Rules for wedding invitation card etiquette

A wedding day is a memorable day that people typically look forward to celebrating. Communicating wedding details to potential guests is also a crucial part of the wedding planning process. Wedding invitation cards give guests a first peek into the wedding day.

This first impression really matters, and it should make guests look forward to attending the big day. Below are a few important pointers to keep in mind when designing wedding invitation cards.

Start letting guests know about the big day way ahead of time. This is so that they have time to plan their attendance; be it financially, mentally or even emotionally. The best way to start is by sending out ‘save the date’ cards, or digital alerts, at least 10 months before the official date. Save-the-date cards are optional, however, they should be considered for destination weddings.

Guests may need time to save up money, ask for leave from work, make travel plans, and book hotel reservations. This way, they will be fully prepared to attend the wedding without it feeling like a big inconvenience that came up and reshuffled their other personal commitments. Sending them out early also gives you enough time to plan and budget for the guests who will be able to attend.

If save-the-date cards are not in the wedding budget, official wedding card invitations should go out at least four months months before the wedding day. Guests also need enough time to plan for the big day.

As mentioned above, the invitation card is the first peek into the wedding day. For a cohesive look, stick to the hues and tones of the wedding day when creating the invitation cards.

Try not to put every single colour and shade into the card, simply look at the bigger picture of the general wedding style and theme. Just ensure that the card is readable when choosing the colours and fonts.

The worst thing that you would want happening to you is to order a big batch of wedding invitation cards with a spelling, grammar or location mistake. Such details need to be double and triple checked by more than one person.

Ensure that the invitation card answers: who, what, where and when. Whoever is hosting is traditionally listed first on the card. One should never use just first names in the invitation card, the bride and groom’s full names should be spelt out. The type of wedding ceremony should also be highlighted, as some couples may choose to invite guests just for the reception only.

The location and name of the wedding destination should have details of the city, street address, door number, and any other specific details. This will be particularly helpful for guests who are visiting from out of town and probably don’t know their way around. Additionally, if the reception venue is separate, it should be mentioned too.

When sending out the invitation cards, costs can be cut by including all family members of the same household into one card; i.e. “The Johnson Family”. This also applies to couples being invited, simply include both names in the same invitation card to save money and printing materials.

In case one wants to exclude children from the ceremony, list only the adult invitees of a household in the invitation card. If clarification is needed, simply contact them and let them know that the ceremony is only for adults.