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I'm probably known for a lot of things [some of them good...some of them bad], but Rockstar stationer is one I'm proud of [I've written about wedding stationery for Rock N Roll Bride Magazine!]...so you could say I know a thing or two about wedding stationery and invites.
But there's one question that I see posted about all the time...and I've got to say it bugs the hell out me!
When should I send out my wedding invites?
It's like it's the only question that matters when it comes to wedding stationery when it's actually way down the list and it depends on your plans, there is no one size fits all answer!
Instead, here's 10 more important questions to ask!
1. What's your stationery budget?
2. Are you posting stationery? [important to know as this will impact your budget]
3. What's the maximum capacity of your venue?
4. When does your venue +/or caterer need final numbers by?
5. How many people are you inviting [day + evening]?
6. Are you allowing plus ones +/or children?
7. What types of stationery are you sending/do you need? [eg save the date and/or invites. Also consider order of service, thank yous etc. at this stage because if outsourcing you might buy them all as a package]
8. Are you going to have a website for information?
9. What stationery do you plan to DIY?
10. What stationery do you plan to outsource?
Once you understand the answer to all these questions, you can work backwards from the dates given by your venue. I would give people 2-3 months to RSVP [some people can take ages!] and then use that date to determine when you need your stationery by. It gives you a deadline to work towards for your own DIY stationery or to tell your stationer.
Eg If you're getting married 16th July and your venue needs numbers by 1st June, you need to send your invites out by 1st April at the latest.
This is obviously a minimum, if you're planning for a summer wedding, over a bank holiday weekend or a destination wedding, give people as much notice as possible because they may need to find accommodation and/or save some money for it.
If you plan to send save the dates, try to do this a year in advance. If not, I recommend sending invites as soon as you have the main details up to a year in advance. You only need to include the date and venue, people don't need to know more at the point they receive the invite, when and where is enough. Obviously if you know more this can be included, but it's not essential and that's where a website can come in handy. Including a link to a website can mean all that information can be drip fed later on as you find it out.
Sooooooo...as you can see, there's so much more to just asking when you should send invites, there are so many more things to consider, I hope this is helpful if you've been navigating this minefield...you're welcome!
If you need more help with ideas, tips, useful resources, checklists and more, then my Ultimate stationery guide is just £5 and available here.
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