Compared to choosing a venue, finding gowns, and planning your honeymoon, wedding invitations seem to be one of the easier tasks to organize ahead of your big day. But when it comes to these small but very special papers, there are a lot of things to consider. As you save the date, your invitation sets the overall tone for the big day and lets your guests know what’s to come. It’s important to make sure your message is clear and the design reflects the personal style of you, your significant other, and the day you’ll be sharing it together. From what to write and when to send to the address envelope, here’s everything you need and may want to know about your invitation.
What to include in a wedding invitation
While a beautiful design is a priority, your invitations serve a purpose – the fact that it shares important information about your wedding invites with your guests is inevitable. How much detail you add is up to you, but you must include certain facts to ensure your guests are well informed and arrive on time.
Basic information includes:
There is a wedding and you are invited! Whether you’re “asking for the pleasure of their company” or just telling your guests that you’re “marrying,” let your guests know you’re getting married using invitation wording that suits your invitation vibe and your upcoming wedding. While traditional wedding ceremonies require more formal wording, modern weddings can be introduced in a fun, casual tone.
Happy couple names
Of course, you’ll want to include your and your husband’s or wife-to-be’s names so guests know whose wedding they’re attending. Traditionally, the bride’s name comes before the groom’s name, but now or for same-sex weddings, names can also be listed alphabetically, or in the order that looks or sounds best.
Location and location
The name of your wedding venue and additional party venues (if applicable) are required. If you want to keep text to a minimum, you don’t need to state the full address, but you do need to provide the venue name and city country wedding invitations with details so guests can find its exact location.
Date and time
Let guests know when your big day is taking place and when they should arrive. For destination weddings, if you are inviting guests for more than one day, be clear on how many days the celebration will last.
Reception information
If your party will be held at a different location, please state this on the invitation and let guests know if transportation will be provided, or if they will need to travel on their own. If you’re only inviting someone to the evening celebration, make sure to state that clearly in the invitation.
Reply details
Don’t forget to include information on how to respond at the bottom of your invitation, or you can do this on your info card. Provide a 4-week deadline so you can update the caterer or your venue with the final figures. (If you want to see examples from traditional to modern on how to word your wedding invitations, read our wedding invitation wording guide)
How can you write a wedding invitation?
After you’ve decided what information to include, it’s time to decide if you want to format it. You can experiment with font types, text sizes and colors with our simple online editor. Play around with the alignment buttons, letter spacing, and line-height until you find a look and layout that you’re 100% happy with. If you’re still struggling to get all the text into the invitation, consider moving some of the text to the info card. This is a place to provide information such as additional directions for your venue, gift list, and dietary requirements – any additional information you would like to add.
You can also choose to leave blanks on our designs so you can handwrite some text yourself. Most couples choose to leave the guest’s name blank and enter the rest of the information. If you’re going to handwrite your name, we recommend buying calligraphy or a pen so you can really impress. Practice on paper until your letters are correct, and make sure to double-check the spelling of the guest’s name. Or if you have the budget, you can get a professional calligrapher to do it for you.
What to do with your wedding invitations
Wedding invitation envelopes should contain the guest’s name and full address. But deciding how to handle envelopes for everyone can be tricky. From cohabiting single guests and unmarried couples, to families with children and families with special titles, there are many different situations to consider. Our simple guide to wedding envelope etiquette details how to send an invitation to each guy.
