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When to send save the dates
Save the dates are typically sent out six to nine months in advance of your wedding date though up to eleven months in advance. Flights cannot be booked more than eleven months in advance and most hotels and Airbnbs do not book over a year in advance. Unless you are having an international wedding destination, guests typically do not or cannot make travel plans (ask for time off, book flights, or reserve accommodations) any earlier than that and you run the risk of guests losing the save the date or forgetting about it all together. Particularly for destination weddings and weddings in a popular tourist destination, you want your save the date to arrive during a timeframe when guests can make travel arrangements at the time they receive it. For international weddings, an earlier than usual send out is acceptable to allow guests plenty of time to get passports if they don't already have one and plan for any other logistics required for international travel.
What to include on your save the date
Outside of the obvious (your names, date, and wedding location), if you have a wedding website, you should definitely include it. Many of our clients also include their accommodation information (generally for older guests who will not visit your wedding website). If you have other wedding related events (Welcome Party, Brunch, etc), it may be helpful to include the wording "Wedding Weekend" and the date range of your wedding events. Do not include your Rehearsal Dinner or other events with wedding weekend events unless ALL guests are invited. If your wedding destination is a popular tourist destination or falls on a holiday or local event or festival (such as the bridge run or Spoleto festival in Charleston, SC) it is helpful to guests to mention this event and encourage them to book their accommodations early. If you're unsure of the exacting wording to use for your save the date, we are happy to help during the design process!
When to send wedding invitations
Wedding invitations traditionally are sent out to arrive six to eight weeks in advance of your wedding date (even before save the dates were used). Given the unpredictable nature of the postal system, you should put them in the mail one to two weeks ahead of when you would like them to arrive. We understand the excitement of wanting to get your beautiful wedding invitations to your guests earlier than that but we do not advise sending your invitations any earlier than that, especially if you've already sent your guests a save the date. If you did not send a save the date, an earlier send out is typically necessary and recommended. As almost all weddings are considered a "destination" now for the majority of guests, we do still recommend this timeline for (non international) destination weddings but having them arrive up to ten weeks in advance of the wedding is also acceptable if it makes you more comfortable! If you send out too early, you give your guests too much time to RSVP or set your RSVP too far in advance of the wedding for guests to be sure they're going. Both scenarios significantly reduce your RSVP return and getting RSVPs back from your guests on a normal timeframe is already pain enough. We will work with you to get your invitations to you for whatever schedule you choose but please let us know if you are planning to send out earlier than the recommended timeframe and make sure you place your order in plenty of time to accommodate your desired timeframe. In order to avoid any rush charges, starting the invitation process with us no later than 2 months out from when you would like your invitations in your hands is ideal.
Where to include registry information
It is considered poor etiquette to include your wedding registry information on a save the date or within a wedding invitation suite because you're inviting guests to share in your special day rather than inviting them to give you gifts or money. It is perfectly acceptable (and helpful!) to include this information on your wedding website, however. It is also perfectly acceptable to include your registry information on any shower invitations because the point of those events is to give you gifts! We will happily use whatever wording you desire on your designs but we do like to be straightforward with our clients regarding details that will be considered in bad taste by most guests. We want your save the date or invitation to be memorable for all the right reasons!
Inner and outer envelopes verse just outer
We get this question often from many of our clients and it is really a personal preference! Using inner and outer envelopes is the most traditional option and does convey more formality. When using inner and outer envelopes, the outer envelope is addressed formally and the inner envelope specifically reiterates who is invited. This type of addressing is helpful if you want to be very specific that your invitee is receiving a guest or not or whether an invitee's children are included. When using inner and outer envelopes, the wording "and guest" or the names of the children appear on the inner envelope only (or clearly do not appear if they are not invited). Formal addressing information is available on many websites but ask us if you have specific questions! The original function of inner and outer envelopes was that the outer envelopes got very dirty during the horse and buggy mail delivery days so only the inner envelope was delivered to the head of the household. Sadly for everyone, the Pony Express is no longer running so using an outer envelope only is completely acceptable! Using outer envelopes only does save a little money and makes addressing faster.
How much postage to use
Have your invitation or save the date weighed at the post office before purchasing your stamps. Many of our invitations and all square envelopes will require additional postage. If it is an invitation set we have mailed before, we may be able to tell you the weight but we cannot guarantee a rate on behalf of a government agency. The USPS website often has a better selection of stamps to order than your local post office. Be wary ordering stamps from any website other than USPS as stamp fraud is rampant.
How to word your wedding invitation
Unless requested otherwise, we format your wedding invitation wording based on information gathered from your wedding invitation questionnaire in the most traditional format so you don't have to know your wording exactly to place an order. We can walk you through your invitation wording options if you have a tricky situation or are just looking for less formal, creative, or fun wording options! Wedding invitation wording can tricky especially when there are divorced or deceased parents or parties other than the bride's parents hosting (read: paying for) the wedding ceremony and reception. If you know your situation does not fit within the traditional wording, it is always helpful to speak to the involved parties to see if anyone has strong opinions about the wording. Sometimes the best option is not always the "correct" option, especially if it means keeping the family peace!
