Your Guide to Wedding Invitations

Well you did it! You found the love of your life, agreed on the date and are ready to announce to the world the special day is on its way. So now you embark on probably the most important document you will ever send out – your wedding invitation.

This importance is vested on the fact that your invitation sets the theme for the wedding, contains all the information needed to have a successful and memorable day and if prepared properly – lets your guest, whether or not it is your closest family member or best friend know how important they are to you.

Yet, for those not in the industry it can seem a complicated exercise, keep it too simple you create confusion, make it too complicated it deprives imagination.

Weddings of the Whitsundays have prepared this easy checklist to assist you in brining your wedding to life and so this important step like the rest of the day is done without a hitch!

Wedding Card - Save the Date

Save the Date

Before we even get to the invitation, due to our busy lifestyles, most people like to send out a Save the Date card/digital mailer. Traditionally they go out at around six to eight months in advance, but these days, especially for destination weddings, anywhere up to 18 months is becoming more common.

So, it’s all in the name, these cards are a simple exercise in letting people know the date of your wedding. But the great thing about them is they carry the wedding theme. Imagine this, your best friend receives the envelope and opens it with great excitement – what will they see? What will the pictures and imagery say about your day and how do you want them to feel when they read it?

These cards require no response from your potential guest, but if you have extra info such as where you’re thinking of holding the wedding (geographically) that’s great as it helps the reader to conjure up a vision of how your day might be. If you’re putting together a website for your wedding a link should be included here also.

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The all-important ‘Invitation’

What to include?

The wedding invitation is the primary card in the envelope and tells your guests the who, what, when, and where of your wedding. Depending on the style of wedding you decide on It can typically be broken down into 2-4 different cards, but regardless of the format you decide upon, information that needs to be included is..

– Couple’s names
– Ceremony Date, Time & Location
– Reception Style, Date, Time & Location
– Travel & Local Accommodation Details
– Directions and/or map
– Extra Details, such as are dress code, child policy & gift registry
– Wedding website address
– RSVP Method

How to put your inclusions together

Breaking up the inclusions into different cards is helpful and gives your guests something they can pin to their fridge making it easier to keep track of information and whilst there is no definitive way to do this, we find..

– Ceremony/Main InvitationsCards are hero in the pack, if you’re opting for further cards within the invitation it’s good to keep information on this one clean and simple.
– Reception Cards are great if you’re having a small ceremony but a large celebration with all your family and friends.
– Enclosure Cards are great for Directions, Travel, Accommodation & extra details such as events schedule – information on when and where wedding party activities will be held.
– Rehearsal Dinner Cards, If you have a special rehearsaldinner planned, a card inside the invitation is a great place to include the when and where for invited guests.
– RSVP Cards, you can call us old fashioned, but we love an RSVP card, we know that many people opt for an online RSVP system if they have put together a wedding site, but while it may incur some extra time for your guests to post the RSVP back – it allows through this effort a “buy in” to the day and makes your guest an active participant of your day.

Regardless of how many cards you choose for your invitation, don’t forget they are your markers – through them you dictate the look and more importantly the feel that you wish to create for your wedding day.

For example, we recently attended a wedding at Byron Bay, it was a causal but very trendy beach wedding. The invitation contained pictures of combi van and a stencilled image of the beach setting. Enabling me to see clearly, we were celebrating outside and my attire was dictated from this.

Wedding invitations vary significantly in price – 100 invitations can cost between $100 – $1500.00 depending on the style, quality and width of paper. Our Advice? Do not go too cheap, remember this is a timeless keepsake – a memento of the day. In our experience the biggest regret from couples is always how the invitations turned out – keep everything highest quality – preserve this one thing so it will preserve your memories.

Usually the invitation stage is all you and does not involve a wedding planner – so take your time and enjoy putting it all together.

 

Envelopes & Presentation

Inner & Outer Envelopes

– Outer envelopes should be sturdy and complement the theme you’ve used for your invitation. Work on a budget of these costing 30 cents for every $1 spent on invitations.

– Inner envelopes are a great option for couples who want to personalize their stationary even more. They enable you to include things like hand done calligraphy for guests’ names. They also add an elegant touch to your overall presentation. However, if you don’t want to spend the extra money or add bulk to your envelopes, don’t fret. Inner envelopes are an added benefit and not necessary to create a beautiful invitation.

Belly Band, Wax Seal, & Customized Stamps

– Belly Bands hold everything together. It’s that string or band that wraps around all the cards for a clean, finished look. If this is something you’d like for your invitations, budget around $0.20 per invite for materials. Also, if this increases the size of your envelopes too much, you may need to pay added postage.

– Wax seals also cost additional in postage because they require special processing. If you prefer the look of a custom wax seal, expect a more expensive postal delivery.

– Customised Stamps are great and depending on your design, can be used in not just stationary but all things wedding related!

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Destination Weddings

Heading to the Whitsundays? Great idea!

If you are taking your day to an exciting destination make sure you include details for your guests. For example, in the Whitsundays there are two airports – which one would you suggest which one they fly too? What’s the best transfer company? What are the local accommodation options? How is the climate/weather? For foreign destinations be sure to include information on phone/internet options and local currency. Don’t forget the more remote the destination the more notice people will need to make their travel arrangements.