How to Order Your Wedding Invitations: 7 Must-Know Tips

You said Yes to your other half, and you've been planning the wedding of your dreams. Now comes one of the most exciting details of your wedding: the invitations! Invitations are your first opportunity to share with your loved ones the essence of your big day. Think of them as a movie trailer—and this is why we go the extra mile to create your vision come true!

Today, I'm sharing the 7 essential tips that will help you coordinate your wedding invitations successfully from start to finish. Let’s get started!

#1: When to Start Working on Your Wedding Invitations?

It's recommended to start working on your wedding invitations at least 10 months before the big day. This allows enough time to hire a designer who will help bring your vision to life (and take away the stress that comes with this part).

Additionally, this timeline gives your designer time to start working on the pieces and order materials successfully. The more lead time, the better! Keep in mind that the production of the invitations can also take a couple of weeks.

Do you need to have your wedding venue booked before hiring a designer? Not necessarily! Since designers can have a busy schedule, it’s best to secure your spot early. Once you have your venue, you can share it with the designer and continue working together. Clear communication between both parties is key to success!

#2: When to Send Wedding Invitations?

As a general rule, it’s recommended to send wedding invitations at least 8–10 weeks before the big day. If you're having a destination wedding (i.e., getting married in another country), you should send the invitations further in advance, at least 12 weeks before the wedding, so your guests have enough time to make the necessary arrangements to attend.

For the RSVP, set the deadline for receiving confirmations at least 1 month before the wedding. This is a crucial detail, as the final guest count will be essential for all your vendors to perform their duties effectively (e.g., decorators when setting up chairs and tables, catering when providing food and drinks that will be catered and the venue to ensure the total guarantee matches the event space’s capacity).

Pro tip: Add at least 1 week or 5 days as a "buffer" for those who are not as punctual in confirming.

#3: How to Start Designing Your Invitations?

Once the dates are set, it’s time to dive into the design and structure! This is when the fun really begins.

What information does your designer need to start working on your invitations?
In addition to the basic details (full names of both partners, dates, etc.), we need to establish the personality of your wedding.

What colors will dominate? Do you have a favorite flower? What natural elements would you like to include?

What type of typography do you prefer? These are some of the questions that will help define your wedding's identity.

For example, let’s say you’re getting married at the beach and would love the style to be natural and boho. If you’re working with a wedding coordinator, you’ll eventually start designing your wedding, where a mood board will be created based on your and your partner’s preferences.

Where to start?

• Talk with your partner about what you both like and what elements define you as a couple (whether it’s cultural elements you’d like to incorporate, shared interests, or a special place that means a lot to both of you [e.g., the venue]).

• Start collecting photos (one effective way is by creating a Pinterest board with images of flowers, text styles, color palettes, and elements that are meaningful to both of you—this is a great starting point).

  • Here, you can also identify things you don’t like and begin to eliminate those elements.

It’s important to mention that when working with your stationery designer, they will ask you to share some images for inspiration. This is where you’ll share what you’ve put together in the previous step so they can work on the design concept.

#4: What Pieces ShouldBe Included in Your Wedding Invitation Suite?

Traditionally, there are four key pieces:

• The Main Invitation (5x7)

• RSVP

• Envelope for the Main Invitation

• Envelope for the RSVP

Can you add more? Absolutely! Stay tuned for our next article, where we’ll dive deeper into this!

#5. Approval of Proofs!

After discussing and working on the revisions for your pieces' designs, it’s time to approve the final product! This step is crucial.

Once approved, we proceed to send everything to production.

That’s why I emphasize: when you receive the final proof,Sit down with your partner and carefully review EVERYTHING.

Make sure the date is correct.
For example: if the wedding is on Saturday, November 20th, check the calendar to ensure the day of the week is accurate.

Check the text, names, and addresses. We don’t want any typos!

If a piece is approved and contains any incorrect text, unfortunately, this will delay the entire production and incur additional costs to reprint.

Something that can help is reading the invitation aloud, from left to right, and then from right to left. Let’s grab the magnifying glass, pour some coffee, and start reviewing!

#6: Time to Send the Invitations

You’ve got your invitations, and you love the final product. It’s time to send them!

Here’s a mini-guide for the process:

• During the design process, we recommend including the service for addressing the envelopes (both the main envelope and the RSVP envelope).

• Opt for light-colored envelopes with dark text, as sometimes the postal service may reject them (it all depends on the postal system).

  • If you want to use a black envelope with white or gold text, you can add an "Outer Envelope." This is a slightly larger white envelope where the postage and addresses will go. Inside, you can place your colorful envelope with the rest of the suite. We’ll be posting a blog soon explaining this detail!

• Make sure you have all the invitations you need for your guest list.

• Visit the post office during off-peak hours and ask about "hand cancelling"—the manual process of processing and sending letters. This helps prevent the machines from damaging or tearing the envelope (ideal for suites with elements like wax seal stamps, multiple inserts, etc.).

#7: Don't Forget the Stationery for Your Wedding Day!

You’ve sent out the invitations and are already receiving responses. Don’t forget about the stationery you can have for your wedding! There are countless elements you can include for your wedding that will not only help guide your guests but also highlight the personality and design of your wedding. Here are a few examples:

• Seating Chart

• Escort Cards

• Thank You Cards

• Menu or Sign for the Bar

• Welcome Sign

One advantage of working on these additional services with your designer is that everything will be designed cohesively.

Every item, from the Save The Date to the Thank You Card, will have similar designs, ensuring that the design and personality of your wedding are connected and well-executed.