spelling for parents names and place names like the church etc… Unless your an expert in design let the invitation designer recommend type styles. After all you chose them for their capabilities right? Just point them in the direction you like for color, motifs and styles and let them get to work.
Wedding accessories: place cards, table numbers, programs and wedding signs
Depending on your budget and the options you want, you may want to consider these other wedding stationery pieces when placing the original order. Thank you notes, programs, table cards, save the date cards, reception card, map, wedding coasters, napkins and gift cards. The more of these you can get done early you may have the benefit of having them paid for in advance rather than paying for them yourself later. You want to include a stamp on the rsvp envelope to make it easy for people to respond. It is also advisable to number your list and then lightly write that number for each guest on the back of the rsvp card, in case they forget to write their name. You can easily look at the number and refer to the list to see who the guest is.
Hand cancel those invitations!
A good rule of thumb is to send your invitations 6- 8 weeks prior to the wedding. Have your invitations hand cancelled if available at your post office and double check the seal on the flap of the wedding invitation to make sure they won’t open under simulated mailing conditions. If you want to use a wax seal, seal the envelope normally and then come back and glue the wax seals onto the envelopes. To do this, lay out a piece of wax paper and do all the wax seals on that first in case of drips or doesn’t imperfections. Peel the cooled wax seals and glue onto the sealed invitations. Be aware that square invitations of any size will cost more in postage.
Important Tip: Do wax seals on a separate piece of wax paper. Peel them and then glue them onto the wedding invitation envelopes after sealing it normally.
Important Tip: Don’t forget to double the rsvp postage for the return stamp in your budget
