Commonly Asked Wedding Invitations Questions

There are many commonly asked questions related to wedding invitations. The goal of this article is to briefly answer several of them:

• Where to buy invitations for a wedding?  Traditionally wedding couples would visit their local print shop or bridal store to see all the invitation styles available in those large stationery albums. A much more convenient option has become popular in the last few years thanks to the Internet and online shopping offered by many retailers of invitations. You can review their tremendous online inventories when it fits YOUR schedule. No more traveling to shop, order and pick-up your wedding invitations. Be sure to reassure yourself on your final design selection since you are buying online by ordering samples before making your final choice and then requesting an online proof before placing your entire order, even if there is a small charge.

• How to print your own wedding invitations? Making your own invitations for a wedding can range from using a complete DIY kit to using online templates or software programs for printing them on a computer printer. The question is will you truly save money or create more stress once you figure in all the time you will be spending making them on your own. Most couples don’t realize that having invitations professionally printed doesn’t have to mean more cost. Printers actually have many quite affordable designs that are beautiful not to mention the time you are saving by having them do the set-up work and printing while you devote your time to other tasks until they are delivered to your door.
   
• How to write wedding invitations? The most important details that need to be listed in your wording are you and your fiance’s names; time of your ceremony, day of the week, month, date and year; and the location’s name and address. The amount of available space on your invitation itself will determine if the details of your reception will have to be printed separately. A separate card can be enclosed to share your reception details if space is limited. Whether you, the wedding couple, are paying for the wedding or parents are, that determines who is listed as hosting or inviting guests.Parents can be listed in a different manner even if they are not hosting. Any special wording or verse is up to you since there is an abundance of samples available online.
   
• How to address wedding invitations?  The number of envelopes to be used will determine how you address your invitations. Traditionally, inner and outer envelopes were included. The inner envelope contains all the invitation pieces and is left unsealed. The outside is addressed to the names of the specific invited guests from that household. The outer envelope being the actual mailing envelope shows the formal names and address. More modern wedding invitations now include only one mailing envelope so all specific guest names should appear on there along with the address. There are invitation styles now that eliminate a mailing envelope by having an outside wrap that becomes its own mailing piece by wrapping around all your invitation pieces. No matter how many envelopes, everything is written in the same handwriting and ink color with no abbreviations except for non-professional titles such as Mr., Mrs., Jr., etc. All numbers should appear in numeric format. It is also suggested that all hand addressing be done before the envelopes are stuffed. Remember to include a return address either when your invitations are printed or as you are addressing them.
   
• When to send out wedding invitations?  It is suggested that invitations should be mailed a minimum of 4-6 weeks before your wedding date directly at a Post Office location and all at the same time. If your wedding is taking place close to a holiday or is being held at a far-away destination, they should be mailed earlier. In these cases, guests will appreciate having more time to plan and possibly make necessary travel arrangements. You may even consider sending out save the date cards 4-6 months ahead of your invitations to give guests even more preparation time.

These are typically the most common questions that we have covered here about wedding invitations. There are many more resources you will find online that will be helpful as you shop for, design, order, assemble, address, and mail your wedding invites.