WW: Invitation Advice

Today, I have a treat for you guys! (Yes, I am still waiting on my wedding pictures...you guys get to patiently wait with me. It will TOTALLY be worth it because my photographer is amazing. Here is her Facebook page.)

I thought you might enjoy some advice on wedding invitations from a professional!

Kristi Charter is an experienced freelance writer with a breadth of knowledge across an array of subjects. Captivated by the wedding industry, Kristi regularly blogs for Wedding Invitation Wording.

When it comes to planning your wedding invitations there are certain considerations you should make and things you ought to do before you can begin. Keeping in mind that your wedding  invites are the first glimpse your guests will have of your wedding and you can never re-do a first impression, you should take your time in planning out your invites. This will ensure that they are exactly how you want them to be and that everything runs smoothly during the ordering process. To help get you started we’ve put together our top tips for what you need to know.

First things first, you need to determine your wedding budget before you begin spending. As part of this you will need to decide what proportion of your budget will be allocated towards your wedding invitations and stationery. Without defining a budget before you begin looking for wedding invites you could end up finding yourself spending quite a bit more than you had originally intended so this is very step important not to skip.

The next stage is to figure out exactly when you want to be sending out your wedding invitations and when you want guests to RSVP by. These key dates will have a bearing on which stationer you select if you find that your chosen stationer simply cannot produce your invitations within the time frame that you need them by. This is because any delays have the ability to throw things completely out of whack. However if you have your dates figured out well in advance you can head to your stationer with plenty of notice allowing them the time to perfect your invites. As with planning anything, you always want time on your side.

Before you can begin your search for your dream wedding cards, you should also know what your wedding theme will be and if you will have a colour scheme. Knowing this will help narrow your scope in searching for invites. By defining your wedding style and also doing some research into invite designs and techniques you will be able to expedite the whole process.

Whether you are opting to purchase your invitations through a traditional brick and mortar store or via an online invitations business it is essential that you first view the quality of the invites they produce before committing to an order. Most online invitation retailers will provide you with an opportunity to order samples of their invitations, by doing this you will be able to closely inspect and feel the quality of the invites. This will also give you the clearest idea of what your final product will look like. Similarly brick and mortar stores will provide you with a consultation to peruse their collection and work out exactly what you want.

In placing an order for your invitations you will need to provide your stationer with your wording. Knowing how you want to word your invitations before you submit the order is vital otherwise you risk stalling the whole process. Your invitation provider should be able to provide you with some wording suggestions and templates if you find you are struggling. Another important aspect to wording your invitations is deciding whether you will be having additional accessory cards such as Reception, RSVP, Wishing Well or Directions Cards. If you won’t be purchasing separate stationery cards you will need to figure out a way to neatly lay out all your information within your invitation. This can affect your wording in terms of length and positioning.
While you might find this quite stressful, your stationer should be able to provide you with a proof of your order so that you can decide if you are completely happy with everything before printing begins. This will give you an opportunity to decide whether or not you do in fact need additional cards as might you find the wording is too cramped on the one card.

In relation to your wording you should also consider what etiquette dictates are the best ways to convey certain pieces of information. Doing some wedding invitation etiquette research is definitely something you should find the time to do before finalizing an order for invites. This is because etiquette guidelines can provide you with information relating to the language you use, appropriate timelines and how to address your invites among others handy tips.

Selecting your dream wedding invitations need not be hard and with the above tips you might even actually find yourself enjoying the whole creative process.

Thanks for sharing your professional knowledge on wedding invitations Kristi!




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