9 Expert Tips On Nailing Your Wedding Invitation Etiquette

We are joined by wedding stationery experts, Atelier Rosemood as they share their top tips for wedding invitation etiquette.

You’ve sent out your save the dates, you’ve decided on your dream wedding theme, and booked your venue. Now it’s time to ask your guests to join you on the day you say “I do”. You’re officially one day closer to the best day of your life, congrats!

Expert Advice On Wedding Invitation Etiquette

When it comes to sending out your wedding invitations, you might not know where (or when) to begin. Between finding the perfect design to coming up with creative wording for your wedding invitations, etiquette might be the last thing on your mind when planning your big day. That’s where wedding stationery experts Atelier Rosemood come in.

From save the dates to wedding thank you cards, Atelier Rosemood have accompanied countless couples every step of the way as they plan their special day, so you can trust that they have the top tips for wedding invitation etiquette.

1. Timing Is Everything For Guests’ Plans

It’s only fitting that the most important rule of wedding invitation etiquette should come first on this list… timing, timing, timing!

Timing is everything for your guests (and for you as well!). You want to make sure you’re giving your friends and family enough notice so that they can prepare for your big day, especially those coming from afar.

It’s often helpful to set a timeline for yourself. Presuming you have already sent out your save the dates, give yourself a self-imposed deadline of at least two months before your wedding to send out your invitations. (Note that if you will be having a destination wedding, you might want to tack on another month or so to give your guests a bit more time to plan.)

Whether it’s requesting time off from work, finding a babysitter or setting a budget for a gift and accommodation, there is some work that needs to be done on your guests’ end as well!

2. Include Vital Details For Clarity

Once you’ve established a deadline for yourself, it’s time to think about what you need to include in your wedding invitations.

Start with the basics: the date, time and location. For the guests you will be inviting to both the daytime ceremony and evening reception, make sure to include the start and end times of each part of your special day. This will give your guests time to plan on when to leave their house (or accommodation) or when to anticipate having a babysitter watch the kids if you’d prefer a child-free wedding.

3. Share Gift List Details (Even If You Aren’t Having One)

Next, think about your personal preferences. If you have several specific requests for your guests, you might consider adding a guest information card to your wedding invitation so as to not overfill your invitations with text.

Add information about how you feel about gifts, such as whether you would like to receive them at all. Perhaps you would prefer a donation in their place, or if you have a gift list, make sure to include all of the pertinent information your guests will need to access it.

4. Don’t Forget To Share Accommodation Recommendations

Don’t forget to include details regarding accommodation. If you are lucky enough to be having a destination wedding on a tropical island or in a romantic villa in the Italian countryside, make sure to give your guests ample information about available (and ideally, affordable) lodging in the area.

Even if you will be saying your vows in your hometown, you are likely to have guests who are coming from afar to celebrate with you, and they will be appreciative of any information you give them.

As an extra way to share your gratitude with your guests who are coming from afar, you can present the information about the available accommodation in a way that shows your appreciation to the guests making a long trip.

For example, you can introduce the information about nearby accommodation with :

We know you’re coming from near and far to join us on our special day, so we’ve reserved ___ rooms at ___ to make your journey a little easier.

Just adding a simple line like this can make your guests feel appreciated for the time and money they are spending to join you on your special day.

5. Let Guests Know If Children Are Invited

Inform your guests of whether you would like children to attend either part of your wedding. You are perfectly in your right to request that your guests don’t bring their children to your big day – just make sure you let them know in advance so that they can find childcare.

If you’d prefer your guests come without their children to one or both parts of your wedding, it is important to word it so that your guests don’t feel offended. Especially if children were invited to their own wedding.

You can keep it simple with a:

We politely request an adults-only wedding celebration.

Or to be more casual:

So that our guests can enjoy a night off from the little ones…

Either way, stay true to your personal style when it comes to the wording.

6. Remember Your RSVP Card

Your wedding stationery set wouldn’t be complete without one important thing, the RSVP card! Make sure to request information from your guests such as whether they will be bringing a plus-one and which meal they prefer.

You surely had fun tasting all of the delicious meals for your special day, so don’t forget to add the details of the culinary selection for your reception to your RSVP card so your guests can tick off the box with their meal of choice. Don’t forget to add an RSVP date that gives both you and your guests enough time to plan, such as four weeks before your big day.

7. Consider Adding Special Requests Sensitively

Don’t be shy when it comes to making specific requests for your wedding day. After all, this is your special day. You can make any request that’s important to you and still do so politely. It’s all in how you say it.

8. Opt For Casual Wording For Evening Invites

For your invitations, you can be more formal in the wording of your daytime ceremony invitations, but keep it more casual for your evening guests. That way, your evening guests can still feel included in your big day without feeling too much pressure to attend or to bring a gift.

9. Above All Else Be Yourself!

No matter how you word it, add a personal flair to the tone of your wedding invitations. The most important part is making your wedding invitations stay true to who you and your future spouse are.

There is no one-size-fits-all way to plan your wedding day, but these tried and true tips should help give you one less thing to stress about when it comes to etiquette for your wedding invitations. Just remember these five W’s: who, what, where, when… and wording!

With wedding invitations, guest information cards and RSVP cards, Atelier Rosemood has everything you need to help make your wedding planning run as smoothly as possible.