August 1, 2019

Wedding Invitation Tips + Advice on When to Send and What to Say

I’m head over heels for printed wedding invitations. Whether you order them through a site like Minted or hire a stationery pro, you’ll enjoy these wedding invitation tips to ensure your invites are totally perfect.

Wedding Invitation Tips + Advice on When to Send and What to Say 

Wedding Invitation Essential Text

– Your full names
– Indicate that the event is a wedding
– Date, time of ceremony or first event. Text about reception to follow.
– Venue and city
– (Optional) Dress code (can also be placed on wedding website)

Custom Palm Springs wedding crest on ivory invitation with rose gold text. Pink envelope with palm leaf and flamingo liner. Information card with pink flamingo watercolor, custom wedding crest napkins, mini pineapples and fuchsia flowers styled with laser cut bride and groom place setting cards. Cavin Elizabeth Photography 

Double-Check the Writing

This seems quite obvious; however, I’m sure hundreds upon hundreds of invitations have been mailed with the wrong time, date, spellings of names, etc. Have at least 2 people proofread your invitations for spelling, correct information, and grammar. You’ll be thankful you did!

White wedding invitation with black ink and golden bee waxseal styled on a golden plate with bee pollen, honey, and greenery. Honey and Beekeeper Inspired Wedding at Rancho Valencia on film by Cavin Elizabeth Photography 

Make it Easy for Guests to RSVP

Most likely, you’ll want guests to mail back an RSVP card or RSVP online. If you want to ensure the maximum number of returns for mail, make it easy on your guests by including a pre-addressed envelope and the correct postage.

White blush and gold wedding invitation suite with laser cut envelope styled with flowers, film by Cavin ELizabeth Photography 

When to Mail Wedding Invitations

For local weddings, or weddings where the majority of guests don’t need a flight to attend, mail out your invitations 6-8 weeks prior to the wedding. For destination weddings, send them closer to 8-10 weeks in advance.

Pink purple and ivory wedding invitation suite with floral envelope liner, Wedding at Estancia La Jolla 

Order Extra

Always, always order at least 10% extra invitations. Better to have and not need than get yourself in a last-minute pickle. Your pets could chew a few, you could spill coffee on a handful, or maybe you decide to invite a few extra people after you realize you have the budget space. Regardless, always go with more!

Teal letterpress fine art wedding invitation shot on film, Cavin Elizabeth Photography 

Go Pro for Addressing

If you have the budget to hire a professional stationery designer or calligrapher for your envelope addressing, do it, whether you choose hand calligraphy or the more affordable printed addresses. It will look so much more beautiful, consistent, and legible. Plus, it’ll be incredibly gorgeous for your photos. It’ll also save you valuable time that you can allocate elsewhere, like other wedding details or a stress-free weekend getaway.

Pink and white and green floral watercolor wedding invitation suite with flower envelope liner, Pink backdrop wedding editorial on medium format Contax 645 Fuji 400h film by Cavin Elizabeth Photography 

Determine Correct Postage

Don’t just throw a single stamp on your invite, thinking it’ll be fine. Take a full invitation, with RSVP card included, that’s totally ready to mail and check the postage with USPS or use a scale at home. This will save you having to make extra trips to the post office because you ran out of stamps halfway through your invites.

Neutral blush fine art wedding invitation suite, Fairmont Grand Del Mar Wedding by Cavin Elizabeth Photography 

Detail Photographs

Many photographers love to photograph your invitation on the wedding day. For this reason, make sure to save a complete (yes, RSVP card and all) invitation suite that’s 100% clean and unbent for your photographer. Keep it somewhere safe near your jewelry or other wedding day necessities.

Apricot and blush wedding invitation suite with calligraphy butterfly stamps and flowers, Film by Cavin Elizabeth Photography

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