BY AMANDA SATURDAY | AMANDASATURDAY.COM
Wedding planning is hard. Choosing a date, a venue, bridesmaids, deciding who's invited and who's not... etc. But when it comes to your wedding stationery, if you follow the necessary timelines leading up to your big event, you'll be in excellent shape on that front.
Today, I am welcoming my friend, Amanda Saturday, to the blog to discuss everything you need to know before you send out your save the dates and wedding invitations.
Wedding stationery is the best way to give your guests a feel for what your wedding will be like long before it happens; all on one card. It can be a little overwhelming trying to decide what to include, so here is a breakdown about how you can be sure your guests are in the know. Don’t worry, I also made a checklist that you can download by clicking right here.
Save the Date Cards are not required, but highly recommended if there will be guests who are doing a lot of travelling to get there. Once you have put a deposit on your venue, you can have these sent out. Really, as soon as you have locked in your date, there’s no such thing as too much notice. A lot of guests who are working full time will have to select their vacations at the beginning of the calendar year, so giving a lot of notice will be a big help to those who would need to travel to plan accordingly. That being said, the only information you need to have on these cards are your names, the wedding date and the location. Keep it simple and casual, the specifics are going to be reserved for the actual invitations.
Your Invitations can be sent anywhere from 6-12 weeks before the big day. 12 weeks being for a destination wedding, so that your guests can have more notice to book their accommodations while 6 weeks is plenty of time for a local wedding where all of your guests are in the same area. Here is where you are going to get into the details, so be sure to include:
- Date and time
- Name and location of venue
- RSVP deadline
- Wedding website address
There are a lot of ways that you can word an invitation, but no worries, you won’t have to start from scratch. Businesses who create wedding stationery will already have text options for you to choose from. When you’re selecting a design, make sure it gives the feel of your wedding theme so that it can set the tone. If you are having a casual beach wedding where everyone will be in Hawaiian shirts and flip flops, you shouldn’t go for an overly traditional Invitation that you would expect to receive from the Buckingham Palace.
You should give yourself some wiggle room for the RSVP deadline. If your caterer needs a final guest count 1 week before the wedding, ask that your guests respond by at least another week and a half before that deadline set by the vendor. I promise, there will be guests that do not respond at all, and there will be guests that you have to chase down to find out if they’re going to want chicken or beef. Giving yourself the extra time will create less stress if you’re already going to expect to have to individually follow up with people. And yes, your RSVP cards should all be stamped and pre-addressed, but in making it as easy as it can be still won’t guarantee that everyone will cooperate.
The last bit of information that you can include at the bottom of your invitation is your Wedding Website address. Okay, so technically you’re not required to have a Wedding Website, but here is why you need one:
- Is your reception at a fancy Country Club where Men are required to wear Jackets? If that’s the case, you have to let them know, but that’s not the kind of thing that looks cute on an invitation. Your site is the perfect spot to have this type of info.
- Driving Directions. Yup, some people don’t have Siri or Google Maps on their phone and rely solely on written directions. Include directions from the local airport and any surrounding points of interest that guests may be coming from.
- Hotel information. If you are reserving a room block for guests, this is the best way to get the message across. If you are not blocking rooms but do have people who will be travelling far enough to need to spend the night, include information about some of the closest surrounding hotels. Try to give an example of luxury as well as economy priced hotels to make it easier for people to find what they are looking for.
- There are two places that your Registry information can be noted; with Bridal Shower Invitations and on your Wedding Website. We don’t put it on Wedding Invitations, ever, because it looks very gift grabby. People will want to buy you something, so having it available on your site with a link that they can just click over to will make it a seamless operation for those wanting to check it out. Some people don’t want to or don’t know how to use a registry, so you will likely still end up with 4 toasters. Just keep in mind that those people are awesome because they know how much you love Eggo waffles and warm bagels.
- Out of town guests will likely want to make a vacation out of their stay, so also include some fun local attractions, restaurants, shows and activities that they can do while they’re visiting. A quick summary of tourist attractions and a few of your favorite spots will be greatly appreciated.
- Don’t forget to include other wedding related events. Let your guests know on your site if you will be having any type of Welcome BBQ or Post Wedding Day Brunch that you want them to attend.
...get creative and have fun with your Wedding Paper, as these cards will serve as beautiful keepsakes with your photographs to remember your special day!
xoxo,
Amanda
