Let's talk: Wedding Invitation Timelines!
Have a questions about when you should be sending out your wedding invitations? Here are a few of our most common timelines and our recommendations!
One of the most common questions we get is “When should I order my wedding invitations?” We work with MANY different timelines, many of them depending on what type of ceremony you are having, if your guests are from out of town or you are having a destination wedding, and if you’re having an RSVP. We always recommend getting a head start on your invitations, so even the timelines listed in this post will be a general guideline rather than a rule! This just gives you an idea of what to expect for our experience!
If you are sending out:
Save-The-Dates
Send out your Save-The-Dates as soon as you set your date! Real moment: we actually don’t get a ton of requests from brides for Save-The-Dates because we work with brides who have shorter engagements (typically anywhere from 9-4 months!) That’s not to say we don’t EVER do them, and we can help you design up a consistant look to your entire wedding suite from Save-The-Dates to Thank You cards.
Invitations with RSVP cards
The purpose of sending out RSVP cards is to get a concrete total for who will be attending your wedding. We usually recommend a timeline based on a few factors:
When your caterer needs a total head count. This timeline varies based on how the caterer runs their business and the type of service you are paying for (buffet or servers for example). Ask your caterer what their deadline is. Add a week to their deadline to give you your RSVP date. For example: if your caterer told you June 1st was their deadline, tell your guests to have their RSVPs in by May 25th. That way, if guests send their cards back on May 25th, you still have a week to get a total to your caterer.
Allow your guests 2-3 weeks to make plans, arrange hotels & travel if needed, and send their cards back to you.
Total: Depending on the above factors, you are looking at a timeline of anywhere from 8-10 weeks before your wedding date to send out wedding invitation with RSVP cards.
Invitations with a RSVP on your wedding invitations (via wedding website!)
This is what we recommend for more couples: sign up for a wedding website that has a RSVP feature or have a specialty e-mail address that guests can respond to with their RSVP. It saves you money in print, postage, and time. We like helping our brides make money saving and smart decisions (even if we don’t make money!) We can design up a RSVP to put up on your wedding website if you want everything to be consistent. Check out some amazing wedding websites at The Knot.
To calculate your timeline, check your deadline with your caterer first to see if there is a specific date they want your guest total by. We recommend sending out your invites about 2 weeks before this date. Typically, if your caterer is flexible, a general timeline is sending out invites 6 weeks before your wedding date.
Invitations that invite everyone to a reception (no formal dinner- just cake/treats and dancing)
This is our most common wedding style that we design wedding invitations for. Brides want to invite friends, family, business associates, parent’s friends, etc to a large reception with a buffet style treat or finger food. The more intimate ceremony or sealing that’s reserved for family is designed up on a separate insert card. Typically, we recommend sending out invitations to this type of wedding 3-4 weeks before the wedding. Anything longer than that, guests can lose the card or forget information.
What do you do if you need a rush option?
We can rush print wedding invitations at .5 cents extra per card and will push your invitations through production in 3-5 business days rather than the standard production of 5-7 business days. If you are in need of your cards in a hurry, email us! We’d love to help.
We love working with brides of all timelines and can help with advising you based on your specific timeline- multiple receptions, destination wedding, multiple languages, etc. We’ve done it all! Click the button below to get started either designing online or to schedule a design appointment at our studio!
REAL WEDDING | Victoria & Jordan Calgary Alberta Wedding
I absolutley adore mountain weddings and when a bride and groom embrace the elements that their location offers, it turns out magical! Tori wanted a minimal designed wedding invite with mountain flare. This is one of my faves and is sure to inspire other brides in their quest for the perfect woodsy wedding!
Photographers | Thomas Miller and Jessamie French
Flowers (bouquet and boutineers): Midnapore Flower Magic
Dress and veil: Sweet Heart Bridal
Painting: Alyssa Skilnick
Decorations and reception floral: Bride’s mother
REAL WEDDING | Annette & Ben
Let me start this by saying, I L.O.V.E the burgundy trend. Mixing a dark moody color with florals is sooo chic and a great way to transition to fall and winter weddings! Annette and Ben’s wedding at the Hilton is full of rustic details and those bridesmaids dresses are sooo cool!
Photography | Krysta Sorg
Invitations | Anthology Print
Venue | Idaho Falls Hilton Garden Inn
FOIL LOVE | so many colors to choose from!
FOIL LOVE
with so many amazing foil colors to choose from, you can mix and match to create the perfect color palette for your wedding invites!
REAL WEDDING | Hannah & Ryan Salt Lake City Wedding
We’re sooo excited to be kicking off our new blog series, where we show off our lovely and uber-fun couples and their real weddings every week! Our first one is a carefree and boho-styled wedding in Salt Lake City Utah, one where the bride, Hannah, went barefoot through her bridal and wedding day photos. Check out her and Ryan’s wedding and wedding invitations below:
Photographer | Carly Jane Thunell
Florist | Lavender and Laurel (Cassidy Cook)
Dress | Mary’s Bridal
Invitations | Anthology Custom Print
Tips for tackling your Thank You cards
With everything that goes on with your wedding, honeymoon, and gifts, thank you cards are one of the last things on your mind. It doesn't have to be a stress- here are a few tips on how to tackle your thank you cards!
Tip 1: When opening your wedding gifts, keep a list of every item and who it came from.
It may be a bit obvious, but if you start right, you set you and your fiance up for success. (cheesy, am I right?!) But seriously, you'll probably hear it from relatives and your mom, but keeping a great list of items and the gifters will save you a stress headache down the road when you start writing your Thank You cards out.
Tip 2: Keep it simple
When I wrote out my thank you cards from my wedding, I thought it needed to be this long, thought out message (mostly because there was soooo much white space to fill up!) Nobody really expects a crazy long thank you for a toaster they got you on your registry. Just thank the guest for the gift and sign your names. You can tell your gifters a more personal thank you, ala "Oh yes, Thank You Mr. & Mrs Jones! Your toaster was such a thoughtful gift!" Easy peasy.
Tip 3: Personalize
Skip the generic cards and customize a Thank You postcard (Yay! No envelope!) Pick out one of your favorite wedding photos.
Tips for Snowy Engagement Photos: Rock your photos!
Stressing about your upcoming winter engagement photo? We have a few tips that will help you prepare.
Never Fear! Wintery engagement photos make for some pretty pictures and can be crazy amounts of fun too... as long as you take a few steps to prepare for them!
We've put together a few tips to help you plan for you snowy engagement session so you can have a great experience and get some gorgeous photos!
#1 Wear appropriate clothes.
Now is not the time to be showing off your 6 inch heels. Not only would it be completely hazardous (I'm a total klutz, so that's a true statement!) but it would look very out of place! It's obvious when I say that you're going to want to dress warm, but dress with your surroundings in mind.
Does your photographer want to take you to a mountain overlook? How about a cozy cabin? Or an ice skating rink? Think about where you are going and what you'll possibly be doing there. Many of you will, at this point, be thinking: "Well, duh. We'll be taking pictures." The best photos of you and your fiance will be when you are interacting with each other and your surroundings comfortably. Be mindful before hand on what shoes will work best in the terrain, maybe pick up a new sweater or peacoat, or layer on an extra pair of socks.
Also, bring back up clothes. You are most likely planning on a change of clothes or two, but sometimes plans change and you might want to wear an outfit you hadn't planned on wearing. It's better to have more options and your photographer can help weigh in on what they think is the best option for the location and lighting.
#2 Have blankets and hand warmers ready
In between shots, or moving to a new location, shake up some hand warmers and stick them in your pockets. Warm up with blankets and blast that heater. Warming up in between locations will help keep your energy level up and gives you a chance to cozy up with your fiance!
#3 Be adventurous!
Embrace the season! Even if you're not a winter person, your photographer can help you get the shots that will stun your family and friends. SO get out there and have fun with your fiance! Throw snowballs. Shoot in a snowstorm (falling snow is ah-mazing in photos!) Dance. Laugh. Move. Cuddle. Play a mini get-to-know-you game with your fiance: When did you know I was the one? Tell me a joke. What is your favorite movie?
I hope these few tips help to prepare you for your wintery engagement session! It's going to be amazing!
Winter Wedding Inspiration
With moody burgundys, luxe gold foil,
and the season’s new hot wedding color - Mauve -
these winter wedding invitations
are sure to stun!
