What To Include and Exclude In Your Wedding Invitations
Celebrating your marriage with all your family and friends is what makes your wedding day so special, which makes sending your wedding invitations on time, with all the necessary information so important! Get those invites in the mail with everything your guests need to know, looking beautiful, clean, and free of clutter with these tips on what to include and exclude in your wedding invitations.
What To Include
The Essentials
No matter what design, wording, or order you choose, there is essential information that should be present on every wedding invitation. This is the straightforward information your guests need to know in order to show up on time at the proper location and should be included on the main invitation so it doesn’t get overlooked. These details include:
The bride and grooms full name
The names of the hosts
Name of the venue for the ceremony
Location of the ceremony
Date and time of the ceremony
Stamps & Proper Postage
If you are sending physical RSVP’s and hope to get them returned within your deadline, you’ll want to ensure each RSVP card includes a return envelope that is stamped and labeled. Making things as simple as possible for your guests will also make your life easier, as this step limits the amount of unanswered RSVP’s you’ll need to track down when the deadline rolls around. However, if you hope to receive any RSVP’s you’ll first need to verify the postage on your wedding invitation suite. BEFORE you send your first invitation, bring a finalized sample to weigh at the post office and have them provide you with the proper postage.
Pro tip: Request that your carrier hand-cancel stamps to avoid those wavy lines on your invitations caused by machine-canceling.
Invitations Enclosures
Aside from the essential information, there are very important details your guests need to be aware of. Since space is limited on the wedding invitation itself, it’s helpful to include invitation enclosures with all the additional information. These are cards and inserts separate from the invitation, but mailed as part of your wedding invitation suite which can include:
Rsvp card
Reception card
Wedding website card
Maps
Dress code insert
Hotel and transportation information
Additional wedding events
At-home card
What to Exclude
Fonts or Colors That are Hard to Read
While the aesthetics of your wedding invitation is important, the main goal is to inform your guests. This is very hard to do if your guests can’t read them due to your choice in color or font. For a sleek and easy to read wedding invitation, we recommend limiting your fonts to two, or three if you plan on including a snippet at the bottom such “reception to follow”.
Registry Information
As part of your wedding invitation enclosures, you may be tempted to include information about your wedding registry, but your invitation is not the place to do so. Including registry information within your invitation gives the impression that bringing a wedding gift is required for entry, and can leave a bad taste in your guests’ mouth, during a moment they should feel excitement for your wedding. If you want your guests to be aware of your registry, you can include all the details on your wedding website. Learn how to create a stunning wedding website by checking out our blog here!
Vague Language
Despite having limited space on your invitation, it’s still important to be as clear as possible, especially in regards to who the invitation is addressed to and how many guests, if any, they are allowed to bring. Any vague language can be open to interpretation, so make sure your invitation is addressed using the guest’s full name and specifies if children or a plus one are allowed. To avoid any confusion, the most straightforward approach is to specify how many seats you have reserved for them.
A Preview of Your Wedding Day
Wedding invitations, along with providing all the necessary details, give your guests the first glimpse into your wedding day. Leave an impression that will have your guests counting down the days with wedding invitations that are as informative as they are breathtaking.
Contact us for more information on how we can tell your love story. We would love to walk you through our amazing packages, wedding albums, canvases, and other print photography products. We look forward to providing you with more information on our Wedding Videography and Wedding Photography and the opportunity to introduce you to our team!